2009 NISSAN Maxima 3.5L CVT (290 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Nissan made the seventh generation of the Maxima as a sport sedan, shortening the wheelbase and increasing the tracks for both axles, thus increasing the car’s handling.

Introduced in 2008, the Maxima A35 confirmed its status as a sportier, shorter sedan than its bigger sibling Altima. Nissan tried and convinced its customers that the Maxima was for families with spirited drivers, while the Altima was the mid-size sedan designed for comfort. The Maxima was more on the sports side in every technical detail and a few interior features.

The exterior look featured a catamaran-style front end, with two raised areas above the fenders and a bulge on the hood. Its wrapped-around headlights resembled those installed on the Z370, with their horizontal V-shape on their outer side. From its side, the cab-rearward design was classic for a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, but the Maxima was front-wheel-drive. At the back, the design team spoiled the car’s, otherwise, sporty look with a large bumper, but the LED taillights smoothed the design.

Inside, the high-bolstered bucket seats at the front featured hand-stitched leather upholstery for the upper trim levels and promised good side support during high-speed cornering maneuvers. At the back, the carmaker added an option for heated seats and a separate climate control panel hidden in the center folding armrest. For the driver, Nissan installed a beautiful layout in the instrument cluster with a speedometer in the middle flanked by the tachometer on the left and the fuel and coolant temperature gauges. Chromed surroundings adorned the three-dial display.

Under the hood, Nissan installed the VQ35 engine that provided 290 hp, 35 more than its predecessor. It paired it with a CVT gearbox. The carmaker added a pair of paddle-shifters behind the steering wheel that selected six pre-set gears.