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By EWAN
KENNEDY
27 April 2009
Nissan Maxima in its about to be superseded format is one
of the most stylish cars on Australian roads. Even five years
after its introduction we find people give it a close look any
time we drive one.
Now the next generation has been shown to the motoring media and
will be on sale from June 1. Those who still like the current car
may care to make a trip to a Nissan dealership as soon as possible
because there are only a few dozen left. Don’t expect any good
deals though because tight planning by the Nissan Australia chiefs
during these troubled financial times has turned out to be too
conservative and has created a stock shortage.
But what about the new model Maxima? It's an all-new car in the
body, with a newly engineered platform that's significantly
stiffer than the old. The engine and transmission are carried
over, but with many changes to improve performance and reduce fuel
consumption.
The biggest news of all is the introduction of a 2.5-litre V6
engine to complement the existing 3.5 V6. We have spent some time
driving Maxima with this smaller engine and it's a delightful
unit. This is often the way and smaller than average engines with
multiple cylinders are some of our favourite powerplants. Outputs
for the 2.5 installed in the Maxima 250 models are 134 kW, and 228
Nm at 4400 rpm. Fuel consumption is rated at 9.5 litres per
hundred kilometres when measured on the combined cycle to official
Australian standards.
On the road this engine is lovely and smooth and we feel the great
majority of drivers will be more than happy with its performance.
If you're going to be carrying a big load and/or travelling in
hilly areas we recommend you try to duplicate those conditions
during your own test drive.
Best of all the Nissan Maxima 250 ST-L is priced at only $33,990.
That includes leather trim, powered front seats, dual-zone air
conditioning and six airbags, so this is certainly no stripped
down price leader. With this new model, Nissan Australia is keen
to steal sales from Toyota Camry (four-cylinder) and the Toyota
Aurion V6, as well as the Honda Accord V6.
The 3.5-litre engine now produces 185 kW and 326 Newton metres. It
has plenty of performance and will appeal to the rev heads in the
family-car market. Models with the bigger engine are now called
Maxima 350.
We feel the new Maxima body, while striking enough in its shape,
isn't nearly as adventurous as the about-to-be-superseded one. The
designers have chosen to go for a more elegant look this time
around.
Pleasingly, the windscreen pillars are noticeably slimmer than
average for this day and age. This is an important safety feature
as it gives good visibility when driving in the suburbs as well as
on twisting country roads.
The dashboard area of the Maxima is a model of simplicity and user
friendliness and could be a model to some other car stylists who
get carried away with fashion over function.
Though you still wouldn’t call it a sporty vehicle the new
Maxima has improved road holding and chassis dynamics compared
with the old. It turns in willingly enough and isn't overly upset
by big changes in the road surface. But it's not the sort of car
you would choose if you enjoy driving hard.
Noise reduction is impressive, an important feature of the new,
stiffer platform and the big Nissan sedan is surprisingly quiet on
Australian coarse-chip roads.
Interior room is good, but we feel the back seat really should
have been bigger for a car of this size. It can take four adults
and provides reasonably legroom, but you may have to share some of
that space with the occupants in the front.
The boot is huge and stretches a long way forward, perhaps
stealing some of the aforementioned room from the back seat.
All-in-all this upcoming Nissan Maxima is a most impressive car at
a very good price. Those looking to buy a medium sized car should
consider the model with the 2.5-litre engine, while the big 3.5
engine is there for shoppers in the family-car market.
The full 2009 Nissan Maxima range, with prices (excluding on-road
costs) is:
Maxima 250 ST-L: $33,990 (automatic)
Maxima 350 ST-S: $37,990 (automatic)
Maxima 350 Ti: $46,990 (automatic)
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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