Nissan's 4DSC is back- 2009 Maxima

Like high-performance SUVs that suffer from high curb weights and tall centers of gravity, front-drive sports cars are born under-equipped to navigate a cruel, unfair world. Asking the front tires to throw a wave of power to the ground and turn almost two tons of metal at the same time is expecting a lot. What are those back tires doing? Sitting on their steel-belted asses and enjoying the ride, that's what.

Needless to say, I slid into the 2009 Nissan Maxima's heavily bolstered seat with more than a little doubt. Faded is the 4DSC (four-door sports car) halo that shone brightly over the roof of the third-generation, 1989-94 model. For 2009, the 3.5-liter V-6 under the hood has been tweaked to 290 hp and 261 lb-ft, a noteworthy increase from the outgoing car's 255 hp and 252 lb-ft. But would this be a good thing? The last front-driver I piloted with this much power was the Chevy Impala SS, a car whose body twists about as readily as its torque converter.

Visually, it's hard to call Nissan's latest top-dog sedan forgettable. It's almost four inches shorter than its predecessor, with half of that taken from inside the wheelbase. Combine that with an extra 1.5 inches of width and a decrease in height of a half an inch, and the new Maxima starts looking more aggressive on paper. But like the outgoing car, the new one's sheetmetal should be awfully polarizing. From high angles, the hourglass shape is flowing and attractive with an organic, wind-blown look to it. From other views, the car can look heavy and slightly confused.

Actual figures haven't been published yet, but the 2009 model is expected to sit right on top of the '08's 3600-pound curb weight. Nissan product specialist Pete Haidos says the desire to keep the weight off played a large role in keeping the front wheels driving the Maxima. But while it is lighter than the 3886-pound Pontiac G8, the Maxima is heavier than the Infiniti G35, which uses the same engine. Was sticking with front-drive really a weight-saving decision or one made to protect Nissan's luxury division?

The Maxima could very easily wear an Infiniti badge. Fully optioned, it actually offers more luxuries than a G35, including a heated and cooled driver's seat, a dual-pane glass roof, HID lights, a heated steering wheel, navigation with traffic reporting, two grades of leather, and a bevy of other features and gadgets. It even borrows a few rear suspension components from the M35. And unlike any current Infiniti sedan, the Maxima uses exhaust-side variable valve timing.




My first impressions behind the wheel put me more in the mind of near-luxury, performance-oriented front-drivers like the Acura TL than of mainstream sedans like the Toyota Avalon. The seats in the sport package use black leather accented with red stitching, and while they'll be slightly too wide for some drivers, they're well bolstered and even have adjustable thigh support. They're still comfortable even after a full day of driving. In my short time as a rear passenger, I was impressed with the back seats, too, which offer an option for a pair of more sculpted buckets. Thoughtfully, this available rear seat will still accommodate three if necessary, unlike the similar option on the last model.

But the real news is the Maxima's performance. Acceleration to 60 mph comes in the mid-to-high five-second range with a deep grunt of intake noise passed through an amplifier, a concept pioneered by the BMW Z4. Beyond that, the steering is the definite high point of the car's dynamic profile; The wheel itself is an attractive three-spoke design with a small diameter and a thick, leather-wrapped rim. I couldn't get confirmation, but expect to see it again when the 370Z debuts at the next Los Angeles show. The same goes for the Maxima's "twin orifice" (stop snickering!) speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion steering, which is similar to the system found in the current Z. A quick 15.2:1 ratio provides a direct feel with just the right amount of on-center weight. It's among the best I've felt from any front-drive sedan.

That impression is further enhanced by the surprising lack of torque steer. Compared with the old car, the new Maxima's engine is lower and uses six mounting points instead of four. The lowering of the engine allows the axle shafts to sit more horizontally, which, along with front control arms that are longer than the current Altima's, helps minimize the steering wheel's desire to twitch. Acceleration lags slightly off the line, an indication that the drive-by-wire throttle eases onto the power at a more controlled rate than a mechanical system would at full throttle.

Equally impressive are the Maxima's brakes, which now benefit from vented rotors at all four corners. The 12.6-inch front and 12.1-inch rear rotors, all squeezed by single-piston calipers, are effective at scrubbing speed. Three consecutive 70-0 mph stops result in minimal fade and little to no ABS intervention. Along the way, the pedal feels confident and linear without being grabby.

Mountain roads don't exhaust the brakes, either, and they also demonstrate the Maxima's newfound (or should I say re-found?) handling competence. The new body is 15 percent more rigid, while sport and premium models gain 17 percent more torsional rigidity by giving up the base model's 60/40 split folding rear seat. Instead, those models get a small pass-through cut into a steel panel that accounts for the extra stiffness. The suspension — struts and coil springs at the front and multi-link at the rear — incorporates lighter aluminum components and gets thick stabilizer bars at both ends. Sport-package cars get firmer dampers and 19-inch wheels wrapped in all-season tires or optional 245/40WR19 Bridgestone Potenza RE050 performance rubber.

With all the sport goodies added, the Maxima stays remarkably flat through corners, and while the tires start moaning early, they continue to stick; understeer only takes over if you really induce it. Getting this big front-driver to rotate, however, is a lost cause.



For how composed the Maxima remains through the mountains around Ojai, California, the highway route back to Los Angeles reveals its abilities as a long-distance cruiser. The dampers are firm yet forgiving and probably exhibit a better compromise than a G35's, which don't take so kindly to sharp impacts. With the cruise at 75 mph, the car settles in and the CVT spins the engine at just under 2500 rpm. But that brings me to the car's Achilles heel.

For the Maxima, Nissan's Xtronic CVT (the car's only transmission option) has been retuned, boasting over 700 shift algorithms that search out the optimal settings for any drive situation. In regular mode it acts like a conventional, shiftless CVT, while a gearshift-selected sport mode tells the transmission to imitate six gears that can be selected manually via column-mounted paddles. Its ability to hold the engine at its power peak makes it wonderful for city traffic, while its lack of gears lets the engine turn slower at highway speeds, delivering an estimated 26 mpg. But as much as Nissan engineers have tried to make this transmission sporty, it isn't.

Through tight uphill corners it's easy to confuse the CVT. Diving into a 25 mph corner that begs for third (pretend third) or even second gear, it won't drop below fourth. I get back on the throttle but the transmission has already committed to a ratio that isn't ideal. The engine bogs while the mysterious belts and pulleys below the hood talk the situation over and finally bring the engine back to life. In an Altima or a Murano this hasn't been a problem, but the Maxima is so wonderfully capable that the transmission just can't keep up. After a half-hour of such flogging, a familiar yet unwelcome smell enters the cabin; it's decidedly not the brakes, so I decide to back off the poor CVT.

The take-rate on manual-transmission Maximas last year was somewhere around two percent, so don't expect Nissan to commit to a mid-cycle addition. A diesel Maxima is due out for 2010 and it'll use a traditional automatic. Pete Haidos also estimates that the diesel will run 30-35 percent more efficiently than the 3.5-liter gas motor and claims the 3.0-liter Renault powerplant has "the best NVH management of any diesel V-6." It should be worth the wait. Plus, that extra year will allow enough time for would-be buyers to save up the price premium it's sure to carry.

The Maxima isn't likely to steal many buyers away from enthusiast-focused rear-drivers like the Infiniti G35 or the BMW 328i, which will live in the same price range as the Maxima once sport and premium packages are added to the its estimated $29,000 base price; but a wide range of manufacturers — Buick, Acura, Lexus, and Toyota among them — should be worried. The Maxima represents the best combination of sportiness, comfort, and technology available in a front-drive platform. Its polarizing styling and the not-so-impressive CVT will likely be the only thing turning buyers away from the car, but Nissan is prepared for that. Want something more conservative? Buy an Altima. Something a little more emotional? Infiniti has you covered. The Maxima is for those who want a little taste of both.