Even if you don't believe the marketing hype behind Nissan's continued insistence that the eighth-generation Maxima is the latest in a long line of 4DSCs (four-door sports cars), in person at the 2015 New York auto show, the sedan is undeniably bold, and arguably wild by full-size sedan standards. In an automotive world where every other automaker calls its newest debut "bold," Nissan demonstrates how it's really done.
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Whether the 2016 Maxima's styling will attract more buyers than it turns away remains to be seen, but the car will have a few notable selling features, including standard navigation in an 8-inch screen, a flat-bottom steering wheel, and an active sound technology that amplifies the exhaust note. Inside, the Maxima's cabin looks good, with the large instrument cluster screen we saw in the new 2015 Murano, and in higher-trim models, contrasting stitching everywhere you look.
BMW 3 Series buyers, for the most part, will still likely stick with the best-selling luxury line (including the 4 Series coupe), but the Maxima has been noticeably improved inside and out. On sale in June, the 300-hp front-drive 2016 Nissan Maxima lapped Buttonwillow Raceway faster than the 240-hp rear-drive BMW 328i, Carlos Ghosn claimed at the Nissan press conference.
What would you compare against the 2016 Nissan Maxima sedan?
Get the full story in our 2016 Maxima First Look, and don't miss our comprehensive 2015 New York auto show coverage.
I’ve come a long way since I drove sugar packets across restaurant tables as a kid, pretending they were cars. With more than 17 years of experience, I'm passionate about demystifying the new car market for shoppers and enthusiasts. My expertise comes from thoughtfully reviewing countless vehicles across the automotive spectrum. The greatest thrill I get isn’t just from behind the wheel of an exotic car but from a well-executed car that’s affordable, entertaining, and well-made. Since about the time I learned to walk I’ve been fascinated by cars of all shapes and sizes, but it wasn’t until I struggled through a summer high school class at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design that I realized writing was my ticket into the automotive industry. My drive to high school was magical, taking me through a beautiful and winding canyon; I've never lost the excited feeling some 16-year-olds get when they first set out on the road. The automotive industry, singing, and writing have always been my passions, but because no one seeks a writer who sings about the automotive industry, I honed my writing and editing skills at UC Irvine (zot zot!), serving as an editor of the official campus newspaper and writing stories as a literary journalism major. At USC, I developed a much greater appreciation for broadcast journalists and became acquainted with copy editing rules such as why the Oxford comma is so important. Though my beloved 1996 Audi A4 didn’t survive my college years, my career with MotorTrend did. I started at the company in 2007 building articles for motorcycle magazines, soon transitioning to writing news posts for MotorTrend’s budding online department. I spent some valuable time in the copy editing department, as an online news director, and as a senior production editor. Today, MotorTrend keeps me busy as the Buyer's Guide Director. Not everyone has a career centered on one of their passions, and I remind myself all the time how lucky I am.
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