Nissan Maxima 2.5 2009 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before dealer and statutory charges): $33,990
Crash rating: Not yet tested by Euro NCAP or ANCAP but likely to get five stars
Fuel: Petrol
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 9.5 (2.5-litre six with CVT)
CO2 emissions (g/km): 226 (2.5-litre six with CVT)
Also consider: Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Mazda6

About our ratings

For once we have witnessed truth in advertising. You may recall the television campaign for the new Nissan Maxima: the car starts driving on a winding road and quickly ends up conquering the daily grind. That's what this car is all about: quiet, efficient, comfortable motoring. And sitting in traffic.

Rarely do carmakers focus on a vehicle's ability to sit well in traffic, but the team behind the Nissan ad probably got the car's strengths about right. It's not a race car but it was never meant to be.

My entrée into the new Maxima range was the entrée model itself. Except, at the time I was unaware there were two engines available.

So this unwittingly became a blindfold test... And I unwittingly became the guinea pig -- driving along in the new, freshly detailed Maxima quite happily, thinking this car isn't bad for a V6 -- not realising it was only the 2.5 not the 3.5.

The 2.5 has 27 per cent less power and 30 per cent less torque than the 3.5, but you know what? Who cares? There was more than enough oomph here to get you to the next traffic snarl. And while the CVT (continuously variable transmission) technically has one variable gear, Nissan has seen fit to install six pre-determined shift points. Nice, but not necessary.

I must be getting old because, dare I say it, I could happily live with the basic model. Except, of course, that it's far from basic.

The full list of safety kit (front, side and curtain airbags and stability control) is standard, as is leather upholstery. You don't get that in a Camry or a Commodore for the same price.

I say Camry or Commodore because the Maxima neatly crosses into two categories: the medium and large sedan classes. The cabin is huge. The boot is huge. And it has more standard equipment than any of the locally made rivals for this price. It also has a greater feeling of luxury.

The Maxima's interior is a smart, well presented design. Once again, it looks much more expensive and more luxurious than other offerings for this money. All the controls are well laid out and easy to locate and use. It's completely fuss free.

When you need it to, the Maxima steers well enough (sure, it won't win any racetrack events but, as noted above, it isn't supposed to), is superbly quiet and generally gets on with the job without a care in the world.

The exterior design is an acquired taste, and it's one I've not yet acquired. But I'm trying. If I were in the market for a large comfortable sedan, I guess I could squint at it on approach.

Overall, the Maxima 2.5 is one of the surprise packets for me this year -- and we've only just passed the half-way mark.

Alas sadly, the new Maxima will likely spend most of its life in the rental company spaces at airport carparks, just as the previous model did. Which is a shame, really -- because each Maxima deserves a proper home. Adopt one now. Better still, rent one before you buy.

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