Nissan's Maxima gets better as it grows smaller

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By Frank Aukofer SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES

There are many things that can tilt a buyer toward a particular car — price, fuel economy, size, passenger comfort, performance, handling and ride.

But the biggest determining factor, as it always has been, is styling. Nobody buys a car that is perceived to be ugly--unless, of course, it is way too good a deal, and even that might not be enough.

But styling, as it always has been, lies in the eye of the beholder. The stunning beauty to one person might be a piece of horse hockey to another. That's why so many choices survive from so many domestic and foreign manufacturers.

Once in awhile, however, an automobile comes along that develops a consensus verdict as a looker. Such a car is the 2009 Maxima, a front-drive sports sedan from Nissan of Japan.

Not only does it have flowing, muscular lines, it is-gasp!--smaller than its predecessor. Stop the presses! It's almost unprecedented, at least in the United States, where bigger has always been better.

But the new Maxima is shorter by almost four inches than the 2008 model, though it is wider by about an inch and a half. Not unexpectedly, that results in less passenger space (down by about four cubic feet) as well as a smaller trunk (down by 1.3 cubic feet).

But the proportions, along with curvy, muscular bodywork, give the Maxima the look of an expensive European grand touring car. Follow one down the highway and you get the impression that you're seeing something like an Audi or BMW coupe.

From the driver's seat, you look out over a hood that drops away in the center, but bulges up over the front wheels and flows back toward the windshield. The Maxima is a four-door, but it feels as if you're driving a sports car.

That, of course, was the intention. The Nissan designers said their goal was to make a four-door sports car that also was the most powerful and best-performing front-drive car available.

The Maxima's 3.5-liter V6 engine delivers a whopping 290 horsepower.