Sedan with swagger
2017 Nissan Altima adds some spark to struggling segment
It took eight generations and some 35 years to get to the point where Nissan can make the claim its flagship Maxima fourdoor is “a sports car in sedan clothing” without some sort of response bordering on incredulity. The slow transition from the now painfully square, mild-mannered Datsun 810 to the robust and curvaceous 2016 Maxima has been agonizing at times, an impatient wondering when the company was going to build a mid-size car that had as much performance as function — some European sport sedan-style zip.
Now that I’ve finally got around to driving one — a 2017 model in topof-the-line Platinum trim — any thoughts of admonishing Nissan for its tardiness are banished. This version is not just sporty, it’s deceptive. It has performance and handling to go with a smooth ride, plus luxury touches and premium content that exceeds reasonable expectations of the Platinum’s $44,200 price tag.
But it’s the awakened performance that first grabs one’s attention. And it’s not as though Nissan went radical with the car; under the hood is the familiar 3.5-litre VQ-series V-6, only thoroughly reworked (60 per cent new parts compared with the previous engine). It now pushes out 300 horsepower and 261 pound-feet of torque. In truth, the engine feels stronger and the car shows distinct verve off the line when the gas pedal is given a prod.
Though I’d much prefer an automatic with a specified number of gears, there’s little complaint regarding the Maxima’s Xtronic continuously variable transmission, which seems well matched to the V-6’s torque and comes with both Normal and Sport modes. Its wide gear-ratio range allows for strong acceleration from a standing start, while Nissan says credit goes to the D-Step shifting logic for both the rapid shifts at full throttle and for holding the engine’s speed when moving around corners, which allows for smooth acceleration when exiting said corners.
In Sport, zero to 100 km/h is reportedly less than six seconds, which is strong for a front-drive family car, if not mind-blowing. The drive mode selector not only adjusts throttle response and transmission tuning, but also steering feel and “active sound enhancement” tuning. But, while the exhaust note has some musicality to it, the engine itself is a bit coarse when under the hammer.
The other benefit to this re-engineering effort is a claimed 15 per cent increase in highway fuel economy to 7.8 L/100 km over the previous generation Maxima; city fuel economy is rated at 11.1 L/100 km. I put 700 km on the car during my week with it, the bulk of it highway cruising, and averaged 9.9 L/100 km.
While the sedan wouldn’t be my first choice for racetrack lap sessions, Nissan’s engineers clearly spent some time working under the car to imbue it with a decent measure of on-road handling. Up front is the usual strut/coil spring design, but ZF Sachs monotube dampers are added to the rear end’s independent multi-link double wishbone setup. Thick stabilizer bars are found at both ends.
Shapely and far more distinct than many of its rival sedans, the Maxima’s styling, in truth, doesn’t completely blow me away, looking over-designed with its aggressive character lines, deeply scalloped doors and “floating roof.” Yet I do like the boldness of Nissan’s signature V-motion grille and boomerang-style lights. Still, Nissan’s 3.5-L V-6-powered Altima, which shares the same platform and pretty much all the mechanicals as the Maxima, is a more cohesive design.
The Altima is also roomier, at least for back-seat passengers. While there’s tons of room up front for the tall and leggy in the Maxima, if those in the back are equally so, they’re going to find their knees jammed in the front seatback and their heads brushing the headliner.
That said, the actual cabin is well laid out and full of nice touches, starting with Nissan’s oh-so-comfy Zero Gravity front seats, properly bolstered, power adjustable, heated, ventilated and very coddling of one’s posterior — just the thing for long-distance drives. Complementing the seats, especially now with colder weather arriving, is a heated leather steering wheel. The centre stack is angled seven degrees toward the driver, making it easier to glance at and putting primary controls within effortless reach. The touch screen display is large, with good graphics and easy fingertip control.
Key connectivity features include NissanConnect with navigation, featuring Apple CarPlay, two front-illuminated USB connection ports for iPod interface and other compatible devices, voice recognition for navigation and audio, SiriusXM Traffic and SiriusXM Travel Link, Bluetooth, streaming audio via Bluetooth and hands-free text messaging assistant.
Though sales of full-sized sedans are a fraction of what they used to be, the Maxima at least adds some spark to the segment, its inherent sportiness giving it a leg up on some of its more conservative rivals, primarily the Toyota Avalon. Like the Avalon, though, the Nissan’s weakest link is a lack of choice when it comes to engine and drivetrain: there’s a 3.5-L V-6 with front-wheel drive and that’s it. If you can wrap your head around that, though, the Maxima will reward your bolder choice of transportation.