Only a few sub-$30,000 sedans are available with a six-cylinder engine and manual transmission. GM, Ford, Honda, and Toyota do not offer such a car. (Okay, the Cadillac CTS starts at $29,990, but if you want a sunroof you have to get a luxury package, and you’re suddenly over thirty-three.) (Click on the links to read my reviews of related vehicles.) Yet Nissan offers two such cars, the hot, new last year Altima and the once hot, now just months from a substantial redesign Maxima. At least until said redesign the two cars are similar size and not far apart in price. So when the dealer didn’t have a manual V6 Altima in stock, he suggested I take the Maxima for a spin. I’ve driven Maximas before, but not since the engine was enlarged for 2002, so I figured it was worth a few minutes.

Nissan Maxima Reliability

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Styling

In my review of the 2001 I summarized the history of the Maxima. If you’re interested, that review can be found here.

I’ll just go back a bit here. The fourth generation Maxima, which appeared in 1995, was very awkwardly styled. Though fixes appeared halfway through its run, this was never a pretty car. Sales slumped, and Nissan as a whole nearly went under. Aside from the styling, the most noteworthy features of this car were its engine and rear suspension. For the engine, Nissan scrapped an excellent V6 and replaced it with an even better V6. The new engine had an aluminum block for lighter weight and was much smoother and more efficient. On the downside, Nissan tossed the independent rear suspension in favor of a cheaper, lighter beam axle. As a result, the new car did not ride as well as the old one.

Which brings us to the current car (new for 2000). Based on the fourth-generation Maxima, the current car is a bit larger. Though not a knockout, it is certainly better looking than the previous generation. Especially on the large 17" wheels, the new car has an honest, purposeful look to it. In line with the current Japanese idiom, the homely headlights and taillights of the fourth generation car were replaced with unusually shaped units. The new front (which includes a large, open grille) has a suitably aggressive look to it, and the rear, if a bit Dodge Neon in appearance, possesses a satisfyingly organic cohesiveness. It looks a bit pinched toward the bottom of the taillights, but it’s still a huge improvement over the 1995. For 2002, another trendy styling detail was added: the smoky sea in which the 2000-2001 SE’s taillights floated was replaced by a clear lens, behind which is a bright reflector. (The Altima shares this detail.) I guess it’s an improvement. I would think of these taillights as aimed at a young customer, but then they were first offered by Lexus on its RX 300 SUV, so maybe not.

The largest problem this car has styling-wise is that the Altima is a strikingly attractive car,. I suspect that it’s exterior styling is what draws most people to it in the first place. Compared to the Altima, the Maxima looks a bit awkward and doughty. Just try to keep thinking “honest and purposeful.”

Inside the Maxima regains a lot of ground against the Altima. The Altima’s interior lacks a consistent theme and is filled with cheap bits. The materials in the Maxima are only a bit better—they’re still not up to the level of the new Accord, much less anything from Germany. The main fault is too much graphite-colored plastic. (The Titanium Package new for 2003 and required to get leather replaces some of this with trendy metallic-looking plastic.) I guess if you want a more luxurious interior, they want you to buy the Infiniti I35 (but no manual is available there). The Infiniti has a slightly different interior; I’d like to see it’s padded door armrest in the Maxima. Getting back the Altima comparison, the big difference is that the Maxima interior’s styling is much more cohesive and elegant. A particularly nice detail is the gently sloping center stack (where the stereo and HVAC controls are located). Though not feeling as sporty as I recalled last time I drove the car, it’s still considerably sportier than the interiors in the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and VW Passat.

Accommodations

Photographs cannot communicate how roomy this car is. If you’re tall, you’ll like this car. It has about 3" more front legroom than most mid-sized sedans (and about 6" more than someone my height needs). When the front seat is set where my 5Í" frame likes it, there is an amazing amount of rear legroom. Given the Maxima’s length, this amount of total legroom is amazing. Headroom in front is generous, while people over six feet might have to scrunch a bit in the back.

Both the front and rear seats are nicely supportive and comfortable. The front seat cushion is long enough and the rear seat cushion is high enough off the floor for both to provide good thigh support (much rarer than it should be).

I would like larger side bolsters on the front seats. For a company that likes to produce fast sedans, Nissan isn't very good at lateral support.

The view out from the driver’s seat is excellent. Even in the lowest position, you sit high, and the cowl and beltline (base of the windows) are low. None of the pillars is overly thick. This provides the kind of expansive view out I prefer.

Many useful storage compartments are present inside the car. The trunk is roomy and nicely shaped. The rear seat folds down to expand the trunk, though the pass through is somewhat small.

On the Road

I did not note any deficiencies in the 2000-2001 Maxima’s 3.0 liter six. Nevertheless, Nissan punched the engine out to 3.5 liters for 2002, if only to keep it abreast of the less expensive Altima. Actually, to keep it a bit ahead of the Altima the 3.5 here makes fifteen more horsepower, for a total of 255. These kick in at 5800 RPM, a reasonable level for this size engine.

Under way, the engine is as magnificent as everyone says. It’s not just the power. This engine is very smooth. At idle I had to check the tach to know it was running. The 3.0 started out a bit low on torque. The extra displacement seems to have fixed that problem. There is now plenty of power beginning not too far above idle. From 3000 RPM on up the 3.5 screams. It’s been a couple of years since I drove the 2001, but I think the smaller six may have sounded a bit better. The 3.5 still sounds very refined all the way to the redline, but doesn’t sound quite as sweet as the 3.0 did if my memory serves. As before, buyer’s who value refinement are not let down by a boomy exhaust; most of the noise is from under the hood, not out the rear. Where the 3.0 was quicker than it felt, the 3.5’s additional mid-range torque gets rid of that “the needle is certainly moving, but it doesn’t feel that fast” feeling. The 2003 is very quick, and feels it.

Some reviews have complained vehemently about this shifter. Maybe because I came in with low expectations, I didn’t have any huge problems with it. That in my car was a bit too difficult to push into a gear at times, but was otherwise light in effort, even a bit too light for my taste. It’s a very long stick, with a long travel. I could live with this shifter, but a shorter throw and more substantial feel to the stick would be nice. In my review of the 2001 I asked for a sixth gear to get more closely spaced ratios and better highway fuel economy. For 2002 this wish was granted, though strangely together with a torquier engine, such that closer gears are less important. I think the sixth gear is there more to distinguish the Maxima from the Altima than any practical considerations. Engine revoluations on the highway are certainly reasonable now.

The 2003 did not handle as well as I remember the 2001 handling. Even in the 2001 body lean was more substantial than it should be in a sports sedan. The 2003 feels even softer. Also, I remember being able to adjust the chassis more with the throttle. A factor here might be the limited slip differential present in the 2001 I drove, but not in the 2003 (though it is an option). Another thing I don’t remember from the 2001 is frequent tire squeal. The 225/50VR17 Bridgestone Potenza RE92s on the 2003 stick well, but start squealing at very little, way before they actually begin to lose traction. I find this sort of thing embarrassing, similar to when my kids start bawling in a restaurant.

The steering is light in effort, but provides very good feedback, especially considering this is a front-wheel-drive car. The wheel dances in your hands, communicating what is going on where the rubber hits the road. There is some kickback over rough patches, but I’m more than willing to pay this price for good road feel. Unfortunately, the car does a bit of unintended dancing. Like many front-wheel-drive sedans, this one bobs and weaves, if just a bit, in aggressive driving. It is not nearly as buttoned down as an Infiniti G35 or BMW 3-Series, for example. In 2001 I didn’t find this lack of refinement is a bad thing. For me, it can make the car a bit more enjoyable to drive, especially at legal speeds on normal roads. It makes the car feel frisky in your hands, as if it wants to play. However, the 2003 felt a bit too uncomposed when pushed even for me. Have the softened up the suspension, or has my reference point shifted? I’m not sure. I did drive a 2003 Accord recently, and while hardly sporty that car felt amazingly refined and composed no matter what I did to it, surprising in a mainstream sedan. What I can say is that now I feel the Maxima’s extra moves now feel more unrefined than frisky, especially once all that body lean is factored in. In general the car felt lacking in substance and dated. I guess it is time for a new one.

The ride was better than I remembered it, another indication that the suspension might now be softer. It still falls well short of luxury car smoothness, and even 2003 Accord smoothness, but I didn’t feel it reacted to expansion joints and such as harshly as last time.

Pricing

With heated leather seats and sunroof the 2003 Maxima SE stickers for $29,987. However, as this car is on its way out and that Altima is such a looker dealers are dealing. Edmunds suggests that after the typical discount this car sells for $27,700.

A similarly equipped Nissan Altima stickers for $27,887, and Edmunds suggests that dealer typically only take a couple hundred off. So these cars are very close in their out-the-door prices. (With automatic transmissions, the Maxima gains a $500 advantage, since with it an automatic costs the same.) The Maxima looks nicer inside, the Altima nicer outside. I used to think the Maxima was more fun to drive, but this time around it simply felt dated. I haven’t yet found the Altima fun to drive, though that could change if I ever find a V6 manual. For now, I’m not recommending either car.

For those seeking a luxury car, I feel the new Honda Accord is the way to go. If you want a roomy manual sports sedan, as I do, though, the situation isn’t good under thirty. VW offers two models in this price range, but the Jetta GLI is too tight inside, and the Passat remains too soft. I’m hoping the Mazda6, due in November, will change this.

For now, it’s necessary to spend more cash. The Infiniti G35 will be available with a manual in a few months. For those seeking a performance sedan for around thirty, that’s what I currently recommend. Do without leather and theoretically a G35 can be had for around $27,000. Equipped like the Maxima I drove, it costs $32,725, and dealers generally aren’t discounting these. The 3-Series remains the benchmark, but it makes the G35 seem like a bargain. Why must good handling be so expensive? Hopefully the new Mazda will be good.

Conclusion

Two years ago I enjoyed driving this car. Unfortunately, some of the quirks that made it fun then now make it feel insubstantial, unrefined, and dated. Fun can still be had, but the thrills now border on the cheap. Maybe this is what the tires were trying to tell me?

The dealer claims that the 2004 will be a much larger car. Though this might make it a good luxury car once again, it doesn’t bode well for sporty handling. It seems that the Maxima as driver’s car has had its day.

Update: In October 2003 I lowered my rating to two stars to reflect the appearance of many better choices in this segment such as the Mazda 6, G35, and the 2004 Acura TSX and TL. The Maxima went from a leading choice to over the hill in the space of just a few years. My review of the 2004 here found that even with a full redesign the Maxima no longer leads the pack as it once did. It can still be fun to drive, but not for the right reasons. Dynamic flaws can lend character, but there are too many here.

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Amount Paid (US$): 29,987
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: SE manual with leather and sunroof