Sleek sedan with a screaming engine.

Sitting and enjoying the view in a Maxima is not that interesting as far as adventurious experiences go, but it did teach me one thing or two about the car. First of all, this vehicle screams luxury. Comfortable leather seats, and an amazingly spacious back. Its not a small car, but somewhere between a medium and a large sized luxury sedan. I made these observations chatting with a friend on a rainy day. He moved his hand and did something with the key, and I asked him what was up. I was surprised and amazed to hear that he had just shut off the engine.

Surprised, because I hadn't heard a single tick from the car. I don't know if it was the sound of water dropping that muffled it out, or if it was the sound proof interior design by the Nissan's manufacturers, but it had surprised me. Amazed, because I knew that the new Nissan hauled a blistering 222HP -- an incredible amount for a Japanese car priced about 25k. (As a matter of fact, I can't even think of a single Japanese sports car that punches that much horsepower and is under 30k!) The fact that I coudn't hear its V6 even when it was idling was an amazing fact, and I was immediately impressed.

Taking a ride in it was another story. The car had a decent 5spd manual, which was also an interesting fact because I wouldn't expect the standard tranny as an option in a luxury sedan, but there it was. The suspension is also different -- its stiffer then one would expect, and it made me wonder what the guys at Nissan had been thinking. Here I was, sitting a 4 door vehicle in heavy rain, watching the road as my friend took twisty turns at around 70MPH. A stiff, low profile suspension meant for a sports car, and a powerful V6 also meant for a sports car, yet the 4 doors.

Strange? Well, not that bad. Nissan Maxima is obviously meant for someone who wants to have fun driving, but who also has to worry about driving people around. It has excellent performance for a sedan, but it does have a weighty body to carry around. Although not a 0-60 screamer, the V6 engine does seem to have power to show. If I were ever to get rid of my 'stang and buy a family car (and I pray that never happens), I would doubtlessly go for the Maxima. (Although, its possible that I would go for the 97/98 year model, because I really despise what they did with the back of this car. Its so darn ugly! Caused by the recent french ownership of the company? Who knows, who cares.)