2010 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV

I was prepared to say that this, Nissan's sportiest version of its so-called Four-Door Sports Car Maxima, was pretty appealing. But then I saw the price: $38,660. Um, no thanks. For that dough, I can get into a BMW 1-series or even an Acura TSX, and at least I'll have a premium brand and presumably a higher-end dealership experience. The Maxima in lesser trim levels has its merits, but this SV Sport edition is simply too expensive for a front-wheel-drive, mass-market sedan. The V-6 is powerful but produces torque steer, and it doesn't sound that great. That said, I used the Maxima all afternoon one day to run errands all over Washtenaw County, and it was comfortable enough, luxurious enough, and sporty enough, but the sum of the parts just doesn't add up to what the Maxima used to be, which was the poor man's BMW. The Maxima is a good car, but it's no longer the great car that it was twenty years ago. I was amused by the number of audio brands listed on the radio faceplate in the center stack. It's a great stereo, but come on! Let me list all eight of them:
1. Bluetooth
2. DTS 2.0 Channel
3. DVD/Audio
4. Compact Disc Digital Audio
5. MP3
6. Dolby Digital
7. DIVX
8. Gracenote
- Joe DeMatio, Deputy Editor