2012 NISSAN MAXIMA 3.5SV
Hi Brad, I sold the Maxima…

By Zoran Segina An Overheard Telephone Call Between a Journalist and the press fleet service A rainy afternoon somewhere in Los Angeles… Hi Brad, how’s going? Yes, I am fine. About that 2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV that I just picked up from you guys last week. No, no, the car is great. Nothing happened. No, I was not in an accident. I have some great news for you: I sold the car. …Brad? …Brad? Now let’s not get excited. Let me tell you what happened…

So I am driving the Maxima for a few days, when I run into Ben. Very nice guy. Works in my building. Has a parking spot close to mine. As I pull in, he is admiring the car. Java Metallic on the outside, café latté interior with cherry wood tone trim. The car is really gorgeous, especially the angular look. The hood looks like a catamaran, and with these new headlights, and the new front grille, and the new rear combination lights. Okay, Brad, I understand you know how the car looks like. Let me get to the point. Ben is driving a luxury sports sedan from another Asian manufacturer, but is looking to buy a new car. So I invite him for a ride, and we decide to go to lunch. First he falls in love with the remote key feature. Ben doesn’t like to fish for the keys in his pockets, and when he finds out that you can get into the car and start the engine without ever pulling the keys. . . . Then he plays with driver’s seat adjustment. The seat has a manual thigh extension for long distance driving and additional padding on the sides for sporty driving. I show him how to heat and cool his posterior, and he really appreciates power lower lumbar function.

I drive the Premium package, and this car is loaded: Dual panel moonroof with rear roof window and front and rear power retractable sunshades, Xenon headlights, heated outside mirrors with reverse tilt-down feature, heated steering wheel, fog lights, outside mirrors with turn signal indicators, tire pressure monitoring. And you can fold the rear seat in a sixty/forty fashion with access to the trunk, or open center armrest pass-through for skis and stuff like that. Underway, the Maxima really lives to its moniker—the four-door sports car. The 3.5-liter V6 has 290 horsepower and 261 pound-feet of torque. And the P245/45R18 Dunlops are grippy, despite the rain. I tell Ben about the Nissan D platform and the strut/coil spring front suspension and multi-link independent rear suspension. Both have stabilizer bars. Despite the six-point engine mounting system, Maxima is a front wheel drive car, so I quote to Ben: “Mutationem motus proportionalem esse vi motrici impressae, et fieri secundum lineam rectam qua vis illa imprimitur. . . . . . “ It is Latin for Newton's second law. It simply means: “ The change of momentum of a body is proportional to the impulse impressed on the body, and happens along the straight line on which that impulse is impressed.” Fancy words for torque steer. Anyway, with the Xtronic Continuous Variable Timing transmission the torque steer is barely noticeable. Shifting into the Drive Sport modes which provides increased acceleration feel with higher engine revolutions, automatic engine braking, plus keeps engine speed during cornering. Ben is not too thrilled with the paddle shifter, he prefers to handle the shifter on the floor.

As we keep on going, Ben admits he never considered the Maxima as one of the candidates to replace his aging sport sedan. He keeps looking around at all the features and finally says: “You know, this car has everything I wish my other car had.” And when I tell him that this Maxima comes with a suggested retail price of smidgen below $41,000, Ben tells me he would save more than fifteen grand over the similarly equipped Japanese replacement he was looking at. The swerving truck on 101 proves to Ben the benefit of 15.2:1 steering ratio, as well as the ABS disk brakes, as well as the vehicle dynamic control and traction control. . . . . No, no, I told you, nothing happened to the car. But Ben likes how the Maxima handles wet conditions. So upon our return he was ready to immediately buy the car. Brad, please calm down. Look, I know the guy. He’ll come to bring the money. Okay, technically, the car was not mine to sell, but aren’t we reviewers here to help the manufacturers sell more cars? Can’t we say that I sold the Maxima on their behalf? What do you mean I will never test-drive any car again? Brad, are you still there? …Brad? For more information about Nissan products, go to www.nissanusa.com

SPECIFICATIONS Name of vehicle: 2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5SV Price: $31,850 (base) $34,550 (SV model) $40,995 (as tested) EPA fuel economy rating: 18 mpg city/25mpg highway Type: Four-door sport sedan with the Premium package Engine: 3.5-Liter DOHC 24-valve VQ-series V6 engine Horsepower: 290 @ 6400 rpm Torque: 261 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm Transmission: Six-speed Xtronic CVT® with D/S modes, steering column-mounted paddle shifters Drive configuration Front wheel drive Steering: Power rack-and-pinion vehicle speed sensitive power steering Suspension Front: Independent strut with coil springs and stabilizer bar Rear: Multi-link with separated shock absorbers and springs and stabilizer bar Brakes Front: 12.6 inch vented discs with ABS anti-lock, and Brake Assist Rear: 12.1 inch vented discs with ABS anti-lock, and Brake Assist Wheels and tires: 18-inch Alloy, with Dunlop P245/45VR18 all-season tires front and rear. Dimensions Length: 190.6 inches Width: 73.2 inches Height: 57.8 inches Curb weight: 3540 pounds Performance: 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds