Nissan shifts gears with 2007 Maxima

2007 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SL Road Test

For most of its life since it was born in 1981, Nissan's Maxima was a rarity among large cars. It was one of the few family-size four-doors that could be ordered with a manual transmission.

Big deal, right? The sales statistics that prove it vary from make to make and model to model, but the fact is that American car buyers rarely order vehicles with manual gearboxes. I'm not sure if that's because we drive so many miles on highways, spend so much time in traffic or because we're simply lazy.

In my case, it's all of the above. Yet I lamented its omission when I noticed the 2007 Nissan Maxima's spec sheet no longer includes the availability of a manual transmission. I wouldn't want one on my personal vehicle if my daily commute included 30 minutes in bumper-to-bumper traffic, but I've always enjoyed driving fast, good-handling test cars with a stick-shift.

So guess what most impressed me about the fast, good-handling Maxima 3.5 SE that I recently tested?

Its automatic transmission.

That doesn't make sense until it is pointed out that the '07 Maxima has a very special automatic. It is called a continuously variable transmission, a technology that Nissan has championed. The company now has three different CVT models in five different vehicles.

CVTs uses belt and pulleys instead of conventional gear clusters to provide an infinitely variable number of final drive ratios as opposed to the predetermined number provided by conventional automatics. In theory, CVTs are more efficient and shift more smoothly than conventional automatics.

In terms of fuel economy, the CVT's efficiency benefit is minimal in the Maxima. According to EPA ratings, the CVT-equipped '07 model goes just 1 city mile farther on a gallon of gas than the otherwise mechanically identical '06 Maxima with a conventional five-speed automatic. Both cars earned the same 28 mpg highway rating.

But the Maxima's CVT, which Nissan calls "Xtronic," had one major advantage over the automatic transmission in the last Maxima I tested, a 2005 3.5 SL. Its stepless shifting, another trait inherent in CVTs, enhanced the car's overall smoothness.

Nissan's conventional automatics typically perform well, delivering smooth and well-timed gear changes. But the Xtronic raises smoothness to a whole new level. There is literally no sensation of gear ratios changing -- not even the ever-so-slight hesitation evident in the best conventional automatics. Power is delivered to the front wheels so fluidly it seems as if it's coming from an electric motor.

There's none of the audible whining or slipping sensation often evident in other manufacturers' CVTs, and Nissan's Xtronic is the first CVT I can recall that offers a manual shift gate. This enables the driver to choose from six predetermined gear ratios, providing the some of the interaction that makes a conventional manual transmission appealing.

The Maxima's engine has for years been appealing to interact with, and it remains so for 2007. On paper, horsepower and torque appear to be down 10 and three, respectively, compared to 2006, but don't let the numbers fool you. The engine hasn't changed from last year, but the auto industry's method of measuring engine output has.

That means the '07 Maxima is every bit as potent as its immediate predecessor. Punch the throttle and this version of Nissan's highly regarded V6 responds without hesitation, delivering enough thrust to propel the 3.5 SE from zero to 60 mph quicker than most large four-door sedans. Highway passing power is equally impressive. The engine also is smooth and quiet, with just enough growl at full throttle to announce its potency.

The Maxima 3.5 SE is also a stable and comfortable highway cruiser. A long list of standard creature comfort features such as dual-zone auto climate control, keyless entry/ignition, eight-way power driver's seat, leather-covered tilt/telescope steering, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and an eight-speaker AM/FM/CD player with auxiliary input are included in its base price.

Even with nearly $8,000 in options such as GPS navigation, Bose audio, heated leather seats, and a moonroof, the test vehicle's MSRP was less than $36,000. With everything the Maxima 3.5 SE has going for it, that seems like an attractive price.

Scott Wasser is a freelance auto writer who has been reporting on cars and motorcycles since 1988. E-mail him at carguysw@aol.com. 1/3/?*=(( 1/3/?*=((

Source: [url=http://www.nj.com/business/expresstimes/index.ssf?/base/business-1/1174881948212700.xml&coll=2]The Express Times[/url]