I�m back from my day of driving the new Maxima. Today�s Nissan-sponsored junket followed typical junket SOP: Journalists pair off for a nice long drive on a route laid out by the manufacturer. Route quality varies, but today�s was a particularly good one, nice and long with plenty of challenging roads. However, thanks to good timing, fortunate circumstances, and a couple of willing Nissan staffers, I got a couple of hours on my own in a Maxima � and a chance to drive it on the About.com Top Secret Curvy Test Road. I normally eschew use of the word �w00t�, but this is a special occaision. So� W00t!
So how was the Maxima? Well, Nissan has definitely worked out the torque steer issue (the tendency of a powerful front-wheel-drive car to pull to one side under hard acceleration). Torque steer is all but undetectable in the new Maxima, a nice change from the first-gen V6 Altima, a car in which you could change lanes with the gas pedal. The Maxima�s ride isn�t quite perfect; the �sport� suspension is a bit too firm and the regular suspension a bit too soft. But that doesn�t get in the way of handling � the car I took on the Test Road had the base suspension, and when pressed to its limits it handled as well as any front-driver I�ve ever tested, and better than a few rear-drivers. My first impression was of a cut-rate Infiniti M-series � and I mean that as a compliment.
Source:Nissan
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