If status is one reason you're thinking of buying a
Mercedes-Benz,
Lexus or
BMW, go right ahead. But if these models are appealing because you seek a fine, world-class, high-performance luxury sedan, then consider a 1995
Nissan Maxima. It may be just the answer-and at a relative bargain.
The 1995 Nissan Maxima is available in three models: the GXE, the sporty SE and the top-of-the-line GLE. Our test vehicle was the performance-oriented SE, a car that's sure to delight people who love to drive. Standard equipment on the SE includes all-season tires, a rear spoiler, front fog lamps and sports-tuned suspension.
Nissan had not announced its prices for the 1995 Maxima at press time, but it's projected to be in the $30,000 neighborhood. If that appears a bit steep, be aware that this car is quite comparable to luxury sedans in the $40,000-and-up range.
Options available on the SE include anti-lock brakes (ABS), a power sunroof, a Bose six-speaker CD system and leather interior trim, all of which were in place on our test vehicle. Our Maxima also had the five-speed manual transmission, as opposed to the optional automatic transmission.
Speedy acceleration was the first sign that this car has a newly developed engine-a smaller and lighter 3.0-1iter, 24-valve V6 that puts out 190 hp. In one expressway test, it went from 0 to 85 mph in the few seconds we had expected it to reach 60 mph, and the engine barely groaned. Gas mileage was also good, reaching 22 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.
The 1995 Maxima's styling is new, but not radically different. Less boxy than last year's model version, it's comparable to the current rounded styling of luxury cars, such as
Lexus,
Infiniti, the all new
Buick Riviera and the
Oldsmobile Aurora. It will look right at home parked at the country club or in the management lot.
As you examine the exterior of the Maxima, you'll find perfect fit and one of the greatest finishes around. Our car was Super Black, and for the most part, it looked like a very glossy black car. But in the sun, we could see glints of other colors.
Nissan uses a new cross-linking clearcoat paint that features special resins with molecules that link together during the curing process. It is supposed to provide exceptional protection against the elements and greater resistance to dulling hairline scratches, compared to conventional clearcoat finishes. Other paint colors available are Ruby Pearl, Dark Blue, Pebble Beige Metallic, Black Emerald, White Pearl and Granite Pearl.
Although Nissan designers have updated Maxima styling to meet the latest in tastes, they were conservative with trim. This car does not sport any decals and not much bright metal, but the body-color door handles and attractive, bright-finished alloy wheels combined for a classy, contemporary look.
A remote keyless entry enabled us to lock and unlock the doors or trunk with the push of a button. We liked this feature very much (since we could lock the doors after exiting, it made locking our keys inside the car highly unlikely).
Raising the hood was easy, and access to fluid-level checkpoints was good. It took us a few minutes to figure out where everything was in the jam-packed engine compartment, but this is true of most current cars. What is not true on some other cars is that everything we needed to check was easily accessible.
It is not apparent from looking at the body, but Nissan designers improved the overall rigidity, increasing torsional and bending stiffness by 10 percent. This translates into more protection during an accident through better body-crush control and improved handling due to the stronger mounting of suspension components.
