Cars are rated one (forget it) to four ('bout as good as it gets) James Deans

 Specifications

• Style: sedan
• Engine: 3.5-liter V6
• Transmission: six-speed manual
• Drivetrain: front-wheel drive
• Horsepower: 265hp @ 5,800 rpm
• Torque: 255 ft-lbs. @ 4,400 rpm
• EPA mileage: 20 city/29 highway
• Weight: 3,441 lb.
• Base price: $26,950
• Price as tested: $33,890

Infrequently, I get warnings from those who deliver test vehicles. Usually, I'm informed of some quirk by the delivery driver, or some problem caused by a previous test driver. This time the warning was simple.

"It'll get away from you."

Oh?

It didn't take long for me to realize the truth in his words. Exiting the parking lot that first day, I chirped the front tires. Big time. Chirped 'em on the shift to second. Whoa. This momma has some horses under the hood.

Yes, it does. Two-hundred and sixty-five to be exact. Mighty fine output from a V6 except for one horrible fact:

The Maxima sends that power to the front wheels.

Now, over 13 years of weekly vehicle testing I've formed this firm conclusion: Never try to pull a vehicle with more than 200 horsepower. You want horsepower? Fine. Send it to the rear wheels. Or all wheels. But never send it to the front wheels. Why? Torque steer.

Torque steer is the ugly propensity of a front-wheel drive car to pull left or right under hard acceleration. A driver doesn't know which way the car will turn and will likely overcorrrect in the opposite direction. Result? You are on the edge of out-of-control when the pedal is to the metal. It has never been more so than with the 2004 Nissan Maxima.

One horror story stands out from test week, when I tried to accelerate into traffic on a rain-soaked street. An unseen car was cresting a bridge as I pulled onto the highway. I saw its headlights only after I had begun to exit the side road. How fast was it going? I didn't know and couldn't hesitate to find out. I floored the Maxima.

The front wheels spun wildly and I wrestled the steering wheel with both hands. In an instant, the Maxima's engine hit redline and the engine bucked and surged. Oh great. And this is a stick shift, so I'm going all over the road, unable to get traction, both hands on the wheel, and I've got to shift. I reached down as rapidly as I could and yanked the shifter into second gear.

Spiiiiiiiin went the front wheels and the car went left, right, every way but up.

I did not even dare look in the rear view mirror. I just braced for impact.

But the car coming over the bridge crest had slowed for the idiot sliding all over the road.

Again the Maxima hit redline as the tires spun. I shifted and backed off. The car slowly resumed normal behavior.

In this Maxima, it is easy, real easy, to spin the tires in first, second and third gear. I repeatedly sounded like a drag racer seeing a green Christmas tree when I left stoplights. Didn't mean to. The car is just way overpowered.

Nissan has always enjoyed a reputation as a producer of fast cars. Generally, I've enjoyed driving the company's products. Its 350Z is exciting. Its Infiniti line is as good as it gets. I even fondly remember the NX2000 from the pocket rocket era. But just because I like chocolate-covered cherries doesn't mean I want to eat 35. Wretched excess has penalties.

And it doesn't have to be this way. Buy the Infiniti G35 with rear-wheel drive and enjoy yourself.

I'd like to test this car with the automatic transmission. I would expect kinder and more predictable behavior. I certainly hope so. This six-speed manual was a trial. Reverse -- pull up a ring on the shifter and move the lever way right and down (you might need both hands for this) -- was awful. Sixth gear was never engaged during my normal commute and I tried it only on the interstate, where the engine settled well under 3,000 rpm at 75 mph.

This car begs to be driven hard, yet penalizes with torque steer and fuel consumption below EPA estimates. The automatic model should be better.

Get past the overpowered front-wheel drive issue and you're left with a nice sedan. It looks sleek, has numerous nice design touches inside and has the best navigation system I've tested yet. Nissan's system offers either the standard, looking-straight-down map view, or a birds-eye view of the roads and terrain. I stayed with the birds-eye view.

So good was this system that it even named -- correctly -- the shopping centers I visited.

It also left a dots-on-the-map trail where I travelled, so I could return the same route if I wanted to.

The large map screen (seven inches) remained visible in all lighting conditions. My only complaint came when I would know from experience what route to take, but the voice speaking directions to me kept telling me to make a safe U-turn.

Another touch I came to appreciate were cornering lights on the Maxima. The high-intensity discharge, Xenon headlights really lit up the night (and caused a few drivers to "flash" me when I was on low beams) with a purplish light. But they are complemented when turning the car by two other lights located left and right on the wraparound bumper/air dam. When a turn signal is engaged, the appropriate light comes on to illuminate the area into which you're turning.

The lights were much appreciated and I'm left to wonder why more vehicles don't have them.

Undoubtedly the silliest touch on the Maxima was a narrow strip of sunroof that covered front and rear passenger areas and gave the car the appearance of having a Mohawk haircut. Nissan calls it the "Skyview" roof.

The Skyview seemed entirely impractical. It could not be fully opened. Coverings could be slid sideways to allow sunlight to stream through, but the glass did not move. Looking down at the roof, the Skyview appears to be a continuous strip, but from inside the car, you discover there are front and rear openings. The openings are too narrow to see anything through from an upright position in the driver's seat. You and your passengers must lean toward the center of the car. Ah, togetherness. Hey, so much for driving under trees dropping colorful leaves.

In fact, I drove home from work the Saturday of the lunar eclipse. I'd watched it throughout its beautiful changes, and left the office when it was half-returned to full brightness. I thought I'd watch it chase me, following its progress through the sunroof. Nope. Couldn't see anything really through that glass.

Not a better idea, Nissan.

The Maxima has the standard complement of safety features, including side air bags and head curtains. Braking is very strong, and the Maxima has anti-lock brakes to prevent out-of-control skids. But it obviously lacks any kind of traction control, especially puzzling given this much horsepower.

Our tester came with what Nissan calls the "Elite" option package, for a whopping $6,400 extra. It included virtually everything I found endearing about the Maxima -- and much I could have done without.

The real problem for this Maxima is finding a $34,000 buyer. For that amount, an Infiniti G35 sedan or coupe can be purchased. And the attractive Nissan Altima is all the car most folks need.

So the Maxima, the "flagship" of the Nissan car line as the price sticker says, probably will not enjoy extreme sales success. Nissans are selling well these days, but it's the Altimas and Frontiers and 350Zs and new V8-powered trucks that are pulling buyers into showrooms.

I do believe owning a Maxima would be a pleasurable experience -- but make the transmission an automatic, please.

'nuff said.

Home, James