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To create a review that will be extremely useful to shoppers, TheCarConnection.com has consulted with a range of professional reviews covering the 2010 Nissan Maxima. The editors of TheCarConnection.com have also included their own firsthand experiences with the Maxima in creating this Bottom Line summary.
Likes:
- Responsive handling and great steering
- Stylish interior
- Quiet, absorbent ride
- Excellent (optional) sport seats
Dislikes:
- V-6 doesn't feel sporty with CVT automatic
- Lacks headroom in back
For the 2010 model year, the Nissan Maxima remains relatively untouched, although Bluetooth capability is now standard on all Maxima models. Nissan's flagship sedan, the Maxima, was completely redesigned last year. Built on the same platform as the Altima mid-size sedan, the front-wheel-drive 2010 Nissan Maxima takes a sportier and more luxurious direction than the Altima.
Redesigned for 2009, the Maxima got an exterior to match its sport-sedan reputation, with curvier sheetmetal, an aggressive front-end design, and an overall stance that makes it seem like it could have rear-wheel drive. The Maxima's interior design carries the look and feel of a vehicle with a luxury-brand badge, thanks to a mix of matte-metallic and soft-touch surfaces along with two different grades of available leather. The Super Cockpit instrument panel design in the 2010 Nissan Maxima especially stands out, and it resembles that offered in several vehicles from Infiniti, Nissan's upmarket brand.
The 290-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine that propels the 2010 Nissan Maxima is extremely smooth, and it allows relaxed acceleration in normal driving with the automatic continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Fuel economy is good with the setup, at 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway. The CVT also includes a manual sport mode and available steering-wheel paddle shifters to access a series of simulated gear ratios for high-performance driving. However, no manual transmission is offered on the Nissan Maxima, and the CVT doesn't allow the level of control in high-performance driving that conventional transmissions do. The Maxima still has one of the sportiest suspension calibrations for a front-wheel-drive sedan, and Nissan retains last year's improved suspension geometry that reduces torque steer—the tendency for high-powered front-drivers to pull to the side on hard acceleration. Overall, the Maxima has a firm yet supple ride, allowing good handling response without sacrificing comfort. Stabilizer bars are included front and back, and a new Twin Orifice Steering System helps provide good feedback from the road in spirited driving, while remaining rather light around tight corners.
