What is up with the 2016 Nissan Maxima?

Looks: That there is the rear view of the new 2016 Nissan Maxima. Not bad looking, in my opinion. Not sure about the wheels. And at this angle, kind of reminds me of the Lexus IS-F. Which is a good looking car in my opinion.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/community/index.php?threads/52354/

But, there is some flaws with the car.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-nissan-maxima-first-drive-review

Well, where do I start. It looks like it is trying to look sporty and quick, because I think the front looks a little bit like a Nissan GTR. Not bad, the GTR Is also very cool, and I actually think it does kind of pull it off. Looks very mean, which is what you want if it is trying to be quick. I also love the pure white bits going around the headlights, and the way they stretch onto the side. I must say the car has grown on me, because when I first saw this car I was not impressed, but now I quite like it.

So far quite promising, but the bit I am not a fan of is the wheel arches that go up on the bonnet. If I am not mistaking, it looks very similar to the 1971 – 1974 AMC Javelin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Javelin

I think it looks slightly weird on the Nissan. Also, It has the same styling at the rear wheel arch as well. Which looks okay at the back, but the front, not so well.

Interior: Here is the downside to the car. They say it is inspired by fighter jets but, correct me if I am wrong, I really can not see the resemblance.

http://www.jdpower.com/cars/articles/new-car-previews/2016-nissan-maxima-preview

Well, for starters not a fan of the color scheme. Black with light brown? No thanks. It looks kitted with quite a lot of tech, but looks very over crowded. What is with the amount of buttons on the steering wheel? I mean, most modern cars have all there controls on the touchscreen, with a couple of buttons dotted around, but this seems to have old fashioned buttons. Fair enough but a bit too many, in my opinion. Meanwhile, the back seats space and trunk size is smaller than the Impala and Avalon, which are similarly priced as the Nissan. Oh, and the metal bits running above the glove box/compartment. Well, in the lower trim models, it actual is not real metal and it is not very convincing either, as I have heard.

Price: Based on converting the approx. US price, in the UK it might be between something like £20,600 – £27467. This is not a bad price for this type of car because standard, you do get a lot of tech. Equipment includes: seven-inch TFT display, navigation with an eight-inch touchscreen, rear view camera, key-less entry and start, and 18-inch wheels.

What about it’s competitors? It looks better than the 2016 Toyota Avalon. It also more curvy than the 2016 Kia Cadenza, which to me it looks more modern, because the Kia looks a bit bland in my opinion. I think the 2016 Chevy Impala is better looking, because the grille reminds me a bit of the older (early 2005+) era of Camaro’s. It is defiantly better looking than the concepts of the 2016 Chrysler 300, but like with this car, the Chrysler might grow on me. However, based on looks, I would go for the 2016 Acura TLX, because from the rear, it looks absolutely stunning.

Specs: It has a 3.5l V6 with 300bhp. Not bad power, quite moderate for a Front-wheel drive car. Personally, I am not a fan of front wheel drive cars, but this seems to be pretty good. However, it is automatic and again, front-wheel drive, so i am worried that has affected it’s 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds. I do not know what the top speed of this car, but I am guessing 140-155mph maybe. Do not take that is it will be, it is just a wild guess. It also has lots of safety features as well. Including: blind spot warning, forward collision warning, and forward emergency braking.

Conclusion: It has a lot of style and looks quite good. Lots of equipment which comes as standard. Lots of people have said it has good performance and handling, which is what you need in a car that could be used as family car. However, I do not like the fact that it is only front-wheel drive. Definitely not a fan of the interior. Too crowded etc.

3.5/5 stars.

Shaz Blam