2016 Nissan Maxima Unveiled in New York as '4-door Sports Car'

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan, pulled the covers off the all-new 2016 Nissan Maxima, the flagship sedan for Nissan's lineup of cars in the U.S. and Europe. The Maxima features a more power engine, a re-tuned chassis, new body design, and more. With an MSRP that might surprise when it enters showrooms later this year.

The all-new 2016 Nissan Maxima was unveiled at a press conference at the New York International Auto Show (NAIAS) with dramatic style. The new Maxima is meant to reset the car's "4-door Sports Car" position, but it showcases a newly upgraded style going forward for Nissan products on the whole. The V-motion front end is still there, though slightly more emphasized, and boomerang lights add more aggression to the sedan.

The interior of the Maxima is burgeoning on the luxury segment, with high style and a bespoke appearance marking its design and materials. Looking at the industry as a whole, however, this is not surprising as sedans in both the full-size and midsize segments are becoming far more premium than they have been in the past. It should be expected that this trend will trickle down as it has been so far.

The 2016 Maxima sports a new engine that boasts 300 horsepower, giving it a powerful 85.7 horses per liter, making this one of the more punch-packing engines in the segment at 3.5-liters in this new V6. The new engine means about a fifteen percent increase in fuel economy as the sedan aims for 30 miles per gallon. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) the engine attaches to is newly-updated and programmed as the latest-generation Xtronic with an all-new "D-Step shifting logic" for performance driving.

The 2016 Nissan Maxima will be offered in five trims, including the new SL, SR, and Platinum offerings. The Maxima will enter showrooms early this summer at a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price of $32,410. Standard equipment includes NissonConnect with navigation, an 8-inch touchscreen display, remote start, review monitor, and plenty of accessories.

The new Maxima also offers an extensive range of safety, security and driving aids, including Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW), Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), Forward Emergency Braking (FEB), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (CTA) and Blind Spot Warning (BSW). These features are available on Maxima SL, SR and Platinum grades.

Of note is the new Driver Attention Alert (DAA) system which monitors steering input patterns and alerts the driver if it detects drowsy or inattentive driving. This new technology will be in the Maxima Platinum package.