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26 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 22, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Discover the all-new Nissan Maxima Continued from Page 23 the intimacy and sportiness of a sports car with the comfort and utility of a sports sedan. Buyers have a choice of four option packages, but the standard Maxima is well equipped with features such as heated leather seats, power moonroof, 18-inch alloy wheels, dual zone automatic air conditioning, full power features, power driver and passenger seat, heated steering wheel, nine-speaker Bose audio system with six-CD changer, Bluetooth technology, six airbags, anti-lock brakes and vehicle dynamic control. The base Maxima starts at $37,900 and climbs to $43,150 with the Premium and Navigation packages. Four option groups are available including the Sport Package ($2,050), which includes 19-inch alloy wheels sport tuned suspension, rear spoiler, Xenon headlights, premium leather seats, power tilt/telescopic steering wheel, paddle shifters and a few other odds and ends. A Tech Package ($2,450) features a colour seven-inch monitor with rear view monitoring system, interface system for iPod, navigation system with voice recognition, XM NaviTraffic and a hard disc drive audio system with a 9.3 GB music box server. My choice would include the Premium Package ($3,150), which includes contents of the Sport Package plus dual panel sunroof with power retractable sunshades, power rear window sunshade, eucalyptus wood interior accent trim, heated and cooled driver's seat, large rear seat fold down centre armrest with audio and HVAC CARRIERS WANTED The Oakville Beaver The Oakville Beaver is looking for newspaper carriers in your neighbour hood! Support your local carrier Join our carrier club Earn extra money and win prizes Many routes still available Call immediately for more information 905-845-9742 controls, rear bucket-style seats, paddle shifters and a host of other features. The final option group is the Navigation Package ($2,100). My tester was nicely finished inside, a testament to the work Nissan put into upgrading the interior. Fit and finish was excellent and the Premium Package added a luxurious look and feel to the interior. Nissan said it looked at every aspect of the interior layout including the size and shape of touch points and the placement of features to improve the driving experience. An example was a move of the shift lever closer to the driver. This also allowed a cupholder to be placed to the right of the shift lever, not behind it on the centre console. Nissan also reportedly put a lot of effort into improving the driver's seat. It now includes a thigh extension for long distance driving and additional side bolstering. I didn't do any long distances in the Maxima, but from a week-long stint behind the wheel, there's no doubt the seating is improved. Along with the tweaked engine, Nissan has finessed the previous continuously variable transmission (CVT) to improve responsiveness and strike a balance between sport and comfort. I've never been a fan of the CVT, which Nissan features throughout its lineup, but this is one of the best. It has a new "Ds" or drive sport electronic logic control mode that increases acceleration feel and maintains engine speed during cornering. Also included are a manual shift mode and steering column paddle shifters. The V6 engine with the power boost takes the Maxima to speed smoothly and quietly, although the there is a bit of whine from the CVT, a common complaint with these transmissions. It's a fun car to drive-- perhaps not so much sports car-like as Nissan would like us to think-- but certainly in the class of the best entry-level luxury sedans coming out of Japan and Europe these days. Much of the performance development was done at the famed Nurburgring track in Germany as the Maxima was bench-marked against well-established sport sedans. A four-door sports car? Perhaps not. But a competent entry-level luxury sport sedan-- definitely. Now a contender instead of a pretender as it had become the past few years.