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• November 18, 2011
Nissan updates its ‘four-door sports car’ for 2012
Living Well, Driving Well facilitator Peter Gray
Living Well, Driving Well with BCAA By Jennifer Blyth Black Press
Join BCAA in Millstream this coming Tuesday, Nov. 22 for a workshop exploring some of the tips and techniques for older drivers. The Living Well, Driving Well workshop will run from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the BCAA Millstream Sales Centre, and will look at some of the issues facing drivers as they age, and some of the many ways they can keep driving well for years to come, explains workshop facilitator Peter Gray. “The workshop is designed to raise awareness,” Gray says, noting that while everyone ages differently, there are common issues most older drivers face at some time, such as vision or mobility changes. Given that 95 per cent of the information we need to drive safely on the road comes from our vision, changes to our eyesight can be significant, says Gray who challenges Continued on Pg. B6
As Nissan’s flagship sedan, the Maxima has had its share of challenges. And not all of them from the competition. Take Infiniti’s more posh and potent NEIL MOORE G37x AWD sedan for Metroland example. It starts about Media Carguide $3,000 more than a Magazine Maxima with Sport or Premium package, and presents a tempting upsell with its luxo styling, all-wheel-drive stability (versus FWD), 328 hp engine – and, of course, the added brand cachet. Alternatively, the Maxi’s Altima sibling offers a lower-priced alternative. It can be optioned up to comparable levels, with only a small sacrifice in power (20 hp and 3 lb/ft of torque). And if you don’t need four doors, the Coupe version is a real head-turner. Both are doing bigger numbers, with 3,107 G-cars and 10,846 Altimas sold year-to-date as of Oct. 31. This compares with only 1,802 for the Maxima. Outside competition is also fierce. Hyundai’s V6 Genesis Sedan, which received a power boost for 2012, provides more muscle (and loads of amenities) for a modest bump in price. And both Korean manufacturers – through their Sonata and Optima turbo models – offer substantial performance and panache in the low $30K range. All that aside, there are plenty of reasons to consider the Maxima, which since the early eighties has continued to earn its chops as Nissan’s “Four-Door Sports Car.” It may seem the vehicle has had its award-winning VQ-series 3.5-litre
Aside from a few styling tweaks, the Maxima is largely unchanged for 2012. This vehicle sports big fenders and broad, powerful shoulders. Combined with the wide stance and optional 19-inch wheels, it gives the Maxima a firmly planted look.
V6 forever, and 2002 is indeed a long time ago, but since roughly 1985, the Maxi had been blessed with a series of increasingly capable 3.0-litre V6 engines, not to mention some pretty advanced suspension setups and decent handling for its time. Sure it began as an ugly duckling, but then again, so were most sedans – and haircuts – during the 1980s. It wasn’t until the mid-nineties that I would have considered the Maxima remotely handsome, but with a couple of generational styling breakthroughs in 2000 and 2009, it has evolved into one of the most fetching sedans in its
Wide haunches, combination LED taillights and large-bore dual exhaust outlets add a sporting element to the 2012 Nissan Maxima.
segment. Which is still the case for 2012, as the Maxima gets a mild refresh that includes an updated front grille, new rear combination lights, and new 18and 19-inch aluminum-alloys. Nissan has dubbed its exterior design theme “liquid motion,” likening it to the Continued on Pg. B3
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