In case you’ve been wearing earmuffs since April, Nissan is pitching the 2016 Maxima firmly as a four-door sports car. But giving the new Maxima a little more sport couldn’t hurt.
A hotted-up NISMO Maxima is apparently being talked about at Nissan, according to a report from The Detroit Bureau citing a product executive familiar with the matter. Encouraged by strong first-month sales by the car that went on sale June 3, Nissan is considering ways to keep the Maxima momentum up – and a sharper performance version is a likely route.
Nissan has made it clear it’s interested in expanding the NISMO product range, out from the Juke and GT-R models. A NISMO Sentra, previewed in 2013, is still on the wish list. But a NISMO Maxima sounds like it would fit right in with that product’s message.
The sportiest 2016 Maxima, the SR trim, gets firmed-up suspension and bigger wheels, but no more power than others with the 300-horsepower V6 and CVT transmission. A NISMO version would be brawnier, but Maxima product planner Vishnu Jayamohan told The Detroit Bureau he doesn’t know exactly what powertrain would work in a faster Maxima. Then there’s the issue of making all the math add up for Nissan.
Still, based on my first drive in the Maxima SR, it’s a competent package that’s really rather refined, but falls short in being that all-out sports sedan Nissan wants it to be. So a bit more power and NISMO styling tweaks would definitely be a nice addition.
Photos: Zac Estrada/Carscoops
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