The interior of the 2017 Nissan Maxima envelops the driver like an airplane cockpit.
Fast facts
- Model: 2017 Nissan Maxima SR - Exterior color: Super Black - Interior color: Charcoal - Engine: 3.5-liter V-6 - Horsepower: 300 - Transmission: CVT - Fuel economy: 30 mpg highway, 21 mpg city - Local Dealer: Nissan of Chattanooga East, and Mountain View Nissan - Price (as tested): $40,300
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Looking for a used or new car?
If the Batmobile is your idea of a cool ride, you might want to try out the 2017 Maxima SR "Midnight Edition."
Nissan has, in the car-culture vernacular, "murdered-out" its midsize performance sedan with black paint, black rims, black interior black everything. The result - thanks to the $1,200 "Midnight Edition" appearance package - looks like a watered-down version of Bruce Wayne's coupe, sans the tank tread, fins and machine guns.
In truth, the so-called "Black Max" follows the logical evolution of the Maxima, which started out in the 1980s as a soft-sprung cruiser for grannies; but now, 3 million units later, has been re-calibrated as a souped-up "four-door sports car."
Assembled up the road in Smyrna, Tenn., the Maxima line covers five trim levels: S, SV, SL, SR and Platinum. Our SR tester is the sportiest version of the Maxima and has such special touches as aluminum pedals, paddle shifters and faux suede seat inserts. If the Platinum edition is Palm Springs, the SR version is Las Vegas.
The architecture of the car suits the "Midnight Edition" motif. Chrome trim under the side windows peaks at the C-pillars, giving the blacked-out Maxima the illusion of having bat wings. Meanwhile, 19-inch gloss black alloy wheels mark the car as a bad hombre - beware of curb scratches, though, as these dark wheels will accentuate surface flaws like lint on a black sport jacket.
The Maxima, last redesigned for the 2016 model year, can be test driven at Nissan of Chattanooga East on Chapman Road or Mountain View Nissan on Market Street in downtown Chattanooga. New 2017 models, like our tester, have just started arriving at these Chattanooga-area car stores.
With a 300-horsepower engine and a sport-tuned suspension, the Maxima SR serves double duty as a four-door family hauler and a muscular show car worthy of weekly chamois-cloth rubdowns. Our tester stickers for $40,300 and promises fuel consumption of 30 miles per gallon highway and 21 miles per gallon city.
EXTERIOR STYLING THE FEATURES
Sitting in the driver's seat of the Maxima SR, the first thing you notice are the gentle undulations in the hood. This design flourish frames the road ahead and serves as a subtle reminder that the Maxima is built to stand out from the crowd, not to blend in with everybody else.
Small splashes of chrome on the front fascia, door handles and wheel hubs are all that stand between the Maxima SR Midnight Edition and a total black-out. The wheel arches blend with the tires and rims to the point that the SR looks more like a shadow than an actual automobile. But that's the look that Nissan is going for here: ostentatious, monochromatic toughness. Meanwhile, the windshield sweeps back into the roof line at an angle that would look at home on a Mustang or Camaro. LED daytime running lights frame the headlamps and a chrome Nissan emblem completes the look.
Inside, the SR features more expanses of black plastics and upholstery. The color is broken up, mercifully, by a brushed-aluminum horizontal accent bar on the dash with diamond patterns etched in - a clever echo of the diamonds in the seat inserts.
The focal point of the cabin is a flat-bottom "D-shaped" steering wheel, that frames an analogue gauge cluster. An eight-inch color display in the middle of the dash contains a flashy voice-activated navigation function. New for 2017, the Maxima is also equipped for the popular Apple CarPlay mobile phone interface.
Luxury touches include the Alcantara seat inserts and cooled front seats, interior accent lighting, "Zero Gravity" front seats, and a Bose sound system with 11 speakers.
DRIVING EXPERIENCE
At the end of the day, the Maxima SR is a family sedan with a 3.5-liter V-6, 300 horsepower engine. Motor Trend magazine says the Maxima SR can pull from zero to 60 miles per hour in 6 seconds flat; which is roughly the dividing line between quick and fast.
Our experience with the SR was mostly in commuter situations, where short bursts of acceleration are more important than straight-line speed. The engine is a little throaty, but gathers itself quickly. The deeply bolstered front seats are a plus for mountain driving.
The Maxima is a front-wheel-drive sedan with a continuously variable transmission; two conditions that are generally a drag on performance. But its sport-tuned suspension and "sport" driving mode combine to kill any numbness that might infect the car's ride.
As you'd expect in a car at this price point, the Maxima has a full complement of safety nannies, including blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert and forward emergency braking. All should help you keep the Maxima in the road if those 300 horses get loose.
BOTTOM LINE
The "Midnight Edition" Maxima SR will appeal to drivers who want a car with attitude. Softer trims will appeal to those with less daring tastes. If you're in the market for a sports sedan and want to keep your dollars circulating in the Volunteer State, the Maxima offers maximum bang for your buck.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.