2009 Nissan Maxima

2008 New York Auto Show

Ever since Nissan introduced a bigger, faster Altima, they've had a hard time pushing the Maxima -- why spend the extra money, when the Altima V6 was so darn good? So Nissan is trying again with a new Maxima -- smaller and trimmer with a sportier interior and a 290 horsepower V6 driving the front wheels through a continuously-variable automatic transmission. Hmm... 290 hp? Front wheels? What makes me think this could be a bad idea? The car looks great, but if you ask me -- and as always, no one did -- I think the only way it will differentiate itself from the Altima is to go rear-wheel-drive.