Nissan Maxima 2009

• Competes with: Toyota Avalon, Buick Lucerne, Chrysler 300
• Looks like: One really miffed Altima
• Drive train: 290-hp (est.), 3.5-liter V-6 with CVT automatic
• Hits dealerships: Early summer 2008

The Nissan Maxima, a car whose future was once precarious, is evidently alive and well. Nissan unveiled the seventh-generation Maxima at the New York auto show, and it says its aim in redesigning this car was nothing less than to create the best-performing front-wheel-drive sedan in the world. There are tall orders, but this one seems like a veritable Everest.

To work, then: The car's width has been increased, but its wheelbase has been shortened, which should bode well for handling. The brakes are larger, and Nissan has uprated its venerable 3.5-liter V-6 to 290 horsepower, up from 255 hp last year. A continuously variable automatic transmission continues to be standard — in the outgoing Maxima, it proved surprisingly responsive — and has manual and Sport modes. Paddle shifters are optional.

We can't say we're crazy about the car's styling. It's something of an angrier Altima in front and (here comes the hate mail) a larger Toyota Yaris sedan in back. Like with the earlier Maxima, though, we figure the shape will grow on us. There's plenty of eye candy inside, where the dashboard borrows themes from the Altima sedan and various Infiniti models. The navigation system uses the setup from the Infiniti M35/M45 and G35 sedans rather than the Altima's simpler system, and that's a good thing. Loaded Maximas (Maximae?) boast everything from a backup camera and heated steering wheel to a panoramic moonroof with power-retracting sunshades. That should put the car on par with full-size sedans like the Toyota Avalon and Buick Lucerne, if not entry-level luxury cars like the Lexus ES.