Gem of a sedan

NISSAN'S flagship sedan Maxima has been unveiled by dealers Y K Almoayyed and Sons at a launch ceremony at Bahrain City Centre.

The 2010 Maxima aims to be 'the best performing front engine, front-wheel drive car in the world' offering class-leading acceleration, braking, handling, craftsmanship and driver's seat design.

Three key areas were singled out for development on the new four-door sports car - its exterior design, 'super cockpit' and performance.

Sandeep Mathur, marketing manager, said: "The Maxima has been re-introduced after a short break. It was always quite popular with the young and now we are also targeting drivers with young families.

"We received overwhelming response during our Ramadan preview of the 2010 Maxima and we are sure it will be a hit."

The exterior design theme for the new Maxima is 'Liquid Motion' with its creators saying they focused on the flow of its 'powerful and beautiful' surfaces, like the 'undulation of a wave'.

Maxima's performance is accented by standard 19-inch alloy wheels with low-profile performance tyres.

At the rear, Maxima features a new 12-LED L-shaped taillight design, with a pair of side marker bulbs for added visibility during night driving. Its large, wraparound L-shaped headlights add a unique dimension to the overall design, while the light surrounds suggest a powerful 'turbine' appearance of energy and strength.

The upturned headlight shape combines with a wide grille, large bumper opening and bulging catamaran-style hood to give Maxima a formidable expression, setting the tone for the rest of the vehicle.

Maxima has been built on Nissan's new D platform, without giving up the added front-wheel drive benefits of lower costs, lower weight and enhanced roominess. The body and chassis engineering teams worked together to create a secure feeling, virtually no torque steer during acceleration and a level of nimbleness that ultimately makes a car fun to drive.

The car boasts a 3.5-litre DOHC 24-valve V6 and is rated at 290 horsepower with 35.7 kg-m of torque, which the company claims is Nissan's most powerful sedan ever.

Braking is provided by standard 4-wheel disc brakes with a 4-channel, 4-sensor, 4-wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA). The car offers standard 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and P245/40R19 tyres.

The interior design team developed an interior concept of 'super cockpit, but with space' with features including a navigation system with a seven-inch colour monitor, rear view parking monitor, front and rear parking distance sensors, an advanced Bose premium audio system with nine speakers (including two subwoofers and a centre channel speaker) with speed-sensitive volume control, intelligent key with push button ignition, F1-style paddle shifters, eight-way power driver's seat and four-way power adjustable front passenger seat, leather-appointed sport seats, power tilt/telescopic steering column adjustment, auto-dimming outside mirrors with reverse tilt-down features, automatic entry/exit system with two-driver memory, dual-zone automatic temperature control, Bluetooth hands-free phone system, cruise control with illuminated steering wheel mounted controls, and rear power retractable sunshade.

The 2010 model comes equipped with standard Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual-stage front supplemental air bags, front seat-mounted side-impact supplemental air bags for chest protection and roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags for front and rear outboard occupant head protection.

Also standard are front-seat active head restraints, three-point rear seat belts for all seating positions, front seat belts with adjustable upper anchors, load limiters, emergency inside trunk release, Zone Body construction with front and rear crumple zones and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

The car also features a standard Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) with Traction Control System (TC). Also available is High Intensity Discharge (HID) Xenon headlights, front fog lights and outside mirrors which include turn signal indicators.

In the United States, Maxima has achieved the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration highest possible five star safety rating for front and side impact crash safety.

The 2010 Maxima comes in three grades namely S, Midrange and SR prices of which are from BD9,745 to BD12,400.