The Nissan Maxima occupies a unique place in Nissan’s lineup. It’s a midsize sedan like the Altima, but it costs more, comes with more equipment, and is sportier. It’s close to the price of the rear-wheel-drive Infiniti G37, but the Maxima has front-wheel drive instead of rear-wheel drive so it isn’t as sporty as the G37.

The Maxima is engineered, built, tuned and aimed at drivers who prefer sporty handling and a firmer ride as opposed to the softer, more luxurious rides associated with many cars in this class.

The 2011 Nissan Maxima competes with the Acura TL, Infiniti G, Cadillac CTS, and Toyota Avalon, as well as deluxe versions of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

Nissan Maxima S comes standard with cloth upholstery, eight-way power driver’s seat with lumbar adjustment, four-way power front passenger seat, 60/40 split-folding rear seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, interior air filter, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, trip computer, power moonroof, cruise control, intelligent key and starter button, eight-speaker AM/FM/MP3 sound system with six-disc CD changer, auxiliary input jack, Bluetooth wireless cell phone link, tilt/telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, auto-dimming rearview mirror, automatic headlights, theft-deterrent system, and P245/45VR18 tires on alloy wheels.