It has been a couple of years, since I’ve worked in the Nissan world so I was eagerly anticipating my time in the all new 2009 Maxima. The only concern I had was: Would the car be so distinct that it stands out from the crowd as being a Maxima? In the photos I had seen, the car looked good, but the features didn’t seem to stand out.

Fortunately, the 09 Maxima is a strong example of pictures not doing a shape justice. The large, muscular fender and quarter panel bulges are unlike anything else on the road. The squarish front end is strongly reminiscent of Nissan’s king of the hill GTR. Exterior lamps draw attention at each end of the car, from the unusual L shaped headlights, to the striking LED tail lights. This thing looks tough and sporting in the flesh and definitely stands out from the crowd.

Inside, designers hoped to create a cockpit feel that wrapped around the driver. It is interesting to note that not only have they accomplished their goal, but the interior ahead of the front seat somehow feels more spacious than the previous model. Our tester was clad in rich looking charcoal leather that wraps super supportive sport seats up front. While the back row seats 3, the outboard seats are sculpted more like buckets with an armrest full of audio system controls. Very cool.

Today’s car buyers have come to expect lots of high tech goodies in their cars and the Maxima does not disappoint. The 9 speaker Bose stereo boasts two subwoofers, backlit steering wheel controls, an option iPod interface and bluetooth for cell users. The iPod interface was a pleasant surprise, as it allows the driver to control the iPod through the car’s controls. The rear view camera displays through a 7 inch LCD screen that is shared with the navigation and audio systems. Our 14 year old declared that the Maxima was the coolest car I’ve brought home when she saw the cool starry sky displayed on the navi when the sun goes down.

The Maxima has always been a performance leader in the sports sedan arena and Nissan wanted to ensure that the 09 Maxima lived up to past glories. Nissan’s much lauded 3.5L V6 VG series engine is tuned to produce a lofty 290 horsepower in this guise. That power makes its way to the front wheels through a CVT transmission. Our tester had the optional paddle shifters, helping ad to the sporting feel on the road by offering actual shift points that feel more like a traditional transmission. One huge benefit to using the CVT is that it offers performance and economy. During our week with the Maxima, we averaged 11 liters per 100 km, which isn’t bad at all considering all those Clydesdales under the hood.

Many of the consumers who find themselves lusting after a sports sedan have to lug the kids around on occasion and utility isn’t something that the segment typically does very well. The Maxima was a big surprise around here, as it was the only sedan we’ve driven over the past 2 years that easily passed our signature 3 hockey bag test. In fact, the Maxima not only held 3 full hockey bags, but had room for even more flotsam. Many families choose the dreaded minivan to move that much stuff around, but with this much space the Maxima makes perfect sense for the busy family.

One might expect to ransom the kids to get in to some sports luxury sedans. Nissan has priced the Maxima aggressively with prices beginning at $37,900 while adding in all the toys will still only set buyers back $43,150. That’s some pretty fair bang for the buck considering that the Lexus GS 350 we drove recently was about 15 grand more for the same level of equipment and a much smaller trunk.

The Nissan Maxima has become somewhat of an icon in the sports sedan segment and this newest design lives up to that standard. It has combined on road performance with utility and a distinctive style to remain ahead of the pack.