Cruising on the highway is effortless, and our six-speed SE revved at just 3000 rpm at 80 mph in sixth gear. Dropping down to fifth gear raises engine speed to 3800 rpm, at which point the 3.5-liter pulls strongly enough to pass traffic comfortably, without the need to downshift to lower gears.

The Altima's V6 makes just 245 hp compared to the Maxima's 265 hp, due to intake and exhaust tuning. That tuning is noticeable in the Maxima's hard-to-ignore exhaust roar. But Maxima outweighs the two-inch shorter Altima by about 200 pounds, so performance between the two sedans is a draw.

Both the six-speed and the five-speed automatic are well-matched to the smoothly revving 3.5-liter V6. The engine has such a broad power band that the car is happy being both a high-revving hard-charger and a boulevard loafer. You can keep the engine at high revs to extract the most acceleration on challenging roads, or you can lug it along at a cruising pace without concern.

Compared to a sports car like Nissan's 350Z, the Maxima's six-speed shifter has a lot of extra movement, although once you get used to it the gates are easy to select. Clutch pedal travel is also notably long. That means manual shift devotees will be doing a lot of aerobics while they drive. Nissan expects fewer than 10 percent of all Maximas will be sold with the manual gearbox.

We drove the Maxima quickly on twisty canyon roads around Mount Palomar in Southern California. Its limits are very high, but it feels noticeably bigger and more ponderous than the smaller, lighter Altima. The steering is accurate, and the body roll is minimal, but the Maxima feels more prone to understeer initially.

Part of our drive included three passengers and a trunk stuffed to the gills with luggage, something you can't do with a sports car, though even so, the Maxima felt heavier and less precise than BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class sedan. Both of those cars, as well as Infiniti's G35, are rear-wheel drive, while the Maxima is ultimately limited by its front-drive layout.

Accelerating out of corners, we never felt either front wheel spin, due to our test car's optional limited-slip front differential, and we didn't have the optional stability control inhibiting engine torque. But unlike the rear-drive cars mentioned above, grip at the front is the first thing you feel diminishing as you approach the car's handling limits. Of course, that's comparing the Maxima to expensive German rear-wheel-drive cars. Like the Maxima, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord use front-wheel drive.