1996 Nissan Maxima is Definately Worth a Trial Run

All new for 1995, the excellent Maxima receives few changes for the 1996 Nissan Maxima model year. A four-way power passenger seat is available, a new center console cup holder will hold a Big Gulp and two new colors grace the Nissan Maxima decidedly dull flanks. Two new colors also debut; Starfire Blue Pearl and Deep Evergreen.

Overall, the car lost some of its sex appeal in last year’s redesign, but the new engine, interior, and price structure of the car more than make up for the slight styling shortcomings. New to the 1996 is the Nissan Maxima fog lamps on all models.

The car is available in three models: GXE, SE and GLE. All Nissan Maxima models are equipped with dual airbags and a multi-adjustable driver’s seat with 2-way lumbar support. A 3.0-liter V6 engine with 190 horsepower is standard in the Nissan Maxima. The 1996 Nissan Maxima Transmission come standard with a 5 speed manual in the GXE and the SE; a 4-speed automatic is available.

This engine is a jewel, providing swift acceleration without penalizing fuel economy. The Nissan Maxima GLE upgrades with a standard 4-speed automatic transmission, a Security and Convenience Package, leather seats and a CD player.

The Nissan Maxima GLE edition also added a 4-way power seat for the front passenger, which was also newly optional in the SE. A power moon roof, heated front seats, heated outside mirrors and an anti-lock brake system (ABS) are optional on all Nissan Maxima models.

1996 Nissan Maxima vs 1996 Infiniti I30

The Maxima styling is growing on us, but one of the car problems is the taillights and sculpted deck lid are just too overwrought. Something closer to the Altima’s tail would have been more tasteful. Also, on the car models not equipped with fog lights, tacky ribbed-plastic inserts fill the holes in the front fascia where they would have gone. The inserts jar the eye and detract from an otherwise clean frontal design. Inside, the car sports an interior befitting an Infiniti.

No coincidence here; the 1996 Nissan Maxima serves as the basis for the luxo-oriented Infiniti I30. The 1996 Infiniti I30 and 1996 Nissan Maxima are twins separated at birth; the difference is that the I30 grew up in a better neighborhood. Here, then, is a description of how environment influences outcome. The 1996 I30 looks better than the 1996 Nissan Maxima, even though they share an identical platform — the automotive equivalent of DNA.

The I30 grew up wearing nice-looking clothes; it has a fancy “waterfall” grille that puts the face of the Nissan Maxima 1996 to shame. The 1996 Infiniti I30 has a more attractively outfitted rear end, fancier wheels and a plush interior than the Nissan Maxima 1996. The 1996 Nissan Maxima, on the other hand, looks very middle, very suburban. You drive 1996 Nissan Maxima to back-yard cookouts; you drive the I30 to the country club.

Nissan designers underwent a complete switch in design philosophy during the late eighties, and began producing the Nissan Maxima 1996 parts whose styling was as fresh five years after introduction day as it was on introduction day. The car were a far cry from the carved-from-a-cinderblock styling of previous Nissans.

If you’re searching for a midsize sedan that reaches above the run-of-the-mill offerings, a Nissan Maxima is definitely worth a trial run. Roomier than the old Maxima, the Nissan Maxima finds nobody complaining about the accommodations.