2009 Nissan Maxima

You can't look head-on at the 2009 Nissan Maxima and not be impressed by the high, audacious curve of its front fenders, a design element reminiscent of one of those classic pre-war motorcars.
The profile view is more ordinary, but the wholly reengineered and restyled '09 Maxima is way easier on the eyes than the disjointed and tubby-tailed previous-generation model that became symbolic for how Nissan had lost its way with this once-iconic nameplate.
The new Maxima is not the home run it was in the mid-1980s and early 1990s when it truly earned the title "4-door sports car," but that's as much a function of a vastly changed car market as it is any slight of the Maxima itself, which once again is a pretty serious sedan.