drivetime
MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
DRIVEN
2010 Nissan Maxima
Now I remember why I first fell in love with the Nissan
Maxima. For a while I’d forgotten because some the models
Nissan’s rolled out over the past years haven’t quite lived up to the ideas I had for the car back in the day, say like the mid to late ’80s or early ’90s. Kinda like running into an old high school classmate at
OVERVIEW
your 10-year reunion and wondering what you ever saw in them about two minutes into the conversation.
Okay, yeah, “It’s good seeing you,” you say, smiling,
pushing to make your way to the guy roaming around the room with the appetizers mumbling “What was I thinking?” under your breath.
Until my recent test drive of a 2010 Maxima, nothing
about the sedan made me think, “Hey, we should stay in touch.”
Then again, maybe it’s because you really can’t
appreciate the Maxima until you slide into the cockpit, press the push button start, hit the road and get a feel for the car’s performance capabilities.
THE NEW M features a number of new technology features, including a system that helps the driver return the vehicle back toward the center of the lane away from a vehicle in the blind spot area.
Infiniti M
stance. Other exterior design ele-
ments include distinctive fend- ers, the signature Infiniti grille and crystal-look headlight clusters, large aluminum-alloy wheels, and the unique trunk design that is as much func- tional as it is cool to look at in that it works like a spoiler for improved aerodynamics.
Infiniti M37 and M56
models equipped with the op- tional sport package feature a unique front fascia, dark finish grille, dark headlight housings and 20-inch wheels and tires.
One of my Facebook (FB)
friends responded to a photo I posted of the new M that the sedan looks like a “Maxima on steroids.” Probably not exact- ly how I would describe it, but I definitely get his point when considering how aggressive the styling cues are on the new model.
Infiniti calls it the “ges-
ture” of the brand, which now is a guiding principal when de- signing Infiniti vehicles.
TECH FORWARD
Inside, the new M builds on
the kind of details that have become a benchmark in the luxury segment set by Infiniti (love their interiors) with de- tails like handcrafted wood accents, an instrument panel that features cool electrolumi-
From page B-1
nescent gauges, and the clas- sic Infiniti analog clock.
Nothing short of the “future”
when it comes to technology, the new M features BSI (Blind Spot Intervention), the world’s first system that helps the driver return the vehicle back toward the center of the lane away from a vehicle in the blind spot area.
Infiniti’s available Premium
Bose Audio system has also been enhanced. There’s also a system called Active Noise Control that uses sound to delete sound, to reduce engine noise in the cabinet. A fea- ture called Eco Pedal provides driver feedback to encourage fuel efficient driving behavior.
Standard technology equip-
ment includes Bluetooth, push button start and a rear view monitor.
LOVE THAT V6
There’s probably no clearer
indication of the M’s revival, however, than when you press the push button start, shift into drive mode and press the gas.
It’s easy to lose sight of
the fact that you’re actually in a sedan and not an all-out sports car. Infiniti went to great lengths to improve the M’s performance attributes with everything from a more powerful engine to the rear
suspension. Engine options include a
3.7-liter V6 with 330 horse- power and 270 lb-ft. of torque and a 5.6-liter V8 with 420 horsepower and 400-lb-ft. of torque that feels like a luxury sedan packed inside a rocket ship when you hit the gas.
Rear-wheel drive is stan-
dard on the sedan, but Infin- iti’s all-wheel-drive system is available on both models as well.
Truth is, though, after driv-
ing both the M37 (V6) and M56 (V8) model, you find that the V6 is more than enough power — unless you’re shooting for bragging rights at the next outing with your boys. The 330 horsepower is a boost of 25 HPs over the previous V6 and will satisfy any weekend urge to break away for some adventure.
It all kinda makes you want
to get in now, huh?
HIGHLIGHTS
Sticker: $46,250 (M37 base) MPG: 18/26 (V6)
Standard 330 HP V6 Enhanced Bose Audio System
Blind Spot Intervention technology
Marcus Amick is a nation-
al automotive writer and ana- lyst with a focus on the auto- motive lifestyle.
Auto Insurance Claim How to File An
After a car accident, the last thing you want to deal with is an insurance company. Here’s how to file a claim without causing a headache
By Zach Bowman
Every state requires drivers to carry some
sort of auto insurance but few people know how to use their policies effectively in a panic, post-accident situation.
For those who have never suffered through
a car accident, it’s a jarring experience. Loud noises, violent shaking, enduring bad memo- ries and more than a little pain are all integral ingre- dients in this
recipe for disaster. When the air bag dust set- tles, the proper way to file an auto insurance claim is probably the last thing on your mind.
Many states require drivers to contact the
police if the damage to your vehicle is more than $200. That’s about the cost of a turn signal lens on most new vehicles, so it doesn’t take much to cross that threshold.
Aside from being the law, filing a police
report will help the insurance companies sort out who is at fault in the accident. That doesn’t mean your insurance company will accept the officer’s word as gospel, but it does help to have an unbiased, unemotional opinion on the scene.
Jackie Johnson, a former team manager
for claims at State Farm, said that the biggest cause of grief during the filing process is a policy holder failing to get all of the necessary information.
“Everybody is pretty frantic,” she said.
“People get very angry and feel like they can’t talk to the other driver. Remember, it’s just an accident and nobody meant for it to happen. Otherwise, you may not get all the information you need.”
First, swap insurance cards with the other
driver. Make sure you get the insurance com- pany’s name, the policy number, the vehicle’s VIN (or vehicle identification number), the in- surance agent’s name, the company’s phone number and basically anything and everything else on the card. It’s always better to have more information than you need.
Next, look for information on the other ve-
hicle. It’s important to copy down the car’s li- cense plate number, make, model and color. Do your best to write down exactly where the damage is and the other car’s placement at the time of the wreck. If you can, take as many pic-
tures as possible. Johnson said it is also important to make
sure that the car’s VIN is the same as the one on the insurance card. You may have noticed a little metal tag in the corner of your dash under your windshield. That’s your vehicle’s fingerprint, completely unique to that ride, and making sure it matches the other driver’s doc- umentation will ensure there’s no funny busi- ness.
After gathering all of your research, call your
insurance company first, even if the accident wasn’t your fault.
“We depend on our policy holder for most of
the claim information,” Johnson said. More than likely, your insurance agent or
someone else in the company will take a claim report from you. It’s important to remember as much detail as you can about the event, includ- ing the time of day, where your car was, where the other driver was located, the exact location of the accident and the kind of damage to both vehicles.
After you speak with your insurance com-
pany, call the other driver’s company. You’ll probably feel like a parrot spouting off the same information to whomever’s on the other end of the phone, but it’s important to be ac- curate and precise. The more the companies know, the more likely they are to come to the right conclusion about who’s at fault.
When you speak with the other driver’s in-
surance, make sure you write down the claim number and the full name of whomever you speak to. You may need this information again if you have to call the company back.
In the Green
From page B-1
not only provide power for acceleration, but also bring the vehicle to a stop.
Power for the motors is provided by lithi-
um-ion batteries that produce zero emissions. Recharging can occur from a conventional wall outlet using standard household power, allow- ing EN-V to travel at least 40 kilometers on a single charge. EN-V can also improve the ef- ficiency of the public electric infrastructure since the vehicle can communicate with the electric grid to determine the best time to re- charge based on overall usage.
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So I guess you might say I haven’t really given her a
chance since I last saw her. It’s hard to really appreciate the Maxima just doing city driving although the model tested with the sports package, which features 19” alu- minum silver wheels, got a lot of looks on the road.
Not sure if that had anything to do with the fact that
the one I was testing was navy blue (love the color), be- cause I even caught a few people driving some much more expensive cars checking out the ride.
Still, it only took a few days into my media loan to real-
ize that to get a real feel for what makes the Maxima nice, I needed to shoot to the hills for a drive. Test grounds? Topanga Canyon off the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Santa Monica. Not the most challenging road in the area, but definitely enough turns to give you a feel for what the Maxima’s capable of.
In fact, it was on the Topanga run that I realized that
2010 Nissan Maxima
DRIVER:Marcus Amick
STICKER: $38,660 (Sport Package)
MPG: 19 city/26 hwy
while I was initially high on the Maxima’s power, there’s a whole lot more to appreciate. The car’s 3.5-Liter V6’s 290 hp and 261 lb-ft. numbers aren’t earth-shattering. But when paired with Nissan’s CVT transmission and other features like the optional sport-tuned suspension, this car really comes to life.
Just point and shoot. On the Topanga drive, the Maxima had little if any
body roll even when tackling some of the canyon’s more challenging turns. It’s the kind of ride that easily makes the transition from an everyday car to a weekend thrill seeker with a sticker of about $38,000 (Sport Package), which doesn’t make you feel guilty about the purchase.
In addition to numerous special technology fea-
tures like a Nissan hard-drive navigation system, the Maxima Sport Package includes a rear spoiler and HID Xeon headlights. Exterior styling cues also include dual chrome exhaust tips, and tinted windows reminiscent of back in the day when nobody would ever drive the car without tinted windows.
What’s to Like? For around 38 grand you get a lot
of car. What’s Not to Like? In certain colors, it’s not nearly
as striking as others.
March 31 - April 6, 2010
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