2002 Nissan Maxima SE review from North America

The Compact Disk's player's left channel sometimes cuts out, especially while playing disk 4 of 6.

The 200-watt Bose sound system's base was not as strong as I had anticipated, even though the system includes a sub woofer.

A strange grinding noise can be heard from the wheels when the car makes a sharp left-hand turn, which is probably minor.

The tires provided looses its traction in wet snow, as I have found out while sliding into a guardrail this past winter.

This was my dream car. The only "nightmare" was when I discovered that the 17-inch aluminum alloy rims with the all-season steal-belted radial tires just could not handle Ottawa's harsh winters as well as the old Altima's tires were able to.

The damage was repaired and the car still performs admirably. I have the 6-speed manual transmission SE, and I don't know about 0-60 times and quarter-mile times, but I can easily get it up there to 140 kph within 10 seconds! Makes merging into highway traffic a breeze!

A word for that guy too busy "beefing up" his V8 pick-up truck, I have two things to say:

1: The Maxima has a 6-Cylinder Engine, you blockhead, not to mention the Maxima is a heavier vehicle, and...

2: Have you gone up against the new 2002 model with 255 horses under the hood, instead of 222? Something tells me the new Maxima can put up a better show than you anticipate.

On dry Pavement, the car feels like it sticks to the road like glue, thanks to the sport-tuned suspension. If I wanted to, I could easily take curves at twice the posted speed limit. Emphasis on the word "EASILY"!

On the negative side, I get the impression that the stick is a little on the "clunky" side. The clutch doesn't always allow the stick to slide into gear, and I've already stalled the engine far many more times than I have had with the 3 years that I've had with the Altima. This also can be "painful" when you're accelerating and the the clutch "crunches" second gear! (With the Altima, it was 3rd gear.)