New Auto Car

There’s a certain type of executive in this country, one who doesn’t go to work in a big-city high rise and one who’s never going to be interviewed by that screaming guy on CNBC. Instead, this working-class exec has an office attached to the company’s frozen food factory or the paper distribution warehouse. He (or she, certainly) makes good money and desires a luxury car, but doesn’t want to show up flaunting a fancy-pants Bimmer or Benz in the same parking lot as the employees’ Saturns and Sunfires. Or perhaps more likely, the company car policy just doesn’t include that Bimmer and Benz.

For our working-class exec, we can think of no better car than the 2009 Nissan Maxima. With all its luxe bells and high-tech whistles, this is an honest-to-goodness luxury sedan for those who don’t want or can’t have the stigma or price associated with a luxury badge. This is a darn good car that rights the deviated course of a nameplate once dubbed the “4-Door Sports Car.” While the 2009 Maxima is not quite the 4DSC its marketers are touting once again, it is a car with few flaws that’s one of the best-handling front-drive sedans available — and that’s without our test car’s Sport package that sullied the ride.

This entire working-class exec concept might seem a little counterintuitive in today’s America that’s obsessed with designer labels, celebrity restaurants and the biggest wheels they can fit on their ride. So really, it wouldn’t be surprising if high-end Maximas like our test car struggle to move from dealerships — a $37,000 price tag on a Nissan will be a tough pill to swallow given that vehicles with more desirable badges are available for the same price. However, those similarly priced cars don’t come with all of the Maxima’s neat-o toys, while several are quite simply inferior. We just hope there are enough working-class execs around to take notice.

2009 Nissan Maxima vedios on youtube

Tags: 2009, Nissan