The 2009 Nissan Maxima is a midsize entry-level luxury sedan available in S and SV trim levels. The base model S comes standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, cruise control, a sunroof, keyless ignition/entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, a tilt/telescoping steering column, eight-way driver and four-way passenger power front seats, a 60/40-split rear seat, cloth upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a trip computer, an auto-dimming inside mirror and an in-dash six-CD changer with an auxiliary audio jack.The Maxima SV adds foglamps, a driver seat manual thigh-support extender and power lumbar support, leather upholstery, a compass, a Homelink universal garage remote and a nine-speaker Bose stereo upgrade.
The SV can be equipped with either the Premium or Sport packages, which offer much of the same equipment but differ in key areas. Both add transmission paddle shifters, xenon headlights (available separately, but curiously, this requires adding Bluetooth, too), a driver-side auto-dimming outside mirror, heated front seats, driver memory functions with automatic entry/exit, a power tilt/telescoping steering column, a heated steering wheel, rear bucket seats with a center trunk pass-through (60/40-split feature deleted), upgraded leather upholstery and trim, Bluetooth (available as a stand-alone option) and satellite radio.
The Premium Package is differentiated by a dual-panel sunroof, a rearview camera, a seven-inch LCD screen, a cooled driver seat, rear-seat audio and HVAC controls, automatic up/down rear windows, a power rear window shade, wood trim, an audio-visual auxiliary audio jack and a dedicated iPod interface. The Sport Package features a sport-tuned suspension, 19-inch wheels, a rear spoiler and metallic-look interior trim. High-performance summer tires are an added option with the Sport Package.
The Technology Package available on the Maxima SV adds a voice-activated navigation system with real-time traffic, a rearview camera, an auxiliary audio-video jack, a dedicated iPod interface, satellite radio, a single in-dash CD player (which replaces the six-disc version) and 9.3GB of digital music storage. This package is cheaper when combined with the Premium Package, since several features overlap. The heated front seats, steering wheel and outside mirrors can also be had in the Cold Package.