18/07/2008 18:06. Life for Nissan's Maxima, atop the company's sedan lineup, can't be easy. Price-wise, it bumps elbows with the G35, the entry-level model in Nissan's own high-end Infiniti lineup, but its front-drive layout gives up a significant amount of performance potential to the swankier Infiniti model.

With any luck, the Maxima's lot will be improved with a 2009 redesign that takes the car upmarket and further differentiates it from the next-rung-down Altima.

The front-end styling is particularly distinctive, and makes the car look wide and imposing -- just the way a proper luxury/sport sedan should look, if you ask us. Then, there's the interior, which takes on some Infiniti-esque styling cues, particularly in the centre stack.

Unlike the outgoing, 2008 model, the '09 Maxima will come in... // Ottawa Citizen