Both the luxurious GLE and sporty SE come equipped with heated leather wrapped steering wheels, fog lights, chrome exhaust tips, Homelink garage door opener, and front seat side-impact airbags. The GLE adds standard leather seats and faux wood trim. Also, a 200-watt in-dash 6CD audio system with 7 Bose speakers and a speed sensitive volume control that adjusts automatically to interior noise levels is standard in the GLE, and included with the SE's optional leather package, as is the GLE's standard power glass sunroof. The SE's leather package also includes perforated leather seat surfaces and trim, a 4-way power passenger's seat, plus driver's seat memory with entry/exit system (auto transmission only). The SE gets sport seat cloth as standard, a rear spoiler, drilled metal pedals and titanium tint gauges. It also gets black trim while the two 'G' cars get a chrome grille surround and accents.
For 2002 Nissan has made some subtle exterior modifications that clean up the front and rear fascias. Still the styling tweaks don't mask the need for a complete redesign, as it looks a little dated standing beside the hot new Altima. Styling aside, the Maxima might just be Canada's best sport sedan value. There isn't a competitor at the same price point that can keep up off the line or stay in sight when the road starts to wind.