After sitting in the 2004 in Detroit, tapping the plastic bits, clicking the switchgear and fiddling with the rotating controls it's safe to say Nissan has followed its current pattern of upgrading interior tactile quality. That said the outgoing model is quite good, the best in the Nissan lineup for sure, most likely due to its flagship status as well as the components it needs to share with the upscale Infiniti I35. The upcoming model is that much better, both in design and execution. Its contemporary theme mixes rich leathers with cold, calculated metallic finishes, especially featured on the tall central stack. There's a more substantial feeling to all controls while softer touch plastics add to its top-tier ambience.
Emil Hassan, Nissan North America's senior vice president, manufacturing, purchasing, quality and logistics, said it well in his speech commemorating the first Maxima to roll out of the Smyrna production facility. "Our employees are excited to build on the quality and workmanship which has made the Maxima a perennial favorite with consumers. We're ready to meet the challenge of manufacturing this truly great car."
There's also an optional Elite package available that deletes the rear center seating position much like the previous edition BMW M5 did, dropping occupancy to four while adding a rear console to resemble that in front. Also an AM/FM/cassette audio system with a 6-disc in-dash CD changer and eight Bose speakers, speed-sensitive volume control and RDS is now standard on the SL and optional in the SE. The same availability scenario is the case with its heated seat cushions, but this may not be the case in Canada.