On a narrow road winding through the Coast Ranges south of Monterey, California, we found the four-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly and changes gears quickly to suit driving conditions.

It is on these types of roads that the Maxima really comes into its own. The steering is precise with sharp on-center feel; the steering on last year's model lacked feel and precision on the highway. The rear suspension has been re-engineered for improved ride and handling. Bumps are damped well, yet the ride isn't mushy. There's little body roll, or lean, in corners; the Maxima now matches the discontinued 300ZX sports car in this regard. The SE and GLE turn in more sharply than the GXE, which comes with 15-inch tires.

We turned some hot laps in the Maxima at Laguna Seca, a twisting road racing circuit in the hills above Monterey. There, we found the SE was very easy to drive quickly and smoothly. This car is rock steady at high speeds and it's easy to make smooth transitions from gas to brakes. We chose a five-speed for this work and found the pedals are positioned well for heel-and-toe downshifting. The manual gearbox shifts smoothly and adds to the fun of driving this sporty sedan. Acceleration performance and fuel economy are better with the manual.

The four-wheel disc brakes and high-performance 16-inch tires did a commendable job of slowing this car down. We were activating the ABS as we braked hard for a set of chicanes erected to slow us down from 90 mph to a walking pace. The Maxima was stable during threshold braking.

On a second-gear autocross circuit, we found the Maxima tended toward understeer when driven beyond the limit of the tires -- the usual tendency for a front-wheel-drive sedan. We were unable to get the rear tires to break traction in a corner. This makes for predictable handling at the limit.