It may be a term that is overused, and one that to this day is challenged at that, but “Four Door Sports Car” (or “4DSC” as displayed on the rear quarter window badge) is a phrase that through its heavy marketing, has become synonymous with the third generation Nissan Maxima.
In its defense, for the 1992-1994 models years, Nissan did give the sport-oriented Maxima SE an exclusive V6 that produced 30 more horsepower and and 8 more pound-feet torque. The SE also gave buyers the choice of a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic with “sport” mode for more aggressive shift points, along with numerous small cosmetic enhancements.
Whatever your opinion may be, despite its rear collision damage, it looks like this athlete has not been relegated to the side lines yet, at this Maxima appears to still be daily driven. No pain, no gain I guess.
Related Reading:
1990 Nissan Maxima GXE (Curbside Classic)
1996 Nissan Maxima SE (COAL)
I somehow see more of these sputtering around still than I do Camrys from this era. I drove a $400 example of one a few years back when I was looking for something to haul my pool chemicals in and was surprised at how modern it felt on the road. It was a rusty northern example, hence the low, low price.
I covered this briefly in my COAL, but to me this generation is still THE definitive Maxima.
Yes Tom, yes. You really don’t need any more car than this Gen Maxima or a nice E28 Series BMW. After this, the Maxima became several different iterations of UGLY.
I remember this series so well…. I was just finishing up law school and my boss had both the regular and then the SE 190hp model, both manual.
I also liked the model right before it.
Great stuff here.
It’s not hurt as badly as this one. (NOS bottle explosion)
That’ll buff out.
A dab or two of Bondo and they’ll be right back on the road.
Did you guys get the ULTIMA LAUREL in USA?that was a very interesting car with RearWheelDrive&manual.
No, we never received the A31 (also known as the Cefiro in other parts of the world).
A few private imports of those now in Canada.
Fender Bender on an icy day? Will that car pass Massachusetts’ infamous safety inspection? This Nissan still looks decent enough and I see worse off vehicles than this plying the roads of Oregon.
I see sports cars defined by exceptionally good and responsive handling characteristics rather then by being extremely high powered.
And these have that, the later generations with the VQ series engines have more power than the 4DSC but lost IRS and generally became more punchy freeway cruisers, like a V6 Camry today. This generation however truly was the only sedan outside of a 3 series BMW that had sports car like handling characteristics to back it up, and frankly they were funner to drive than some “traditional sports cars” of the early 90s
This bodystyle came out for 1989, so 28 model years ago. The 1958 Lincoln Continental covered elsewhere in CC today came out 31 years before the 4DSC which means this Maxima is as close in age to a modern car as it was in 1989 to the Lincoln. There was so much change in the 80s, more than any decade before or since, and very little progress after that at least design-wise. What a great time that was.
I liked the 1961 – 1964 Lincolns. The ones immediately before that looked heavy and awkward. The ones after that were a step backward.
As for handling like a sports car, my 2004 Mazda 3 comes close, at least partly because of its somewhat firm suspension. I have only 23,000 miles on it because I’ve done most of my road traveling by motorcycle so I’m not ready to replace it.
So true, today we have to resort to meaningless in the real world stats to prove how far we’ve come from 89 – yes yes, a V6 Camry can match an old Lambo in the quarter, whoopee! – You don’t need to be a statistician to see how far this Maxima came from the 50s. Technologically the 4DSC is an iPhone 4 to today’s cars being an iPhone 7, the Lincoln is a Bakelite rotary phone to either one by comparison.
I like that phone analogy. As (or if) cars become driverless and/or electric, we may see a similar quantum change, but for now it seems that cars are evolving slowly, and only in execution not architecture.
I recently had a new rental Maxima for a month. Outside of the strange “styling”, the car was noisy, hard to get in and out of and was not very impressive. By the way, why do recent cars have “adjustable” wheels that you really can’t adjust easily. If you tilt the wheel, the tilt lever sticks straight down and will strike your knee every time. The combination of the non-easily-tilted wheel, combined with the small door opening made entry and exit a real chore. Whatever happened the tilt lever on the side of the wheel?
I haven’t driven the latest Maxima yet, but I imagine it’s much like the previous gen, which I briefly drove, it’s nothing special or remotely “sports car”-like. Large and bulky, somewhat firm suspension yet still floaty, artificial steering, and interior of mainly hard plastics with some out of place metallic/wood accent. Decent power, but too much for the front wheels to handle. I hate to say it but honestly, I feel the Maxima has outlived its purpose in Nissan’s lineup.
Defending Nissan on many sites is like tilting at windmills but here goes.
I found the new Maxima to be a great drive. The re-worked V6 and cvt are a terrific combination delivering power efficiently and quietly. It is an excellent cruiser, not too firm or floaty and feels planted at speed though it is not happy in LA traffic where one stops every 400 feet. The interior, at least in the SL is rather luxurious and well screwed together.
And C+D rated it the top full size sedan, ahead of Avalon, Impala, 300 and others…if that’s meaningful.
The new one is definitely better, even though I still hate CVT and 2/3rds of the styling, but as mentioned it has it’s charms, my brief experience with it tells me it’s the best Maxima made in the last 15 years. It’s no 4DSC by a long shot though, probably the closest modern day 4DSC equivelant in the overall driving experience to that would be the Mazda 6, even has similar power and curb weight.
I was given a 1990 Maxima SE by my stepmother who used it as a bargaining chip with my dad in order for her to get a new car. She bought it new in ’89 and at the time everyone was impressed, like someone buying a Tesla today. It lived 11 years in New Hampshire before I got it and it did not handle the liberal use of salt well at all.
I loved the car. It was quick and nimble and just the right size. But the rust took it over really badly. I couldn’t replace the shocks, the rear seatbelt anchors failed, the fuel filler tube separated from the tank, and there were holes clean through the rockers.
I had it at the end of my Super Street stage so I made some questionable modifications, the worst of which I am too embarrassed to show – the 16″ wheels with low profile tires. It might not have been so bad if I could have actually gotten the suspension apart to lower the car. So here it is in its winter setup.
This was the last generation of Maxima that was, in my mind, a great Maxima. The SE was especially attractive. This was also the generation where it separated from being Nissan’s virtual clone of a (Toyota) Cressida.
After this they became too much of an overgrown Altima. I remember having a last-generation Maxima as a rental car; it was very hollow-feeling, with a plasticky interior, and the CVT was maddening. It served its purpose, but by no means sent me running to a Nissan showroom.
My God, what’s happened to Nissan since this Maxima and the same era (1990-1996) 300ZX?!
” My God, what’s happened to Nissan since this Maxima and the same era (1990-1996) 300ZX?! ”
The French got ahold of them…
CVTs _are_ maddening. I’ll stay away from them from now on. All that complexity to save three miles per gallon on the EPA test and yet making no difference at all in the real world compared to a normal automatic. I typically, over the past 30 cars I’ve owned, get at least 15-20% more on trips than the EPA sticker, but my Nissan CVT gets at best 5-10% more using the same driving style. That tells me they’re overrated and programmed to beat the EPA cycle. My 1990 Olds Calais was rated 31 highway, yet I managed 40 on trips back when the speed limit was 65. My Nissan is rated at 40, yet 45ish is the best I’ve managed to do on Oregon’s 65 mph interstates.
The 80s was a very dark time in automobile history with the exception of Asian and European cars. That’s where the innovation exploded and crippled the American auto industry for life. Nothing American made could even remotely come close to the new Maximas, Cresidas, Camrys, Accords, etc, etc…… And when Lexus, Infiniti and Acura made the scene Cadillac and Lincoln were a cooked goose!
I really liked this generation of Maxima particularly the facelifted models, they look gorgeous in dark colors like green and black.
The change from the frumpy previous model was staggering, the Stanza followed a very similar transformation in the same year these debuted. Alas, the 1995 Maxima was a disappointment like the ’95 Sentra and ’98 Altima. In this case it seemed like Nissan was challenged to recreate the ’91 Acura Legend on a severe budget using the same chassis. They even offered hubcaps on the base models, something Toyota did starting with the Avalon which is shameful in my book for the top tier model. I consider these the last true Japanese Maximas, a sentiment I extend towards the 1992 Cressida, 1995 Legend and 1996 Camry, all cars whose successors had distinctly American traits in concept, design and even engineering. I will say that I would absolutely love to own a 2002-2003 Maxima SE with the 6MT though.
I’m a little surprised they kept these wheels on the SE throughout 1994, the lesser models had nicer (IMO) alloys. Give me a 1994 GLE Sedan in Black Emerald Pearl please!
My dad had a “4DSC” Maxima SE with the stick. Probably his favorite car ever. My brother had one with an automatic, which he loved too (black paint with white leather interior…quite striking).
Wow ! A black Maxima SE with white leather interior ? Never ever saw that on a Maxima. I still own my 1992 SE 5 speed manual. White with dark grey / Black leather interior. Stored indoors come winter time.
Wow, you must be in Australia.