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The Nissan Maxima's styling is more assertive than many mid-size cars, and this year's model draws attention. It's particularly striking from the rear. A dramatic cut-off shape and bold taillight treatment highlight a crisp design.

The front end says Maxima in a bold new way with a new grille and those Xenon headlamps. The aggressive styling sweeps fluidly from front to rear, with the side view accented by a steeply raked windshield, accentuated fender flares and sporty side-sill spoilers. At the rear you'll find new taillights with clear lenses, dual chrome exhaust tips, and a new Nissan logo.

The Nissan Maxima is long and wide. It shares its platform with the Infiniti I30 luxury sedan. The rigid chassis was upgraded for the 2001 model year. It rides on a 108.3-inch wheelbase; overall, the car is 191.5 inches long and 70.3 inches wide. The rigid chassis allows other components to perform as they were designed and also helps reduce noise, vibration, and harshness.

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The Nissan Maxima's interior has been significantly upgraded for 2002.

What hasn't changed is its roominess. A 6-foot-4 companion barely brushed his hair on the headliner, and our car was equipped with a sunroof; cars without sunroofs offer slightly more headroom.

The front seats were redesigned to provide more support and dampen road vibration. We found them comfortable. Eight-way power is standard for the driver's seat. For 2002, a memory seat feature is available.

The rear seats are comfortable and roomy enough that one adult male passenger took a nice nap while we were on the road.

The trunk is not be the largest in the class, but it is roomy. The rear seats are split 60/40 and fold down to make room for longer items.

Nissan's California designers shaped the new dash into a stylish wave that gives it an airy feel. The steering wheel and other controls were repositioned last year to improve comfort. A pair of cup holders is located under the lid on the center console.

For 2002, the sunroof switch features a multi-position slide instead of a conventional rocker switch. There's the new Bose stereo system, and the available navigation system now offers a 3-D Birdview display and a touch screen.

The SE interior is comfortable and inviting, with a nice grade of cloth and attractive interior trim throughout. GLE is the most luxurious, of course, with its leather seats. We didn't care for the GXE interior; it isn't as inviting as either the SE or GLE. The GXE interior trim is not as nice and does not look like it will age as well as the other two models.