1996 Nissan Maxima Within the demure new skin, the tiger still burns bright. By Kevin Ransom, New Car Test Drive .com

If you're a carmaker, and you redesign one of your stalwart models, and it wins

awards, what do you do for an encore? Answer: Add a larger cupholder, two new exterior

colors and a power seat on the passenger's side.

That's about all Nissan has done to the 1996 Maxima after its redesigned '95 edition

nabbed several honors and asserted itself as a tiger in the midsized sedan class.

The '95 redesign was prompted by a desire to broaden the Maxima's appeal beyond the

sports-car enthusiast segment.

Nissan definitely succeeded on that front by modifying the body design in a way that

downplayed the sportier looks of the previous Maxima. While the more rounded body

design drew some yawns from the more sportily inclined, the new Maxima scored big

among family-sedan buyers.

But if the appearance of the fourth-generation Maxima doesn't make the heart of

performance enthusiasts go pitter-patter, all is forgiven once they get behind the

wheel. Nissan chose a wise strategy. If the redesigned Maxima may look more

conservative than its antecedents, it actually packs more power.

Therein lies the genius of the redesigned Maxima: Road-burning acceleration in a

quieter, roomier and smoother-riding 4-door sedan.

The Maxima comes in three models: The entry-line GXE, the sport-equipped SE and the

luxury-line GLE. Our test model SE was "granite pearl" in color--that's a deep gray to

you and me--and sported a base sticker price of $22,679.

Standard equipment on the GXE includes air conditioning; cruise control; stereo

cassette player; tilt steering wheel and power seats, windows, door locks and mirrors.

Our SE test model included such standard equipment features as sport-tuned suspension;

liquid-controlled front suspension (on models with automatic transmission); alloy

wheels; rear-deck spoiler; front fog lamps; sport velour seat cloth; leather-wrapped

steering wheel and black-on-white analog gauges.

The upline GLE offers such additional standard amenities as woodgrain trim; automatic

transmission; 8-way power driver's seat and 4-way passenger seat; automatic climate

control; keyless remote entry system and Bose CD audio system.

Our SE came with nearly $4000 worth of options. They included: antilock brakes ($999);

power sunroof ($899); Bose audio system with CD player and six speakers ($799); the

security and convenience package--which includes power driver's seat, keyless remote,

intermittent wipers and illuminated vanity mirrors ($699)--and a cold-weather package

that includes a heavy-duty battery, heated front seats and heated outside mirrors

($199). That brought the total suggested retail price up to $26,274, and Nissan's

standard destination charge adds another $405.