NISSAN Maxima 2000-2004 Photos, engines & full specs

The fifth generation of the Maxima was a complete departure from its predecessor in terms of styling and powertrains and was also the last of its kind to be sold in Europe.

While in the U.S., it couldn't match the competition that came from Toyota with the Camry or the Legend from Acura (Honda in Europe), it tried to get a slice from the executive sedan segment. In the U.S., Maxima's platform has also been used by the Infiniti I30/I35.

While the biodesign era was coming to an end, making way for the new-edge styling that blended sharp lines with curved surfaces, Nissan's design studio still relied on the former shapes. The front fascia showed lines inspired by nature with the two-leafs design for the grille and headlights that mimicked a pair of eyes. For the U.S. market, the carmaker had to shrink the taillights and keep them only on the quarter panels. In Europe, on the other hand, it showed a slightly different styling out back, with more curved lines.

The interior followed the same ideas as the exterior, with curved lines that emerged from the center stack to the dashboard and rounded corners for the vents. The only angular shape was for the stereo installed above the climate control unit. While some still agreed with those lines, the sales figures showed that other carmakers made it better. Despite the comfortable cabin and decent room in the back, it was no match for most mid-size executive sedans on the market.

Under the hood, Nissan introduced an enhanced version of its already known 3.0-liter V6 from the previous generation. For the U.S. market, it also added the 3.5-liter six-mill powerplant that provided more grunt. In Europe, on the other hand, Nissan offered the Maxima with a 2.0-liter V6, more suitable for taxes but with sluggish performance.