The all-new 2016 Maxima, the best (IMHO) flagship car for Nissan, is back and ready to pounce.

This year’s style is more aggressive than previous model years.  The lines are sleeker and they somehow magically turn into smooth yet tantalizing curves, all making it look more like a rocket to the moon than the Dr. Huxtable smooth car with the Billy Ocean soundtrack. Okay, okay, nobody dreams of a rocket to the moon like they used to in the 1960s (but wouldn’t Rocket to the Moon be a great name for a fetish bar?). The 2016 Maxima is still a great car (sans a bit of a tight back seat for fat assets) and still one of your best bets for power and style as we work our way into this summer’s political season…..

I tested the SL version, their mid-trim version which can be had for around $37,000.  You can get into the base trim S for $32.5K and go up to the Platinum starting at $40K. All come with a 3.5-liter 300-hp V6 engine, so for anyone worried about lack of spunk from a 4-cylinder, save that for other cars. (Note: the 2016 Nissan Altima comes with a standard 4-cylinder which critics think works well for power and fuel economy.) New exterior colors include Forged Bronze and Coulis Red, and the red color is so new and cool, even I haven’t heard of it.

Having tested the Maxima (see, this car is so well-known, it can go by just one word) for many years, I hopped in the driver’s seat with high hopes and was not disappointed. It weighs less than previous incarnations, has a more powerful engine and more interior room, so overall the ride was even more impressive than in the past. There are loads of standard features, to include 8-inches with navigation, 18-inch wheels and, well, the inches just keep coming on the Maxima. This is one of the sportiest mid-sized sedans of the 2016 litter.

The Maxima has been around since model year 1982 (when it premiered as the Datsun Maxima) and much like the VW Beetle and Ford Mustang, it has followers who have to have one every three years or so. Again, this year’s styling is more ‘aggressive’ (whatever that means) and more 21^st Century in the vein of The Jetsons: cool, sleek and outta-this-world.

Now what Nissan needs to do is come up with a top-tier combo Maxima / Altima and call it the ‘Ultima’. Truly, the Maxima and the Altima are two of the best cars on the road because they do a lot of things well and never disappoint, unless you really need a lot of glitz and flash and prefer style over substance.  Trust me, I get that, as my life is far more flash than foundation.

But even someone like me can recognize something solid and maximus when it’s hanging out in a parking lot.