Most standard transmissions today have five forward speeds, although some sporty cars have six. The extra high gear allows for greater efficiency and gas mileage at higher speeds.

The Maxima transmission has been known to have a weak 3rd gear, always make sure shifts are smooth. The Maxima wobbles off course during hard acceleration, as the front wheels fight for grip and the steering wheel twists hard against your hands.

Part of the problem is the electronic drive-by-wire throttle, making it hard to modulate the gas for a smooth take-off. In the automatic SL, rocking the shift lever into manumatic mode produced a jarring metallic whonk as the lever butted into the gate.

Nissan's wonderful workhorse, the 3.5-liter V-6 engine that pumps out 265 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque has another problem putting all that power to the ground, especially in the sportier SE model with its six-speed manual transmission. The Maxima is afflicted with the most turbulent torque steer.