NO. IT IS NOT AN ALTIMA! The new Maxima is as much fun to drive, but in a slightly more luxurious way. Is that enough?(News)(an evaluation of the Nissan Maxima)

Byline: MARK VAUGHN

Attention Maxima performance devotees (and we know there are lots of you): Your car is back. And it's better than ever. Gone is that silly beam rear axle, the floaty Camry feel, the conformist styling. Now you can pull out those ``4DSC''(4-door sports car) stickers again and start driving. The 2004 Maxima not only has an independent rear suspension and a more powerful, 265-hp 3.5-liter V6 driving the front wheels, but comes with an optional six-speed manual and a helical limited-slip differential. It is as fun to drive as an Altima, but with just a little more luxury cachet.

So, like that character in the opening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the Maxima (through its voice-controlled nav system) could say, ``I'm not dead yet!''

It looked like it might be for a while. If you'll recall, Nissan was so proud of its new Altima when that car was introduced a year ago that it seemed the Maxima would fade away. After all, the new Altima had more room than last year's Maxima and it had a V6 engine for the first time, same as its upscale stablemate. Nissan detailed how it would reduce Maxima sales and allow Altima to cater to buyers looking for a midsize sedan with V6 power.

But it turns out rumors of the death of the Nissan flagship were greatly exaggerated. While Altima was being aimed at megasellers Camry and Accord, a step up from where it used to be, the 2004 Maxima was being moved upscale with premium equipment and pricing to compete with the Acura TL, Toyota Avalon and the V6 versions of the Audi A4. Nissan whittled down the model count to two, the performance SE and the luxury SL, eliminating the entry-level GXE to ensure Maxima's up-level standing.

The dimensions of the 2004 Maxima also put it back on top, size-wise, in the Nissan sedan lineup, but not by much. Its 111.2-inch wheelbase is an inch longer than the Altima and at 193.5 inches overall it's two inches longer. Interior volume is bigger than Altima now, too, but by only half a cubic foot, 103.6 vs. 103.2. Nissan could only stretch the platform so much.

Outside it looks very much the same as the Altima. Park the two side by side and you might have trouble telling them apart, with their nearly identically pronounced C-pillar and rear decklid combinations, and the creased edges along the tops of the fenders.