Transportation

Car Review: 2016 Nissan Maxima

Published

9 years ago

July 6, 2015

By Frank S. Washington
NNPA Columnist

PLYMOUTH, Mich. (NNPA) – You’ve got to give Nissan credit. The automaker has always been a little bit different; intrepid when it comes to going places where no others dare. This time the variance involved its flagship sedan, the Maxima, and how the company has incorporated its new futuristic design language into the car. In a phrase, you’re either going to love or loathe the 2016 Nissan Maxima.

But love it or hate it, no one is going to say the car is boring. Nissan continues to dub its flagship sedan as the 4-Door Sports Car. In fact, 4DSC was inside the taillight reflectors and the headlights.

From any angle, the 2016 Maxima was different. It had what Nissan called a V-Motion front end that included a dual V-shaped grille. The car had boomerang daytime running lights that curved around the inside of the headlamp housing and it had black A, B and C pillars that enhanced its floating roof look.

The body seemed sculpted and from the side it looked like two pieces, the front end at the wheel well seemed to dip lower than the back. That was because of the accent line that plunged deeply from atop the front fender at the front door. Designers looked at jet fighter planes for inspiration and gave the Maxima a sweeping canopy style from the outside.

An inch lower and two inches longer than the car it replaced, the 2016 Maxima looked more compact on the exterior. The same jet fighter style used to design the exterior was carried over into the interior of the new Maxima; the automaker called the driver’s space the cockpit.

Nissan’s interior designers raised the center console and dropped the start stop button onto it. The button pulses with light when the driver enters the car. And they angled the center console seven degrees toward the driver. Coupled with instruments that seemed to be placed deeper in the instrument panel, the effect was a wraparound feel that no doubt the designer was after.

The new Altima featured French stitching on the dash, doors and console. These days that is not overly special. But unlike many manufacturers it was actual stitching not molding. The difference is that with natural stitching, the color of the stitch (read thread) can be easily changed. On the Maxima, the stitching can be done in several different colors.

A flat bottom steering wheel confirmed the Maxima’s sport pedigree. Nissan offers two interior materials on its flagship: diamond quilted leather seat inserts or Alcantara. Both really gave the car a sophisticated look and feel.

We got in the back seat of the Maxima and found it to be comfortable and form fitting. There was plenty of head room, leg room was expansive, and there was a bunch of hip room since the seats were bucket-like and configured for two people, though there was a third head rest back there.

The car had a radar-based collision avoidance system that not only tracked the vehicle in front of it, but would bounce the beam off the ground underneath that vehicle to detect what the car in front of it was doing. In other words, the system was capable of monitoring two vehicles ahead. And it would also monitor steering wheel input and flash a coffee cup icon in the instrument panel to tell the driver it was time to get some coffee and wake up.

Under the Maxima’s hood was a 3.5-liter V6. It was the same engine as the old car but 61 percent of the parts were different. This new motor made 300 horsepower and 261 pound-feet of torque. It was mated to a continuously variable transmission that would feign shifting under aggressive throttle input.

We found this engine to be very responsive. The transmission did “shift” under hard acceleration once but once it didn’t. We think it depends on the speed from which the hard acceleration starts. The steering on the front-wheel-drive sedan was light – almost feathery. That made the Maxima very easy to handle. The car felt light, not performance car light but it was close.

And it was relatively fuel-efficient. The 2016 Maxima had an EPA rating of 22 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway and 25 mpg combined.

There will be no options on the 2016 Maxima. That’s a gamble. Instead, Nissan will provide what amounts to a bundle system. The car has five grades or trim levels that will be cumulative: S, SV, SL, SR and Platinum S includes NissanConnect with navigation, an intelligent key with push button start, remote engine start and rear view camera. SV includes those features and adds leather seats, heated front seats and side view mirrors and a front and rear sonar system. And it continues like that right up to the top of the line. Nissan called it the grade walk.

Base prices start at $31,410 and ranges to $39,860. They do not include an $825 freight charge. By most accounts Nissan was prepared to discontinue its longest continuously running nameplate but the company had a change of heart.

We don’t believe the Maxima is for everybody. But we do believe that a healthy number of consumers are going to like what Nissan has done with the 2016 Maxima.

Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com.

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Bay Area

Former Mayor Willie L. Brown Endorses Dana Lang for BART Board District 7

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown has announced his endorsement support for Dana Lang for BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes voters from both sides of the Bay, and in San Francisco includes Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island. Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Published

2 months ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo courtesy of Dana Lang.

By Oakland Post Staff

Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

“When I met with Dana Lang I asked many questions, then I asked others about her contributions. Getting to know her I realized that she truly understood transportation. At a time when BART is facing a “fiscal cliff” and an upcoming deficit of nearly $360 million per year, Dana is more than ready for this job, she is ready to meet the moment!”

Over the past 24 years Lang has been a funding and grants specialist with several municipal transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Muni, San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Lang says, “I’ve faced a number of fiscal crises in my career — such as securing $52 million in new transit security funding for SFMTA (Muni) during the 2008 Great Recession, when others thought it was not possible. I have always managed to identify new funding and ways to make transit more secure. Facing a crisis is the best time to act, through advocacy and policy setting. We’ve got to keep BART running and make it safer and more vibrant in order to meet the needs of our riders, our work force, and our community.”

Lang grew up in the low-income minority community of East Palo Alto, CA, and knew that locating grants and resources could positively impact an entire city and its surrounding region — helping to create and retain agency jobs, getting transit riders to their workplaces, and encouraging small business development near transit hubs.

With that in mind, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, then an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She started her municipal career as a policy advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris and helped secure grants for the City of Oakland before moving to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to serve as a transportation grants specialist.

During her 24-year career she has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay Area transit agencies and municipalities. In addition to BART’s financial health, Lang’s priorities for BART also include safety, cleanliness, station vitality — and bringing riders back to BART. She has served on the BART Police Civilian Review Board since 2022.

Lang is also endorsed by BART Board Director Robert Raburn, former BART Board Director Carole Ward Allen, the Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church, Alameda County supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley, former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, District 4 Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan, and many others.

Lang is seeking the BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes San Francisco’s Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island, a large portion of Oakland, the cities of Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, and a small portion of Berkeley.

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Alameda County Supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley Endorse Dana Lang for BART Board District 7

Alameda County Supervisors Nate Miley and Keith Carson have announced their support for Dana Lang for the BART Board District 7 Seat. These supervisors say that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Published

3 months ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Dana Lang.

By Oakland Post Staff

Alameda County Supervisors Nate Miley and Keith Carson have announced their support for Dana Lang for the BART Board District 7 Seat.

These supervisors say that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Supervisor Nate Miley acknowledges that, “At a time when BART is facing a “fiscal cliff” and an upcoming deficit of nearly $360 million per year, Dana is the person for the job. As a transportation leader, Dana Lang is exactly ready to meet this moment.”

Over the past 24 years, Lang has been a funding and grants specialist with several municipal transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Muni, San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Dana Lang says, “I’ve faced a number of fiscal crises in my career — such as securing $52 million in new transit security funding for SFMTA (Muni) during the 2008 Great Recession, when others thought it was not possible. I have always managed to identify new funding and ways to make transit more secure. Facing a crisis is the best time to act, through advocacy and policy setting. We’ve got to keep BART running and make it safer and more vibrant in order to meet the needs of our riders, our work force, and our community.”

Lang grew up in the low-income minority community of East Palo Alto and knew that locating grants and resources could positively impact an entire city and its surrounding region — helping to create and retain agency jobs, getting riders to their workplaces, and encouraging small business development near transit hubs. With that in mind, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, then an MBA from Cal Berkeley Haas School of Business.

She started her municipal career as a policy advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris and helped secure grants for the City of Oakland before moving to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. During her 24-year career she has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay Area transit agencies and municipalities. In addition to BART’s financial health, Lang’s priorities for BART also include safety, cleanliness, station vitality and bringing riders back to BART.

She has served on the BART Police Civilian Review Board since 2022.

Lang is also endorsed by BART Board Director Robert Raburn, former BART Board Director Carole Ward Allen, Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker, former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown, Oakland Councilperson Janani Ramachandran, Alameda Councilperson Tracy Jensen, Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan, and many others.

Lang is seeking the BART Board District 7 Seat, which covers most of the East Bay, including Oakland, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, and a small portion of Berkeley. The district also includes Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island in San Francisco.

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Bay Area

Congresswoman Lee Celebrates Federal Green Transportation Investments for California

Published

3 months ago

September 12, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

OAKLAND, CA — Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) today celebrated the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) announcement of two grants for California to expand clean transportation infrastructure. The DOT announced that Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) will receive over $14 million to install Level 2 EV charging ports at all BART-managed parking facilities for use by customers and community members. The DOT also announced that the California Department of Transportation will receive $102 million for the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project to deploy charging and hydrogen fueling stations for zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles along 2,500 miles of key freight corridors in California, Oregon, and Washington.

The transportation sector is the largest source of U.S. carbon emissions. According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a 50 percent reduction in carbon must be achieved by 2050—and as much as a 91 percent decrease by 2100—to stay within the globally accepted goal of limiting the planet’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“Today, I am excited to announce that BART has been selected to receive this critical federal funding to help expand mobility and end fossil fuel dependence,” said Congresswoman Lee. “It is especially important the first phase of the project will prioritize deployment at stations in or near disadvantaged communities. BART is an essential part of our public transit system, and these funds will improve transit for its riders in throughout the Bay Area.”

By installing chargers at BART stations that are close to multifamily housing, workplaces, medical facilities, schools, and retail, the project will support robust EV adoption across a wide range of socioeconomic groups and road users.

Furthermore, because of discriminatory policies, highways were built near and through Black and brown communities, making these communities much more vulnerable to chronic illnesses associated with disproportionate exposure to air pollution. A reduction in gas-powered cars will be especially beneficial to communities of color and low-income communities who have been disproportionately harmed by infrastructural and environmental injustices.

The West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project will enable the emissions-free movement of goods connecting major ports, freight centers, and agricultural regions between the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada.

On this funding, Congresswoman Lee said: “This funding will go a long way toward not only combatting the climate crisis, but it will create good-paying jobs as well. I thank the Department of Transportation and the Biden-Harris administration for their continued commitment to a cleaner and healthier environment.”

Last year, alongside the California delegation, Congresswoman Lee sent a letter to DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging support for the grant application of the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program.