Nissan Maxima is all-new for the 2009 model year, and this seventh-generation model marks the return of the four-door sports car.

The 2009 Nissan Maxima was deliberately built, tuned, and aimed at drivers who prefer sporty handling and a firmer ride as opposed to the softer, more luxurious ride associated with many of its competitors.

The Maxima four-door sedan has been part of the Nissan lineup dating back to 1981. Maxima was kicked up a notch when the took over the role as the mainstream sedan and it became the Nissan flagship. This new Maxima now competes directly against sporty upmarket sedans. Among them: , , and , as well as deluxe versions of the and .

The all-new 2009 Nissan Maxima shares its D-platform chassis and underpinnings with the other cars and SUVs mounted on the Nissan front-drive platform, including the and Altima. The new Nissan Maxima is close in physical measurements to the Altima. This seventh-generation Maxima is deliberately shorter by a couple of inches in wheelbase and four inches shorter overall, but is slightly lower and wider than the outgoing (pre-2009) model. The track measurement, the width between the tires, is an inch and a half wider, so that the chassis is better able to handle the corners on its big, fat 18-inch tires.

Nissan has modified the platform and body of the Maxima extensively, with one additional stiffness package for the S and SV models, and additional rear reinforcements for the Sport and Premium package versions that use a large steel panel behind the rear seat to connect the floor, walls, and package shelf into a single, much stiffer unit that Nissan says is up to 17 percent stiffer than the base model. The 2009 base model is, in turn, 15 percent stiffer than the previous model. Sport versions add a tower brace across the front suspension towers for greater stiffness and steering precision.