Îlîl JJortíanb ©bserucr
November 12. 2008
P o r f ía n . J. O b s e r v e r A llí© R e v i e w
2009 Nissan
Maxima 3.5 SV
by
K athleen C arr
N issan brings out its seventh-
generation M axim a for 2009, a
sedan that's had to cope with an
identity problem the last six gen­
e r a tio n s as N issa n d e b a te d
w hether it should be the luxury
flagship or the sporty com panion
to the m idsize A ltim a sedan. The
M axim a also looks exactly like the
Specifications: 290-HP 3.5 Liter DOHC 24 Valve engine;
Infiniti’s. It has several o f the
Continuously
Variable transmission; 19 city mpg, 26 highway
same elem ents.
mpg:
MSRP
$33,935
For Generation V11, N issan has
opted for the sporty designation, "liquid m otion" and gives the the best engines in the world. The
saying that G eneration VI had sedan the look o f an "exotic sports V6's smooth, linear pow erband
m akes it one o f the silkiest in its
become tooentry-level luxury and car."
N issan's 3 .5 -liter en g in e is class. But as satisfying asth e VQ
not enough m ass-m arket sports
sedan. So now it has w hat Nissan fo u n d in p r a c tic a lly all the V6 is, it's a w onder Nissan chose
calls a "breakthrough exterior m anufacturer's m odels and has to m ate only a continuously vari­
design" that im parts a feeling of been often been hailed as one of able transm ission (CVT) to its
side. The gearbox is smooth and
predictable, but it hardly helps
actualize the car's sporting inten­
tions.
The four-mode, CV T transm is­
sion is fantastic, especially in
sport mode with the steering wheel
paddles. Steering is m arkedly
more dynam ic than that o f the
previous generation. The torque
effect remains considerable none­
theless, typical o f such powerful
drives. The suspension has also
been m odified; helped by a much
more rigid chassis, it success­
fully com bines both firm ness and
com fort. Handling is consistent.
The car com ers with confidence,
and while it isn’t a racecar, it's sti 11
fun to drive.
T he in te rio r is superbly d one
a n d v e ry s u m p t u o u s . T h e
d o u b le w ave e ffe c t'o f the u pper
h a lf is a su ccess. A gain, and far
Page A5
News and reviews on new motor vehicles
from being a bad thing, th is is
pure Infiniti. T he in terface is
the sam e, fram ed by the G 3 5 's
air n o zzles; the d ash b o ard c o n ­
figuration, it's all the sam e. O nly
the steerin g w heel seem s o v e r­
loaded fo r its size.
M axim a's strengths are perfor­
mance, ride and handling; a se-
dan w ith the soul of a sports car,
Nissan likes to say. Ride is smixith
and handling precise. Stability
control with traction control are
standard to deliver sure-footed
m a n n e rs on ro ad s w et, d ry ,
straight or twisty. Four-wheel anti-
lock brakes and side-curtain air
bags com plem ent the package.
Double J Tires
New & Used Tires
Overstock & Used Tires
$ 1 5 & u p PRICED TO SELL
All tires mounted & blanched on the car, out the door - no additives.
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limited to stock on hand 3 0 years in business
2 locations to Serve You
6841 NE MLK, Portland 503-283-9437
4510 SE 52nd & Holgate 503-771-1834
_________ O pinion
Common Sense and Faith Trumps Fear
Now the real hard work begins
B y M arian W right E delman
A cartoon published in the
early 1960s depicted a black boy
saying to a white boy: "I'll sell
you my chance to be President
o f the United States foranickel."
At the time, Barack O bam a was
a toddler. T here w ere only five
black m em bers o f C ongress and
about 300 black elected officials
nationw ide. The Voting Rights
A ct hadn't been passed and the
overw helm ing m ajority o f black
S o u th e rn e rs w ere d is e n fra n ­
chised.
It is with great pride that I,
along with Americans o f all races,
religions and ethnic.backgrounds
across our vast nation congratu­
late President-elect O bam a on his
historic election.
O bam a’s road to the W hite
House has led Am ericans from all
w alks o f life to em ­
brace a new hope
for national unity,
and this transform a­
tional election of-
Throughout Am erica's history,
race has been a noose choking
our capacity to soar. At a tim e
when w e face a great litany of
problem s, it is moving to see the
American people's common sense
and faith trum p fear. It is truly a
We must fight to create a level
playing field fo r every child in
every corner o f America and invest
in our human capital.
fers the prom ise o f m oving the
country in a new direction.
The presidential election is a
rem inder that the United States is
still a place o f bold ideas and a
beacon o f hope. It says to every
child o f color and every poor boy
and girl that you belong too, and
you do have a future.
health coverage, that will work to
end child poverty, and that will
stop tunneling children down a
prison pipeline that threatens to re­
segregate our nation.
Now the real hard work begins.
A s P re sid e n t-e le c t O b am a
charts his course during this tran­
sition period, I urge him to place
our nation's children at the center
o f his adm inistration's priorities.
We must fight to create a level
playing field for every child in
every co m er o f A m erica and in­
vest in our human capital, which
will determ ine the vibrancy of
A m erica's leadership in the new
century.
It is a new day in A m erica, and
it is a tim e for all o f us to step
forw ard tog eth er for children
since they own the future.
triumph that on Nov. 4 A m ericans
voted for com petence and a new
vision, regardless o f race.
But President-elect Obama can­
not do the jo b alone. Leaders are
only as good as citizens demand
them to be, and we must create a
Mahan Wright Edelman is
citizens' movement that will fight to president o f the Children's De­
provideevery child in America with fense Fund.
Cl’r Jlortlanb (Observer
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.. Portland. OR 97211
E ditor - in -C hiee , P ubi . isher :
■ W M W M M M M M IM M M M n H H M M M H M I
E d it o r . M
Blinded by Color, Not Color Blind
boat in A m erica sim ply because where is a threat to justice every­
he has the qualifications to run. w here.”
His leadership has been proven
In my years o f seeing presi­
and he stands for w hat he be­ dents com e and go, there has
lieves in.
never been a black candidate who
The fact that we have never I believe was so qualified. There
by V elma M. G reen ,
had an African A m erican presi­ is an honesty in O bam a’s eyes
T h isy e a r’selection started off dent in office or any other race for that says, “I will do my best to
with a bomb: O h my goodness, a that m atter says som ething about serve my country and to do it with
black president. There is an A fri­ the country that should be ad­ honor.”
T here is a fire burning in his
can A m erican running for presi­ dressed. Are we racist or not? If
we are not, then w hat is holding soul and it lights up the dim hope
dent o f the United States.
o f prosperity. I believe O bam a is
T he fact th at Sen. B arack up the flow?
O b am a is black w as a bigger
T his issue has clouded the
is s u e th a n th e s ta te o f th e m inds o f our citizens. It is the
eco n o m y , the stock m arket fall classic case o f acceptance when
and even the fact that w e had a person like Barack Obam a, who
'"1
o u r very first fem ale vice p re si­ has dealt with a life o f being bira-
F , -
dential can d id ate. T his proves cial, still suffers some hardship of
that racism is still pum ping in not being accepted.
Inthe words ofR ev . D rM artin
the veins o f A m erica.
Barack O bam a has rocked the Luther King Jr., “ Injustice any
Racism still
pumps in veins
of America
a person with the prudence to get
the jo b done to the end.
Now it time for acom plete turn­
over in the way ourcountry thinks
about race.
Racism has to be buried I ike an
old ghost; it m ust be put to rest.
There is no room for it. We do not
have a choice.
Ve/zna M. Green is a grand­
mother and returning student
attending Portland State Uni­
versity.
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