Nissan has made huge strides in bringing to the marketplace top-notch vehicles. But a 225-mile test drive spanning one-week revealed a quality gap with the Maxima. The center stack is replete with too many controls that incite the ugly barometer. And when one button was pushed, the entire panel/faceplate indented. It’s possible an internal attachment point was overlooked during assembly, but regardless of the reason for the glitch, the ‘broken’ message conveys a sense of cheap hardware. Another oddity presented itself when the center floor console’s dual cup-holder lid did not close easily. Unless a ‘just-right’ finger pressure was used, the lid quickly popped back open. The fact that Maxima showed some weakness in the quality arena is especially bothersome considering this is Nissan’s flagship sedan. Maxima 3.5 SE is powered by a 265 horsepower 3.5-liter V6 that mates to a five-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode. The powertrain responds with a resounding power attitude if the speedometer is above 50 mph, but driving at lower speeds is less than impressive with this powertrain set-up. From a styling standpoint, the angled exterior motif is carried through to the interior presentation. MPG estimates for Maxima 3.5 SE are 20 city, 28 highway; that same model carries a MSRP of $26,950.