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The call came from a friend hours and years removed from where I was at the time. She had heard that I wrote an auto column and needed my help.

I expected the usual questions, such as: Will my mother-in-law be comfortable in the back seat of a Jetta? Or: If I accidently lock my miniature Schnauzer in the trunk of Camry on a 90-degree day, will he be able to reach the emergency trunk release to escape?

But this request for help was different. The old friend was in the market for a new car and wanted me to help her find one.

"I´m an auto columnist, not a dealer or broker," I protested.

"Yeah, but I´m sure all the car dealers in the area know you, and you know them."

Maybe, but I certainly don´t know their inventory. Still, my friend was persistent and insisted I could help her find the car of her dreams: A Nissan Maxima with a manual transmission.

One of Maxima´s claims to fame since before Datsun changed its brand name to Nissan was that it could be ordered with a manual transmission. By the time my friend called to enlist my help, around 15 years after its introduction, it was one of the few mainstream four-door sedans that offered a manual transmission in anything but its bargain basement, economy trim levels.

Yet my friend, who was shopping for her third Maxima, couldn´t get her hands on a new one with do-it-yourself shifting at any of the Nissan dealers within miles of her New York home.

As it turns out, my local Nissan dealer happened to "specialize" in manual-equipped Maximas because he had many customers who wanted them. (Despite manufacturers´ claims that nearly all American buyers insist on automatics in four-door sedans.)

I eventually put my friend in touch with the local dealer. She got her manual-equipped Maxima, and I got a free steak dinner from her, not the dealer.

I´ll be eating peanut butter sandwiches if she calls me any time soon seeking help obtaining a manual-equipped, seventh-generation Maxima.

That´s because Nissan doesn´t offer one in the totally redesigned-for-2009 model. That is surprising considering the lengths the company has gone to recapture the sportiness that once helped distinguish the Maxima from other mainstream sedans.

For example, while other four-doors seem to be growing like nuclear-irradiated tomatoes, Nissan shrunk the new Maxima. The ´09 model is nearly 4 inches shorter and a half-inch lower than its predecessor. It rides on a wheelbase reduced by nearly 2 inches.

That means the new Maxima has slightly less total interior volume than the 2008 model as well as Nissan´s less expensive Altima sedan. The Maxima´s trunk space also is reduced, but like the interior remains roomy enough that most buyers and passengers are likely to find it accommodating.

While most of the Maxima was shrinking, its track the space between the left and right wheels grew. The numbers, 1.4 inches in front and 1.2 inches in the rear, aren´t as important as the reason and the result.

All other things being equal, a wider stance results in better handling. And the top-of-the-line 2009 3.5 SV version I tested is the best handling Maxima in years.

Personality traits include tenacious grip in turns, neutral steering with good road feel and precise and linear response, and an absence of body lean. These attributes encourage a driving enthusiast to push the Maxima harder into each successive corner and take curvy back roads home from work.

Power is another Maxima highlight. The 3.5-liter V6 under its hood has long been one of Nissan´s greatest assets, and this year it´s a more powerful one. Engine output is up 35 horsepower over the 2008 model, and the power boost is noticeable.

The Maxima has never been a slug, but neither has its throttle response ever been this rewarding. Prod the gas pedal on the highway and the Maxima passes slowpokes with the greatest of ease. The same goes for hill-climbing.

The Maxima also provides sports coupe-like zero-to-60 times, but that isn´t the most impressive thing about its off-the-line acceleration. More remarkable is the way Nissan has tamed the torque steer gremlin that typically plagues powerful front-wheel drive vehicles.

Instead of yanking the steering wheel to one side or spinning its wheels like a novice ice skater, the 2009 Maxima somehow charges straight out of the gates with direct purpose and no waste of energy.

No need to bore you with the technical details of how Nissan engineers accomplished this feat. You merely need to know that the new Maxima is easy to drive fast and makes maximum use of its prodigious power.

Some credit goes to the Maxima´s continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). It´s the only shifter offered on the new-gen Maxima, but it is proof that Nissan leads the pack in CVT technology.

This thing does what every transmission aspires too: It delivers seamless shifts and a fluid flow of power while helping the engine operate at maximum efficiency (the Maxima´s 19 city/26 highway mpg rating is good for such a powerful midsize sedan).

And for those who like to shift themselves, Nissan even gave the CVT six "pseudo-gears." A driver can override the automatic by shifting up or down through these electronically controlled, fixed ratios by using available steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

I doubt that kind of shifting will make my old friend happy, but maybe that´s a good thing. Now I don´t have to worry about her calling out of the blue again asking me to be her auto broker.

NUTS AND BOLTS

WHAT IS IT? Seventh-generation Maxima gets back to its roots with sportier styling and performance in a slightly smaller package than its predecessor.

WHAT´S IT COST? Maxima is available in 3.5 S and 3.5 SV trim levels with 2010 model starting prices of $30,460 and $33,180, respectively. 2009 3.5 SV test car had an MSRP of $38,535 with options and destination charges.

WHAT´S NEW FOR 2010? Minimal changes because Maxima was all new for ´09. New wheel finishes, standard hands-free phone system and some entertainment/navigation system option package changes.

WHAT I LIKED BEST: The way Nissan increased Maxima´s sportiness without decreasing comfort and practicality.

WHAT I DISLIKED: What happened to the manual transmission?

WHO´S IT FOR? Consumers who remember what made Maxima great in the first place and anyone seeking sportiness in a roomy and accommodating sedan.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS: 3.5-liter, 24-valve, V6 with variable valve timing produces 290 horsepower, 261 foot pounds of torque. Continuously Variable Transmission. 109.3-inch wheelbase. 3,579-pound curb weight. 19 city/26 highway mpg (EPA). 14.2 cubic feet cargo space. Zero-60 in 6.1 sec. (stopwatch).

Scott Wasser is executive editor of MaineToday Media. He writes a weekly auto column for the Sunday Telegram and other newspapers. He can be contacted at swasser@pressherald.com

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