By sight, without badging, what you wouldn’t see if a Nissan Maxima. Yet that’s exactly what it is. The all-new 2009 model has, without a doubt, reinvented itself. In fact, Nissan introduced the new Maxima as: “The Return of the 4-Door Sports Car.”

The aggressive new design is punctuated by a wheelbase that shrinks by about two inches over the previous model, a wider track and 18-inch standard wheels. The well defined hood lines show that there is some muscle under there. The rear of the vehicle is both classy and sporty, and it looks great with or without the optional spoiler.

The exterior is hot, hot, hot, but the interior is where the new Maxima glows. The soft dash materials, solid brushed silver door handles, sumptuous leather seats and slick wood inserts all combine to create a great interior. The center stack takes on the look of the Infiniti brand with a command center that is easy to sue and easy to reach. To really make the sports car status, the new Maxima borrows the steering wheel from the 350Z, complete with speed sensitive steering.

To top that off, the quietness of the cabin with the radio off is phenomenal. Very little noise vibration filters back into the cabin. In fact, Nissan states that the engineers did such a good job making things quiet that they had to create a sound generator that would bring the engine sound back into the cabin.

The 2009 Maxima comes in two trim levels; the base S model and the SV.

The 2009 Maxima will be showing up at dealers at the end of this month. Even though pricing hasn’t been announced yet, execs state that the 2008 Maxima price range and the new 2009 model should be in the same ballpark.