Nissan's Maxima has long been the benchmark of Japanese sport sedans. The original Maxima was introduced in 1981 as the 810 Maxima. Since then the Maxima has been Nissan's flagship sport sedan. In 2002, the Maxima was revamped with a 255-bhp 3.5L V-6, and a 6-speed manual transmission. Changes for 2003 are mostly trim and option package updates.