The Maxima rose to the top of the Nissan class, but, alas, it was the middle class. The I30 rose to the lower-middle portion of the Infiniti class, holding a station between the Infiniti G20 and J30.

The Maxima was Nissan’s flagship sedan. It was discontinued after the 2023 model year, but at the peak of its popularity — in the ‘90s, after Nissan positioned it as a performance sedan in ...