Don't know about the current-gen Maximas although I am currently sporting a 2001 Maxima GLE while I wait for my shoulder to recover to drive stick again. I gotta say I am impressed by the power of the 2001 Maxima engine. Very very smooth ride (this car has been babied by my father) and the interior in this gen is not nearly as cheap looking/feeling as the current gen Nissans.
I know you didn't ask for this but I did test drive a i4 Altima when I was looking into cars last fall. I did not find the shifting to be nearly as smooth in the manual Altima as in the manual Accord. I agree with all, the interior feels cheap and plasticy. Everything is optional on the Altima and I couldn't find a package I liked (unlike the SE Accord which I loved!). To me, the Altima also felt like a big boat with blind spots compared to the Accord which felt a little more nimble.
