In USA we have both Altima and Maxima but Altima is much more popular. In many car reviewers' testing reports they said that Altima was as good as Maxima, had same size as Maxima and was cheaper than Maxima.
In 2012 I had tested some Altimas. I could tell the difference between Altima and Maxima in 5 minutes because Maxima had much better steering. (similar steering feel as 2007 G35S, 2010 M35X I own and GT-R I tested)
I also tested Acura MDX, RL and TL at that time. The best steering from Nissan was also much better than Honda's best...