Yes, it's the only trans available in the current Maxima. A bad fit in a "sport sedan", IMO. I've driven rental Altimas with CVTs, didn't like it at all. The fact that Nissan has "gears" in the form of programmed upshift/downshift overrides of the CVT's normal operation tells me that they *know* that people generally dislike it.
I’m curious enough to take a test drive in one sometime.
If the CVT diminishes the perceived “seat of the pants” throttle response, then I can see them being rejected, especially in any car with “sport” performance orientation.