Nissan Maxima Summary
In its five generations of production for North America, the Nissan Maxima has built a reputation as a sedan with a perfect blend of luxury, solid engineering and performance. The latest generation’s 3.5 L V6 engine, combined with a luxurious interior and long list of easy-to-use tech features, will keep it at the top of its class. Starting in 1989, Nissan promoted the Maxima as a four-door sports car, and its superior handling and well-designed exterior back up that claim. With over three decades of models to choose from, there is a Nissan Maxima for sale to suit everyone’s taste.
Nissan Maxima Safety
Year after year, the Nissan Maxima earns five-star safety ratings. Introduced in 1995 with two front airbags in the front seats, Nissan added driver and passenger seat-mounted impact airbags in 2000, overhead airbags for the front and back seats in 2004 and rear-side airbags for the newer generations: 2016-2019. The Safety Shield 360 suite, available in higher trim levels on the latest model, includes:
- Blind-Spot Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert that makes lane changing safer
- Front and Rear Automatic Emergency Braking to help prevent collisions
- Predictive Warning and Intelligent Cruise Control to keep you in your lane and at a safe distance from other cars
Nissan Maxima Interior
The Nissan Maxima is well-known for having a high-quality interior, with higher trim levels on the 2019 model offering quilted leather upholstery, simulated suede seat inserts and well-placed trim pieces. All generations come standard with air conditioning and power windows. Starting in 2010, Nissan offered heated and ventilated power seats in the Premium trim level, to adjust the firmness, position and temperature of the seats.
Nissan Maxima Technology
Since the earliest generations of the Maxima, tech controls have been intuitive and easy to use, and Nissan has always included the most modern features for its time. Traditionally, they have offered an extensive list, especially in the higher trim levels and later models. In the most recent models, standard technological features include:
- Touchscreen and voice control
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration
- Onboard GPS
- Eight-speaker audio system with satellite radio and USB ports
- Bluetooth streaming
- Rearview camera
Nissan Maxima Space
Throughout all five generations, the cabin has been an average size for a mid-size sedan. It has enough headroom and legroom for four adults to be comfortable. Although, some maintain that the back seats are a little cramped. Trunk size has varied with body design over the years. In 1995, trunk space was 14.5 cubic feet and increased to 15.5 cubic feet between 2004-2008. Trunk space decreased again to 14.3 cubic feet in the 2019 model, which is smaller than average for this class. However, as with all models, folding down the rear seats offers more space for longer loads.
Nissan Maxima Comfort
As far back as 1988, Nissan was setting the standard for engineering when they introduced the first adaptive suspension system. It used sonar to adjust the shocks to changing road conditions, resulting in easier handling. Although all-wheel drive is not available on the Maxima, the multi-link rear suspension introduced in the third generation models greatly improved cornering and manoeuvrability. The seamless shifting of the Continuously Variable Automatic Transmission (CVT) on later models also helps maintain a smooth ride.
