Nissan Maxima vs. Nissan Altima: What’s The Difference?
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Performance, innovation, and reliability: that’s what we’ve come to expect from Nissan. When it comes to family sedans, it’s hard to go wrong with what Nissan has to offer. And you can’t talk about Nissan’s sedan lineup without mentioning the Maxima and Altima.
Nissan Maxima vs. Nissan Altima, which sedan is right for you?
For today’s post, we have an intra-brand showdown between the Nissan Maxima vs. Nissan Altima. At first look, the Altima and Maxima look and feel similar. However, there are some key differences that you should know.
Exterior Design
The 2021 Nissan Altima sports the ever-familiar sporty and geometric design with a pronounced side styling and a large front grille. Also, the Nissan signature “floating roof” design is here, along with other modern design elements like dual tailpipes and integrated rear diffuser. The Altima has always been about sleek and angular aesthetics, and the 2021 model is no different.
While many find the Altima to blend into the background in traffic, the same can’t be said to the 2021 Maxima. Sporting a bold and in-your-face look, the Maxima offers enough sparkle to make it stand out. Some of the most notable updates include a large front grille and the familiar “V-shaped” front that looks more prominent than ever. Add funkier features like the boomerang headlights and an elongated stance, and the Maxima is the more dramatic sedan between the two.
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Performance and Fuel Economy
Contrary to its name, the Maxima doesn’t quite hit the maximum when it comes to performance. However, the 2021 Maxima is more than enough for a family sedan. It houses a 3.5L V6 gas engine hooked to a CVT transmission, with a healthy output of 300 hp and 261 lb-ft of torque.
While the Maxima doesn’t feel slow, you’ll have to use full rev since the max output can only be achieved at 6,400 rpm. Unfortunately, the CVT transmission holds back the true potential of the engine. Another factor that holds this car back is that there are no other powertrain options and only available in FWD.
On the other hand, the 2021 Nissan Altima offers two powertrain options: a 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder and a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine (SR model only). The four-cylinder engine is paired with a CVT transmission, delivering 188 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque (FWD). The standard engine feels adequate for city driving, but most people won’t call it fast.
The 2.0-liter turbocharged engine is interesting because it features a new technology called variable compression. Basically, the powertrain can switch between low compression for better performance and high compression for better fuel economy. Nissan claims that this unit is capable of 248 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque.
Interior and Cargo Space
Interior-wise, the Altima features a pleasantly surprising modern interior. It’s fairly minimalist when compared to other interiors from its competitors, but it’s exactly what you can expect from a daily family sedan. The heads-up display sits high for excellent visibility, and every knob and button are thoughtfully laid out.
For comfort, Nissan uses the touted Zero Gravity Seats, which are essentially seats with several pressure points. In terms of interior seating, the Altima can seat up to five passengers. While there’s quite a decent amount of hip and shoulder room in the rear, the sloping roofline might bother taller individuals.
The Altima’s cargo capacity sits at 15.4 cu-ft, which is middling numbers compared to other sedans in the segment. The rear seats can be folded into a 60⁄40 split configuration, but Nissan hasn’t given the exact cargo capacity for this setup. Overall, the Altima is the most spacious among Nissan sedans, including the Maxima.
On the other hand, Maxima’s interior is just full-blown luxurious and can hang with its German rivals. Build quality and choice of materials are on-point, and the seats are as comfy as they look. The dashboard layout is clean and has excellent ergonomics.
The Maxima has plenty of space in the front, but the rear seats are somehow lacking. The front offers 45 inches of legroom which should nicely accommodate taller passengers. Although the rear seats provide decent legroom, the short headroom will bother your taller passengers.
For cargo space, you’ll be disappointed to learn that the Maxima offers the least trunk capacity. The trunk features a low liftover angle making it a breeze to open, but all you get is a paltry 14.3 cu-ft of space. Fortunately, the rear seats can be folded down to access more cargo space.
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Infotainment and Safety Features
The Nissan Altima’s base S trim comes with a 7.0-inch touchscreen display with basic connectivity functions like Bluetooth and USB port. The rest of the trims have an upgraded 8.0-inch touchscreen along with a 7.0-inch information display in the instrument cluster. Plus, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support are also supported in the higher trims. Standard is the six-speaker sound system that you can upgrade to a nine-speaker Bose premium audio system.
When it comes to safety, the Nissan Altima has nailed it. Receiving high marks from the NHTSA and the IIHS, the 2021 Altima offers a healthy set of standard and available safety features. Standard safety features include ten airbags, stability control, rearview camera, and ABS/EBD braking. Starting with the SV, the Safety Shield 360 driver assistance system becomes standard and offers safety techs like blind-spot warning, rear-cross traffic alert, smart cruise control, and more.
Meanwhile, the 2021 Maxima has an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display as a standard system. Along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, other standard features are in-car Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, door-to-door navigation, and SiriusXM. To top it all off, the Maxima boasts an eight-speaker audio system as a standard.
Like the Altima, the 2021 Nissan Maxima has received the highest honors from the NHTSA and the IIHS (5-stars and Top Safety Pick, respectively). Again, Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 suite is a standard that means access to advanced driver-assist features like lane departure warning, intelligent cruise control, forward collision assist, auto emergency braking, driver monitoring, and more.
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Nissan Maxima vs. Nissan Altima: Which Sedan is Right for You?
Let’s conclude this Nissan Maxima vs. Nissan Altima showdown by citing their prices. The 2021 Nissan Altima starts at around $25,225 for the base model and $35,025 for the top trim, Platinum AWD. Positioned as a premium offering, the 2021 Nissan Maxima is available for $37,915 for the base SV model and the 40th Anniversary for $45,270.
Again, it all depends on your needs and budget. If the budget is tight, the Altima is a no-brainer choice but is still a solid sedan. If you want a more posh interior and better performance, the premium Maxima is worth checking out.
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