2019 Nissan Maxima Review

The 2019 Nissan Maxima is an impressive sedan that delivers in all the right areas, catering to buyers looking for a great car in an SUV filled world. With impressive looks inside and out, enough power to deliver a fun driving experience and tons of technology it’s an excellent option if you are looking for a large car.

The sporty looks and aggressive lines make the Maxima stand out and thanks to the 3.5L V6 under the hood and an optional sport-tuned suspension, the Maxima can back up the style with a fun driving experience.  The luxurious interior on higher trim levels makes for a nice overall package.

Even on the entry-level models, you get a nice touchscreen with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as navigation and automatic emergency braking. Nissan delivers an impressive mix of fun, technology and luxury in the 2019 Maxima.

What’s New for 2019

With an updated exterior, standard USB C ports and a rear door alert across all models Nissan keeps the Maxima feeling fresh. There are new interior options on the SR and Platinum trim levels as well as Safety Shield 360 standard on Platinum and optional on the SR trim.

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Which Maxima Trim Should I Buy?

If you are looking for the most engaging driving experience go with the Nissan Maxima SR that starts at $40,425. It’s well equipped and includes a sport-tuned suspension while keeping a lot of comfort and luxury. The Platinum trim level I tested offers a lot of power and is fun to drive while focusing more on the luxurious look and feel. If I was trading in my Fusion for a Maxima it would be for one of these trim levels.

2019 Nissan Maxima Platinum Interior & Design

The 2019 Nissan Maxima Platinum interior is luxurious and super comfortable. With the Reserve package, this Maxima featured Semi-Aniline leather throughout the cabin and on the seats. Soft touch materials are everywhere in the cabin in the front and the back.

The cabin is large and it’s very driver focused with a slight angle to the screen and controls that deliver a great look and offers easy access to controls.

Up front, there is a lot of legroom and it’s easy to find the perfect position with power adjustable seats that are standard across the line. The legroom in the back isn’t as generous, but you can easily fit two adults. Headroom is a little more limited than the competition in the back seat, but it’s not a dealbreaker.

My in-laws who are notoriously picky about car comfort found the back seat of the Maxima comfortable and impressive.

The trunk is smaller than you’ll find on the competition, but you can store larger items thanks to folding rear seats and there are a lot of storage areas that hold your everyday items nicely.

Bold lines and sharp styling on the exterior are eye-catching, delivering a sporty look for the sedan. The updated grille and lighting upgrade the exterior significantly.

2019 Nissan Maxima Tech & Safety

Nissan has technology covered with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay across the lineup on a great looking display. There are also USB C ports in the car so that you don’t need adaptors to use your cables.

The stock Nissan infotainment software is good and works well, but most users will be switching into Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Navigation is available as an upgrade and it can even send the final walking directions to your phone once you park the car. This is a cool feature, but if you rely on Apple Maps, Google Maps or Waze, not one that most buyers need to spring for.

With Remote Access, you can control your Maxima from your phone, from Alexa or with Google Assistant. This lets you lock or unlock the doors, sound the horn or lights and remote start the car.

Additional tech features include a speed alert if someone in your family drives too fast and a valet alert to get an update if your car goes outside a set area. You can also set a boundary and curfew and get alerts if your teen driver drives past either of these limits.

There are a ton of safety features on the 2019 Maxima. If you go with the SR trim level you can add Safety Shield 360, and it is standard on the Platinum trim. This includes;

• Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection
• Rear Automatic Braking
• Blind Spot Warning
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Lane Departure Warning
• High Beam Assist

These are handy features and it would be nice to see an option for these on more trim levels.

Nissan offers an optional surround view camera that makes getting in and out of parking spots a breeze.

On all the trim levels you get intelligent cruise control, which uses sensors to keep you with the flow of traffic. You cannot get ProPilot Assist on the 2019 Maxima.

Driving the 2019 Nissan Maxima

The 2019 Maxima is a quick sedan that is fun to drive thanks to a V-6 engine that offers up 300 horsepower and a ride that is firm enough to deliver fun on curvy roads but not too stiff to get in the way of a comfortable ride around town.

Yes, there is a continuously variable transmission connected to the V-6, so you won’t get traditional shifting, but this is one of the better CVTs out there and ultimately it’s still a fun sports sedan. The transmission mimics shifts when you are pushing it and the engine sounds good when you are getting on the accelerator. This is a front wheel drive only vehicle. If you’re looking for AWD, you’ll need to check out the Altima or the competition.

Steering is very good in Sport mode where it tightens up significantly. Handling is good and even when you push the Maxima on a curvy country road there is very little body roll. Body roll is when the car feels like it is leaning away as you take a curve, and in this case, you want less of that. This leads to a firmer ride, but on the Platinum, it was not too firm. The Maxima SR trim level features a sport-tuned suspension that is firmer, so pay attention to that if you test drive the sportier trim.

The 2019 Maxima is rated for 20 mpg city, 30 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined. It delivered similar results, beating the EPA estimates on a highway road trip.