10 Things You Need To Know About The 2016 Nissan Maxima

What to do with a flagship sedan not on the radar of many full-size buyers? In the case of the 2016 Nissan Maxima, the decision was made to dramatically improve the car and make it a player not just amongst other, similarly-priced four-door cruisers, but also to have it nip at the heels of the luxury segment. Stylish, comfortable, and with far more features available than one would expect for such a modest price point, the completely redesigned Nissan Maxima is once again a major player in its segment.

Let's take a look at 10 things you need to know about the 2016 Nissan Maxima.

1. The 2016 Nissan Maxima Starts With An Almost-Clean Slate

The 2016 Nissan Maxima is more than just old bones with a new face. The Nissan Maxima's platform has been given a thorough refresh, resulting in a slightly longer and lower car as compared to the previous model. Although it's a smidge larger than it was the year before, the 2016 Maxima is actually lighter, boasting just a tick over 80 lbs in weight savings thanks to the use of high-strength steel to both lighten the car's load and improve its torsional rigidity by 25 percent. One thing about the Maxima's platform that didn't change was the decision to stick exclusively with front-wheel drive: you won't find an all-wheel drive option with this big sedan.

2. The 2016 Nissan Maxima Benefits From A Styling Revamp

Of course, Nissan couldn't wrap those fresh bones in an old skin. The 2016 Nissan Maxima's new styling brings it closer to its siblings in the automaker's line-up, especially when seen from the front where a prominent, plunging grille brings to mind recent SUV efforts in the Nissan showroom. That's not to suggest that the Maxima's looks are somehow less than graceful - simply that the car now has more of an extroverted personality than ever before, an image that's further buttressed by the character lines and curves etched into its sheet metal along the sides and rear of the sedan, as well as its LED-enhanced lighting.

Photo by Nissan USA

3. The 2016 Nissan Maxima Introduces A Beautiful Interior

As striking as the new 2016 Nissan Maxima's first impression might be, the real treat comes when experiencing its thoroughly re-sculpted passenger compartment. Gone is the somewhat plain appearance of the Maxima of old, and in its place is the kind of eye-catching, high-end dashboard, door panels, and gauge displays one would expect in a much more expensive automobile. Even the car's seats - which can be had in exquisitely-quilted leather - feel like they hail from an Infiniti-level automobile, rather than the more accessible Nissan nameplate. Those seeking a usable back row will also be impressed by the amount of legroom afforded to those sitting three-across the car's rear bench.

4. The 2016 Nissan Maxima Maintains Its V-6 Power Plant

The 2016 Nissan Maxima's under-hood changes are less easy to see, but the company claims that the 3.5-liter V-6 that carried over from the 2014 edition of the car (there was no official 2015 model) has had a full 60 percent of its components replaced or reconfigured. This allows for total output to ride 10 ponies to 300 horsepower in total, while torque remains consistent at 261 lb-ft. With your foot to the floor, the Nissan Maxima will sprint to 60mph in 6.2 seconds, a measure that's competitive for its class.

5. The 2016 Nissan Maxima Offers A CVT

As with the previous generation Maxima, the 2016 Nissan Maxima relies on a continuously-variable automatic transmission to handle the gear-shifting duties. The CVT design in the Nissan Maxima has also been given the once-over, with a few changes in particular designed to help improve its drivability. Nissan elected to spread the transmission's internal ratios farther apart - a nod towards boosting highway fuel mileage at the top end without sacrificing off-the-line acceleration - and it also installed a smaller, more efficient hydraulic pump and a new formulation of transmission fluid intended to reduce drag. Finally, the transmission was reprogrammed to maintain constant RPM when cornering at higher speeds.

6. The 2016 Nissan Maxima Improves Its Fuel Efficiency Figures

Have the efforts made to redesign the 2016 Nissan Maxima's engine and transmission paid off at the fuel pump? You bet they have. The Nissan Maxima delivers 22-mpg in stop and go driving and 30-mpg during highway cruising, with the latter figure representing a 15 percent increase over the 2014 Maxima's 26-mpg rating. These improvements have been accomplished without the use of technologies such as turbocharging, variable displacement, or direct fuel injection, indicating there's most likely even greater efficiency waiting to be unlocked inside the Nissan's V-6 motor in future redesigns.

7. The 2016 Nissan Maxima Comes In Five Trim Levels

The 2016 Nissan Maxima starts out in base S trim, which guarantees you features like 18-inch wheels, chrome dual exhaust tips, a color driver's display, a navigation system with an eight-inch LCD infotainment touchscreen, a rearview camera and a top-down camera, dual automatic climate control, cruise control, keyless entry with push-button ignition, and cloth seats. Stepping up to the Maxima SV grants you upgrades such as heated exterior mirrors, parking sonar, and heated front seats wrapped in leather, while the Maxima SL adds a panoramic moonroof, adaptive cruise control, an active noise cancellation system, LED interior lighting, and extra safety gear. 

The sport-focused Nissan Maxima SR removes the moonroof and heated seats but includes 19-inch rims, a revised suspension system, racier exterior styling, LED headlights, diamond-stitched upholstery, and unique chrome trim, while the top-shelf Maxima Platinum takes the SL edition of the car and loads on LED headlights, the NissanConnect suite of apps, diamond-stitched leather seats, power adjustments for the steering wheel, rain-sensitive windshield wipers, a power rear sunshade, a unique leather-wrapped steering wheel, and wood trim.

8. The 2016 Nissan Maxima Provides A Luxury-Like Ride

The 2016 Nissan Maxima is currently being advertised as a '4-door sports car,' but a more accurate description of the full-size sedan might be 'luxury at a non-luxury price.' The Nissan Maxima's on-road comportment isn't high strung enough to be labeled sporty - even in the SR trim - but it does offer exceptional stability without sacrificing comfort. In fact, when found with its active noise cancellation system, the Maxima is also very quiet on the road, which further feeds in to its premium feel. Although it doesn't have the brand-name sizzle of Lexus or Audi, the Nissan Maxima feels up to the task of competing with these much more expensive automakers.

9. The 2016 Nissan Maxima Piles On The Active Safety Gear

The 2016 Nissan Maxima is notable for the level of advanced safety equipment that can be packed into its comfortable confines. Although the base S and SV editions of the car don't have access to anything past the standard complement of airbags (plus electronic stability control and traction control), once you get to the Maxima SL you're looking at features such as a blind spot warning system, forward collision warning with emergency, and rear cross-traffic alert. The Nissan Maxima Platinum adds something called 'moving object detection' to this list (designed to detect people and cyclists when the sedan is traveling at slow speeds), as well as a driver drowsiness monitor.

10. The 2016 Nissan Maxima Is Surprisingly Affordable

With so much gear available, compounded by its revamped interior and exterior styling, one might expect the 2016 Nissan Maxima to boast a significant price boost over the model it replaces. In actual fact, the Nissan Maxima is one of the best price-to-features bargains on the full-size market. The entry-level Maxima S features a sticker of $32,410, but the most surprising number of all is the one attached to the Maxima Platinum. With an MSRP of just $39,860, the Nissan Maxima Platinum challenges much more expensive automobiles from Lincoln, Acura, Audi, and Lexus on the equipment and comfort front, while pushing past contemporaries like the Ford Taurus and the Toyota Avalon.