2022 Nissan Maxima gets a trio of changes
The 2022 Nissan Maxima heads into the 2022 model year with scant few changes from the 2021 model year. The Platinum trim gets heated rear seats standard for next year, and Scarlet Timber Tintcoat replaces Carnelian Red Tintcoat on the exterior palette. And that's all she wrote for material alterations. Otherwise, nothing's budged but the price of the flagship sedan, which has gone up a touch. The entry-level 2021 Maxima SV starts at $37,240 which is $150 more than the same trim in 2021. Add the $975 destination, and you're at $38,395.
The Maxima SR starts at $43,375 after destination, also up by $150. The Platinum goes for $43,525, which is $230 more than the 2021 version. Power for all trims still comes from a 3.5-liter V6 putting out 300 horsepower and 261 pound-feet of torque. All of that is sent to the front wheels through an Xtronic continuously variable transmission.
We're not sure what Nissan is doing with the Maxima, if anything. The most expensive regular Toyota Camry, the XSE V6, is slightly more powerful with 301 hp and 267 lb-ft, but much better equipped as standard and costs $1,500 less than the entry-level Maxima SV. Thanks to the Maxima's price bump, the 2022 Honda Accord Touring 2.0T is now $20 less expensive than the Nissan. True, the Accord gives up 48 horses, but the Honda challenges the Mazda6 for driving enjoyment, and the Honda gets a proper ten-speed automatic and is more roomy to boot. Only the Volkswagen Arteon asks similar prices to the Maxima, and we think the Arteon better looking inside and out.
Perhaps all of that is why, for a 3,700-pound hunk of metal that stands 56.5 inches high, the eighth-generation Maxima manages to fly under a lot of radars. We know why the Mazda6 is a slow seller here compared to other sedans in the segment, but the Maxima is doing about the same numbers now, and that's a shame.
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