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2016 Toyota Avalon vs. 2016 Nissan Maxima: Which is Best?

CR
by Colin Ryan
June 21, 2016
4 min. Reading Time
2016 Toyota Avalon vs 2016 Nissan Maxima front grille ・  Photo by Toyota and Nissan

2016 Toyota Avalon vs 2016 Nissan Maxima front grille ・ Photo by Toyota and Nissan

The 2016 Toyota Avalon and 2016 Nissan Maxima show us that, despite the proliferation of crossovers and hatchbacks, there’s still a place in the automotive world for large sedans of good quality. And that the word “quality” is a deliberate choice.

These cars represent the topmost level of each marque’s products. The Avalon is about as close as it can get to being a Lexus while still wearing a Toyota badge. And the Maxima is likewise approaching Infiniti in terms of build and materials.

The Maxima is all-new for the 2016 model year, the debut of its eighth generation. This generation of the Avalon (the fourth) has been around since 2013. So these candidates are close in many ways, but, as you shall discover, differ in others. Ultimately, it’s the differences that will influence the decision.

Avalon vs. Maxima: Pricing and Trim Levels

The 2016 Toyota Avalon ranges from $33,485 to $41,285. It starts out in XLE trim and comes with plenty of luxury features like leather upholstery, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry/ignition, rearview camera, and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Other trim levels, in ascending order of plushness, are XLE Plus, XLE Premium, Touring, and Limited, bringing more convenience and advanced safety features as we go up the scale. At the Limited level, there are things like a JBL 11-speaker audio system, puddle lamps, rear sunshade, and tri-zone automatic climate control. There’s also a hybrid model, which starts at XLE Plus ($37,485) and is not available in Touring trim.

The 2016 Nissan Maxima starts at $33,345 and goes up to $40,795. It comes in S, SV, SL, SR, and Platinum trims. Again, the entry level is still well stocked with standard features, but leather upholstery comes in with the SV model. The SR is the one with the sportiest suspension tune and a few other dedicated features (see the Performance section).

 Photo by Nissan

Photo by Nissan

Avalon vs. Maxima: Options

Neither car offers the option of all-wheel drive. But remember this: Front-wheel drive has worked well enough for Volvo and Saab cars when dealing with those harsh Swedish winters.

Actually, there aren’t that many options at all. If a buyer wants more equipment in either car, they have to move up to a higher trim level. The Avalon’s Limited trim, however, can come with a Safety Sense package that adds adaptive cruise control, lane departure assistance, and forward collision warning with automatic braking.

 Photo by Toyota

Photo by Toyota

Avalon vs. Maxima: Powertrains and Efficiency

The Avalon has a 3.5-liter V6—an engine Toyota has deployed in many vehicles—and it is a model of smoothness and efficiency. It develops a respectable 268 hp and 248 lb.-ft of torque, and is linked to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates fuel consumption at 21 mpg city, 31 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined. The 200-horsepower hybrid version, with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor, returns 40/39/40 mpg.

The Maxima’s 3.5-liter V6 generates 300 hp and 261 lb.-ft of torque (it’s closely related to the engine in the 370Z), and connects to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Fuel use is 22/30/25 mpg.

 Photo by Toyota

Photo by Toyota

Avalon vs. Maxima: Stand-out Features

In the Avalon, it’s the spacious rear seat and capacious trunk that should be pointed out. Putting it into numbers is a bit abstract, but it’s one way of making comparisons. Rear legroom measures 39.2 inches, while the Maxima’s rear legroom is 34.2 inches.

The Maxima has other things going for it, though. For example, the driver can look up a destination in the navigation function on the main screen and then, with a swiping movement we’ve become so used to with smartphones, send that information onto the driver’s instrument cluster. Incredibly cool.

 Photo by Toyota and Nissan

Photo by Toyota and Nissan

Avalon vs. Maxima: Exterior Design

The Avalon doesn’t look too dissimilar to the slightly smaller Camry. It’s fairly pleasant in that modern, angular way and also sports a large grille which seems to be fashionable these days. But if someone wanted to make a bigger splash, they should think about the Maxima.

The 2016 model is a completely new design for the Maxima and, subjectivity notwithstanding, it could be argued that this is the most successful blend of Nissan’s styling elements to date. The “floating” C-pillar has now been taken up by the Nissan Murano and is also seen in the new Lexus RX.

 Photo by Toyota and Nissan

Photo by Toyota and Nissan

Avalon vs. Maxima: Interior Design

As noted earlier, the Avalon is a most luxurious Toyota, with quality materials and an intelligent layout. It’s so nice that it could capture some buyers who might have been considering the Lexus ES350.

The Maxima’s cabin looks simultaneously classy and modern. It has an 8-inch touchscreen, as opposed to the Avalon’s 7-inch equivalent. And the front seats are both comfortable and supportive, with excellent bolstering to combat sideways movement.

 Photo by Toyota and Nissan

Photo by Toyota and Nissan

Avalon vs. Maxima: Cargo Capacity

The Avalon’s trunk space is 16 cubic feet, while the Maxima has a trunk area of 14.3 cubic feet. To put this in perspective, 16 cubic feet is about the size of those freezers some families have in their garages. If we’re talking about golf clubs, we’re looking at four sets. You might also be able to squeeze that many into the Maxima’s trunk, but three shouldn’t be a problem.

 Photo by Nissan

Photo by Nissan

Avalon vs. Maxima: Safety Ratings and Technology

The Avalon took the top score in government crash testing of five stars and the highest score of Good from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS). Blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert is standard from XLE Premium and up. The Limited version also has Toyota's Safety Connect feature that has roadside assistance, automatic collision notification, and stolen vehicle location. Limited trim is also eligible for the Safety Sense package, bringing forward collision warning with braking and lane-keeping assistance.

The Maxima equals those scores from both agencies. Blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and forward collision warning/mitigation with automatic braking are standard once we get to the  SL trim. The Platinum version has a 360-degree parking camera system with moving object detection, driver drowsiness monitor, and Nissan Connect (providing the same kind of services as Safety Connect in the Avalon).

 Photo by Nissan

Photo by Nissan

Avalon vs. Maxima: Performance

The only thing to be aware of regarding the Avalon is that this generation rides a little firmer than previous models, especially in the “sporty” Touring trim. But considering how soft and forgiving past Avalons have been, this shouldn’t put off many (if any) buyers. In the real world, it works out to more composure and less wallow.

Sprinting from zero to 60 mph doesn’t seem appropriate in something like the Avalon, but it can still handle it in under in 6.5 seconds. Which gives some indication of how quick it can be when accelerating onto freeways. And that’s only a few tenths of second slower than the Maxima.

Front-wheel drive and a CVT: this combination is like Ambien for any driving enthusiast. Yet the Maxima manages to bring some thrills, especially in SR form. Those aforementioned extra SR features include Active Ride Control and Active Trace Control. They both involve subtle inside-wheel braking and ingenious engine management to provide a smooth ride while also enhancing cornering ability.

 Photo by Toyota and Nissan

Photo by Toyota and Nissan

Avalon vs. Maxima: Which is Best?

By now, most potential buyers would have some idea of what they require from either of these two cars. Are they prepared to put up with a little extra noise and smaller space to enjoy the driving fun of the Maxima? Or do they want serenity above all else? They should also have made up their minds about the looks.

Traditionally, the Maxima has skewed toward buyers in their late 30s to early 40s. Avalon buyers have tended to be more in their 60s. although this current generation seems to be attracting slightly younger types. These are both great sedans with their own distinct characters. So the best car is the one you want.

 Photo by Toyota and Nissan

Photo by Toyota and Nissan


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