You’re looking for a sedan, and you really aren’t interested in one of those boring blend-into-the-crowd types of vehicles you see everywhere you go. Who wants to walk out to the driveway to see that same old bland color with the same old drab design? If you have to drive every day, it should be fun, attractive, and allow for a few creature comforts to make life a little easier. Having a car doesn’t have to mean you view it as just a tool or an expense. If you’re going to spend money on transportation, you might as well get some features that will make you happy. All things considered, the 2021 Nissan Maxima might be such a car, with a touch of sportiness and luxury; this is a midsize sedan with a little kick.
Maybe Nissan isn’t on your radar, but it deserves a look. Nissan has been in business for almost 90 years, and they have a few things figured out about making fun cars. Nissan knows a thing or two about technology to improve your driving experience. The Nissan Maxima has an edgy look with a V6 engine that will offer the kind of acceleration you always wish for when you drive one of the many four-cylinder weaklings on the road today. New tech for driver-assisted features is more than just safety-related, and you can have the joy of a panoramic sunroof if you want it. While you’re at it, if you’ve never tried paddle shifters, this might be a good time to start.
Style for Speed and Comfort
Let’s begin with how the 2021 Maxima looks. On the outside, the Maxima has lovely lines and sleek curves that give it an air of futurism and mystique. The front end positively launches forward with the downward slant of the LED headlights, the mouth-like grille, and the boldness of the shapely hood. Side panels appear to have been sculpted by years of wind and lead back to a tidy, rounded, and modern back end, complete with floating pillars and stylish LED taillights. This is a vehicle that begs to be driven. You will not be yawning your way to the driver’s door with a Maxima answering your key-fob wake-up call every morning.
On the inside, it’s pleasantly insulated with just enough exterior sound to hear that V6 engine come to life. Whether you prefer soothing or exciting, there are upholstery options to give the interior a little flair, but it will be a high-end feel with soft-touch materials and leather at every trim level. Add to that ambiance the anti-fatigue seats made to hold you in place when you take corners, the comfort of heated and ventilated seating (available even in the back), and a heated steering wheel, and now the creature comforts become inviting all year long.
Technology for Days
If you are a person willing to embrace the unfolding world of technology as a driver, Nissan is a brand built for you. And why not? Most of us can’t afford the wildly imaginative tech of a Tesla, but there are exciting features technology offers that do more than keep us safe: they make driving easier and more fun. The 2021 Maxima has a slew of what it calls “intelligent” technology incorporated into the vehicle’s operations. It’s not just about driver-assisted safety to warn you when you might be about to cut off another vehicle when you change lanes, although that’s certainly helpful. Rather, the Maxima has tech that helps maintain control of the car, remembers how you left your driver settings, and will adjust the interior temperature to your settings before you get in for a drive.
Driver’s seat memory is more than just an available convenience for the seat; the Maxima sets the steering wheel and rearview mirrors to adjust, too. When you take a corner too fast, the Maxima’s intelligent trace control system will automatically brake to keep you from straying. Active ride control automatically adjusts brakes and torque to smooth out a bumpy road so that you won’t feel it as roughly in the cabin. If you’ve ever had those moments when you stopped short and all the bags you had standing in the trunk tip over, that won’t happen in the Maxima. An intelligent engine brake will sense your brake application and use the CVT (continuously variable transmission) to prevent stopping too abruptly.
Of course, the Maxima connects to smartphones with all the same options as the other vehicles in town, but it can also connect to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to make your life even more convenient. Program directions into your navigation from anywhere you use your Alexa or Google speaker, remotely start your Maxima, and lock or unlock the car. There are a number of ways you can get your car ready before you walk out the door. If you happen to need to set limits for a driver in your home, you can place a limit on speeds, audio volume, and even set a curfew for when the car needs to be home.
Conveniences and Safety
Since the invention of adaptive cruise control, who wants anything else when you have to deal with hours of highway driving? There may be drivers who find highway driving relaxing, but most of us find it dull and fatiguing. Anything to make that better will mean you arrive at your destination fresher and less grumpy. Imagine setting your cruise control and not having to worry about the constant tapping on the brake when someone cuts you off, or you get stuck behind someone going slower than you. Nissan’s intelligent cruise control knows the speed you want to go, but if the sensors “see” other cars in front of you, it will adjust the speed to slow down until you can pass or until it is able to speed up with the traffic again. No braking necessary on your part.
Ever back into a parking space and scrape the tail end of your car on a cement barrier? Now you don’t have to worry about that anymore, either. Automatic rear braking means it will stop before you hit anything, so you won’t scrape the bottom anymore. The available 360-degree monitor can help you park better, too. With a view all the way around the vehicle, you can see exactly where you’re going, right down to the curb, so you can tell how close you are to bumping it with your rims. Even on the base trim Maxima, you get six standard safety features to help you avoid accidents or damaging your vehicle.
The Whole Package
Whether you want a vehicle for style, performance, or technology, the 2021 Maxima will deliver on all these and more. Instead of driving around town in a beige sedan with no personality, think about what would make you really happy to drive. Imagine how it would feel to drive a car that pampers you with simple comforts that truly make transitioning from home to car and car to your destination so much easier.
Having the back-up of your vehicle’s onboard tech to keep you from accidentally damaging your investment can put your mind at ease while you drive in traffic or need to park in a tricky space. Even items or passengers in the back won’t be forgotten because the Maxima will remember if the back doors were opened before you started the car and alert you if you don’t check the back seats before you walk away. The 2021 Maxima is powered to the gills with lots of other goodies, so you might want to head out and give this sporty sedan a test drive to see what fun having this vehicle in your life could be.
