Compare the2023 Nissan MaximaVS 2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Maxima are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Alfa Romeo Giulia doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Maxima are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Giulia doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Maxima has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Giulia doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Maxima has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Giulia doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Maxima SR/Platinum has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Giulia only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Maxima and the Giulia have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Maxima its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 101 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Giulia has not been fully tested, yet.

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Maxima 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Alfa Romeo covers the Giulia. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Giulia ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 8 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Maxima’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Maxima’s reliability 45 points higher than the Giulia.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Alfa Romeo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 44 more problems per 100 vehicles, Alfa Romeo is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo With 40 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Alfa Romeo.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 16 places higher in reliability than Alfa Romeo.

The Maxima’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 20 more horsepower (300 vs. 280) than the Giulia’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Nissan Maxima is faster than the Alfa Romeo Giulia:

The Maxima has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Giulia (18 vs. 15.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Maxima has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Giulia doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Maxima’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Giulia are solid, not vented.

The Maxima stops much shorter than the Giulia:

For better traction, the Maxima has larger tires than the Giulia (245/45R18 vs. 225/50R17). The Maxima SV’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Giulia (245/45R18 vs. 225/40R19).

The Maxima SV’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Giulia’s standard 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Maxima SV has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Giulia.

The Maxima has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Giulia doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Maxima offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Giulia; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Maxima is 1.1 inches wider in the front than on the Giulia.

The Maxima SR handles at .87 G’s, while the Giulia Ti Q4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Maxima SR executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Giulia Ti (26.6 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 27.1 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

The Maxima SR/Platinum uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Giulia doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Maxima has 3.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Giulia (98.5 vs. 95.4).

The Maxima has .8 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front shoulder room and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Giulia.

The Maxima has a much larger trunk than the Giulia (14.3 vs. 12 cubic feet).

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the Maxima offers cargo security. The Giulia’s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

The Maxima’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Giulia does not have an oil pressure gauge.

If the front windows are left open on the Maxima the driver can close them at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Giulia can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Maxima’s LED headlights produce a white, bright light using less electricity than the Giulia’s xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; LED headlights light instantly. LED lights also last about three to four times as long.

A power rear sunshade is standard in the Maxima Platinum to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Giulia doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

When the Maxima SR/Platinum is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Giulia’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Maxima SR/Platinum keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Giulia doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Insurance will cost less for the Maxima owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Maxima will cost $2440 less than the Giulia over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Nissan Maxima will be $174 to $593 less than for the Alfa Romeo Giulia.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Maxima, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Alfa Romeo Giulia isn't recommended.

The Nissan Maxima outsold the Alfa Romeo Giulia by 70% during the 2022 model year.