Compare the2023 Nissan MaximaVS 2023 Dodge Charger

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Charger doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Maxima has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Charger doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Maxima’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Charger.

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 Charger only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Maxima has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Charger’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Maxima has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Charger.

The Maxima’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Charger doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Maxima and the Charger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Maxima is safer than the Dodge Charger:

	Maxima	Charger
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	25%	26%
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	41 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	359/238 lbs.	582/440 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	31%	33%
Neck Stress	124 lbs.	155 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Nissan Maxima is safer than the Charger:

	Maxima	Charger
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	168	222
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	9 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	15 cm	28 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	.2/.1 kN	3.7/3 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	1%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.51/.43	1.21/.58
Tibia forces R/L	2.1/.4 kN	3/4.7 kN

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Maxima is safer than the Dodge Charger:

	Maxima	Charger
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	119	138
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1.4 inches
Hip Force	337 lbs.	372 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	27 G’s	44 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	15 inches	15 inches
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	480 lbs.	692 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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 Charger is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Maxima has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of some of the engines in the Charger.

Engine

The Maxima’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 8 more horsepower (300 vs. 292) and 1 lbs.-ft. more torque (261 vs. 260) than the Charger’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Maxima gets better mileage than the Charger:

			MPG
Maxima
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/30 hwy
Charger
	RWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/30 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	16 city/25 hwy
		6.4 OHV V8	15 city/24 hwy
	AWD	3.6 V6	18 city/27 hwy

Transmission

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 Charger doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

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

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Maxima has larger tires than the Charger (245/45R18 vs. 215/65R17).

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 Charger SXT’s standard 65 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 Charger SXT.

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 Charger 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 Charger; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

Chassis

The Nissan Maxima may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 650 pounds less than the Dodge Charger.

The Maxima is 5.6 inches shorter than the Charger SXT, making the Maxima easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Nissan Maxima amounts to more than styling. The Maxima offers aerodynamic coefficients of drag from .29 to .3 Cd (depending on bodystyle and options). That is lower than the Charger (.304 to .38) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Maxima get better fuel mileage.

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 Charger doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Maxima has .8 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front legroom and .1 inches more rear headroom than the Charger.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Maxima easier. The Maxima’s trunk lift-over height is 28.8 inches, while the Charger’s liftover is 30.1 inches.

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

Ergonomics

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 Charger can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Maxima has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Charger doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Maxima’s headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Charger’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

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

The Maxima’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Dodge charges extra for heated mirrors on the Charger.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Maxima is less expensive to operate than the Charger because typical repairs cost much less on the Maxima than the Charger, including $448 less for a muffler, $108 less for front brake pads and $137 less for a fuel pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Maxima and the Dodge Charger, based on reliability, safety and performance.