Compare the2023 Toyota CamryVS 2023 Nissan Maxima

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Camry have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Nissan Maxima doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Camry has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Maxima doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Camry offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Maxima doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Camry and the Maxima have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Camry	Maxima
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	140	252
Neck Injury Risk	20%	25%
Neck Stress	262 lbs.	289 lbs.
Neck Compression	13 lbs.	23 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	31%
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	91 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	266/310 lbs.	448/311 lbs.

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

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 Toyota Camry is safer than the Nissan Maxima:

	Camry	Maxima
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	136 lbs.	225 lbs.
Hip Force	296 lbs.	337 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
HIC	164	275
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	41 G’s

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Camry its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Maxima has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Camry for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Maxima.

There are over 15 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Nissan dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Camry’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Nissan is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Nissan is ranked 15th.

Engine

The Camry’s optional 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 1 more horsepower (301 vs. 300) and 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 261) than the Maxima’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Toyota Camry V6 is faster than the Nissan Maxima:

	Camry	Maxima
Zero to 60 MPH	5.6 sec	5.9 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	13.9 sec	14.1 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	5.8 sec	6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.2 sec	14.4 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Camry
	FWD	LE/SE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
		Camry XLE 3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/33 hwy
		Camry XSE 3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/32 hwy
		XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/38 hwy
		TRD 3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
Maxima
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/30 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Camry uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Maxima requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Camry higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Nissan Maxima (3). This means the Camry produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Maxima every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Camry TRD’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Maxima:

	Camry TRD	Maxima
Front Rotors	12.9 inches	12.6 inches

The Camry stops much shorter than the Maxima:

	Camry	Maxima
70 to 0 MPH	156 feet	168 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	132 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Camry has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Maxima’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Camry’s wheelbase is 1.9 inches longer than on the Maxima (111.2 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

The Camry TRD handles at .94 G’s, while the Maxima SR pulls only .87 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Camry LE’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Maxima’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

Chassis

The Toyota Camry may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 300 pounds less than the Nissan Maxima.

Passenger Space

The Camry has 1.2 inches more front hip room, 1 inch more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, 3.8 inches more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more rear hip room than the Maxima.

Cargo Capacity

The Camry has a larger trunk than the Maxima (15.1 vs. 14.3 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Camry easier. The Camry’s trunk lift-over height is 26.8 inches, while the Maxima’s liftover is 28.8 inches.

Ergonomics

The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Maxima doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Camry and the Maxima have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Camry is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Maxima prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Camry’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Maxima’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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 Camry’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Maxima’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Camry (except Nightshade/TRD) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat. The Maxima doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Camry is less expensive to operate than the Maxima because typical repairs cost much less on the Camry than the Maxima, including $283 less for a muffler.

Recommendations

The Toyota Camry has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Camry	Maxima
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE

The Toyota Camry outsold the Nissan Maxima by almost 42 to one during 2022.