Compare the2024 Volvo S90VS 2023 Nissan Maxima

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo S90 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 S90’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Maxima doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the S90 and Maxima have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S90 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Maxima’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Volvo S90 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. Nissan doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Maxima. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; S90 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

The S90 has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply 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 S90 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Maxima doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the S90 and Maxima have rear cross-traffic warning, but the S90 has Braking Intervention (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Maxima’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the S90 and the Maxima have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Volvo S90 weighs 566 to 1065 pounds more than the Nissan Maxima. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The S90 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Maxima’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The S90’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Maxima’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the S90 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Maxima.

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 1 place higher in reliability than Nissan.

Engine

The S90 B6’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 49 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 261) than the Maxima’s 3.5 DOHC V6. The S90 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 155 more horsepower (455 vs. 300) and 262 lbs.-ft. more torque (523 vs. 261) than the Maxima’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the S90 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder is faster than the Nissan Maxima:

	S90	Maxima
Zero to 30 MPH	2 sec	2.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	5.6 sec	6 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	9.3 sec	9.6 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	14.5 sec	14.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.1 sec	14.5 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the S90 T8 running on electricity gets better mileage than the Maxima (66 city/67 hwy MPGe vs. 20 city/30 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the S90 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Maxima:

			MPG
S90
	AWD	2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	28 city/33 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
Maxima
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/30 hwy

The S90 T8 can travel with zero emissions for 38 miles. The Maxima can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the S90’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Maxima doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the S90’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip (not available T8). The Maxima doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The S90 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Maxima doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the S90’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Maxima:

	S90	Maxima
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	12.13 inches

The S90 stops much shorter than the Maxima:

	S90	Maxima
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	168 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	107 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the S90 has larger tires than the Maxima (255/35R20 vs. 245/45R18).

The S90’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Maxima SV’s standard 45 series tires. The S90’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Maxima SR/Platinum’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S90 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Maxima SV. The S90’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Maxima SR/Platinum.

Suspension and Handling

The S90 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Maxima’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The S90 offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Maxima’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S90’s wheelbase is 11.2 inches longer than on the Maxima (120.5 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the S90 is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Maxima.

The S90 handles at .88 G’s, while the Maxima Platinum pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The S90 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Maxima Platinum (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The S90 has 3.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Maxima (102 vs. 98.5).

The S90 has 2.2 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 6.2 inches more rear legroom and 1.4 inches more rear hip room than the Maxima.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the S90 easier. The S90’s trunk lift-over height is 26.5 inches, while the Maxima’s liftover is 28.8 inches.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the S90’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Maxima doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the S90’s power trunk can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Maxima doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Maxima SR/Platinum, the S90 Ultimate has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The S90 Ultimate has a standard heads-up display that projects speed 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 S90’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Maxima’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the S90 and the Maxima have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the S90 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 S90’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 S90’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Maxima’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the S90 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Maxima doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S90 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Maxima doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the S90 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Maxima doesn’t offer cornering lights. The S90 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

A power rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are standard in the S90 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Maxima doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The S90 Ultimate has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the rear. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Maxima doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The S90 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Maxima SR/Platinum.

The S90 Ultimate offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Maxima.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo S90 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Maxima doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The S90 has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Maxima doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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