Compare the2024 Toyota CrownVS 2023 Nissan Maxima

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Crown have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Nissan Maxima doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Crown 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 Crown 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 Crown and Maxima have Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but the Crown Limited/Platinum has Parking Support Brake (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 Crown and the Maxima have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Crown for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota 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.

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

The battery on the Crown is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Crown’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Maxima’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

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.

The Crown Platinum’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 40 more horsepower (340 vs. 300) and 139 lbs.-ft. more torque (400 vs. 261) than the Maxima’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Crown Platinum 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Nissan Maxima:

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

Regenerative brakes improve the Crown’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 Crown’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. The Maxima doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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

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

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Crown has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Maxima SV. The Crown’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Maxima SR/Platinum.

The Crown 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 Crown’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the Maxima (112.2 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

The Crown has 1 inch more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom and 4.7 inches more rear legroom than the Maxima.

The Crown has a larger trunk than the Maxima (15.2 vs. 14.3 cubic feet).

The Crown’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 Crown and the Maxima have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Crown 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 Crown’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.

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

The Crown Platinum’s Advanced Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Maxima doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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