Mazda MAZDA6 vs Nissan Maxima

The Mazda6 hasn’t been completely redesigned since 2014, making it one of the older members of the midsize car class (only the Volkswagen Passat has more wrinkles). And while this great-looking car is not a top-seller in its segment, making it a relative rarity on the road, it’s also been around long enough that what once was a daringly seductive design is now as familiar as favorite comfort food.

But don’t let this familiarity make you indifferent to the Mazda6’s long list of charms. Inside and out, this Mazda remains one of the more stylish and high-quality choices in a family-sized four-door, and when you drive it you can’t help but have a great time behind its perfectly shaped steering wheel. The 2021 Mazda6 might be older than other choices in its class, but it’s still better than most of its competitors. Especially in the athletics department.

The 2021 Nissan Maxima celebrates 40 years on sale, making it one of the oldest Japanese automotive nameplates in continuous use. While it’s impressive for any model to survive four decades, the Maxima has spent most of its history mired in mediocrity.

The Nissan Maxima name first appeared in 1981 as a rebranding of the Datsun 810 sedan. The original Maxima/810 was a true enthusiast’s car, boasting rear-wheel drive (RWD) and a sporty character that led Nissan to declare it a “four-door sports car.” However, that only lasted for a few years.

With its first redesign for the 1985 model year, the Maxima switched to front-wheel drive (FWD) and was positioned as Nissan’s flagship sedan. It’s been that way ever since. Nissan has continued to gesture in the direction of that original RWD model, but for most of its 40 years, the Maxima has been a slightly sportier alternative to full-size sedans like the Toyota Avalon, rather than a BMW beater.

So it is with the current, eighth-generation, Maxima, which debuted for the 2016 model year. It enters the 2021 model year with few changes, the most significant being a 40th Anniversary Edition option package for the top Platinum trim level, which sits above the base SV and mid-range SR trim levels. That’s what we test drove for this review.