The Nissan Maxima and Dodge Charger are promising candidates if you’re in the market for a capable, comfortable sedan with sporty credentials. The Dodge Charger has a stable of wickedly powerful V8s and a spacious interior. However, there are several reasons why you should pick a 2022 Nissan Maxima over a 2022 Dodge Charger. 

2022 Nissan Maxima is comfortable and has a handsome interior

The Nissan Maxima has generously padded front seats. Also, consumers who option the Maxima to higher trim levels can enjoy attractive quilted leather seats. The back seats are roomy enough to compete with a Dodge Charger without being cavernous. 

In addition to cabin comfort, the Nissan Maxima’s interior shines with a pleasant fit and finish. While the 2022 Dodge Charger looks a little tired in the interior, the Nissan model presents itself as contemporary and luxurious. Interior surfaces in the Maxima are well padded, with lined storage spaces ready to accommodate your smaller belongings. Nissan outfitted the Maxima Platinum with stitched accenting to complement the diamond stitching option. 

The Nissan Maxima is much more fuel-efficient than the Dodge Charger

Nissan’s latest iteration of its flagship luxury sedan achieved a combined 25 mpg when tested by Consumer Reports. Moreover, the V6 Maxima with 300 horsepower did manage to cruise at highway speeds with a commendable 36 mpg. While that may not seem overly impressive in 2022, it certainly outperforms the Dodge Charger. 

Consumer Reports published fuel economy figures for both the V6 Charger SXT and the Hemi V8-powered Charger R/T. The brutish R/T achieved 20 mpg combined, with (gulp) 13 mpg in the city. Still, the V6-powered Dodge model didn’t perform much better, with a combined score of 22 mpg.  

2022 Nissan Maxima is a safer car

The newest Nissan Maxima is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick+ winner. That IIHS pick means that the Maxima scored top marks in the IIHS tests evaluating crash safety ratings. Specifically, the Maxima earned “good” ratings in all front, side, rear, and roof crush tests. In addition to the scores from the IIHS, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the Maxima five-star safety ratings across the board.  

However, the Dodge Charger did not perform as well compared to the Maxima. The IIHS did not award a Top Safety Pick+ rating to the Charger, and the front small overlap crash ratings were just “moderate.” Even more disappointing, the 2022 Dodge Charger received only four-star ratings in frontal crash and driver side crash categories from the NHTSA. 

The V6 Maxima is much quicker than the V6 Charger

While any V8-equipped Dodge Charger would smoke a Maxima, the new V6 Nissan is nothing to shrug off. The Nissan model’s V6 engine produces 300 horsepower, eight more than the SXT. Furthermore, the six-cylinder and continuously variable transmission (CVT) motivates the Maxima to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. While that is quite a bit slower than a Charger R/T (6.1 seconds), it is nearly a second faster than the SXT. 

If you want safety and efficiency over speed, buy the Nissan

While the Dodge Charger lineup with monstrous V8s may be tantalizing, the Maxima is a much more sensible option. The 2022 Nissan Maxima is safer and more fuel-efficient with an attractive interior and comfortable front seats. Conversely, if you would rather buy a Dodge Charger, scroll down to the following article.