2020 Nissan Maxima Packs in the Standard Safety Equipment

After getting a little freshening up in the lighting and grille departments for 2019, the 2020 Nissan Maxima will roll in with the same look. The lack of visual updates doesn’t mean there are no changes, as the 2020 Maxima will gain a handful of new standard safety features and Nissan will force-feed SR trim buyers a pricey package.

The biggest update for the 2020 Nissan Maxima is the newly standard Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite of advanced nannies across the entire lineup. This safety package will make automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, automatic high-beam headlights, and rear automatic braking standard. Buyers who need more safety can opt for adaptive cruise and traffic-sign recognition.

Now for the not-so-hot update. The 2020 Nissan Maxima SR will now come standard with all the equipment from the Premium Package, including a panoramic sunroof, two-position memory on the driver’s seat, auto-dimming driver’s side mirror, reverse-gear tilt-down side mirrors, rear automatic emergency braking, and a 360-degree camera.

Generally, more standard features is a good thing, but that’s not the case in the 2020 Maxima? The Premium Package is a $1,820 upgrade for 2019 Maxima SR, which happens to be the exact amount Nissan increased the 2020 Maxima SR’s MSRP. Basically, Nissan is force-feeding buyers this expensive list of features. Not cool.

Fortunately, the rest of the trim levels see only small MSRP increases, which is impressive considering the new safety equipment. Prices are as follows:

• 2020 Nissan Maxima S: $34,250 (+$200)
• 2020 Nissan Maxima SV: $36,300 (+$240)
• 2020 Nissan Maxima S: $38,640 (+$100)
• 2020 Nissan Maxima S: $41,450 (+$1,820)
• 2020 Nissan Maxima S: $41,540 (no change)