2019 Nissan Maxima: One of the Final Surviving Sedans Gets Updated

Topline: Nissan is keeping its big sedan alive with a 2019 refresh to its aesthetics and technology.

What’s New: The Nissan Maxima’s 2019 update might be easy to miss for the casual observer, but it’s enough to keep the brand's flagship sedan fresh as the eighth-generation model lives on. Its exterior changes include a facelifted front end with a revised “V-motion” grille and a new rear fascia with updated taillights as well as quad-tip exhaust finishers. Newly available on the inside is diamond-quilted Rakuda Tan semi-aniline seats among other updated materials.

Like several other 2019 Nissans, the updated Maxima is now available with the Nissan Safety Shield 360 safety tech suite. This includes blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, front and rear automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, and high-beam assist. Also available is Nissan’s rear door alert, traffic sign recognition, and intelligent lane intervention.

Quotable: "Los Angeles is where it all began for Nissan in the U.S., so we're proud to support this always vibrant auto show with the first showings of these two new flagship models, Maxima and Murano," said Dan Mohnke, senior vice president of Nissan North America's sales and marketing operations. "Both vehicles embody the vision for the future that we call Nissan Intelligent Mobility, which provides technology in ways that move people to a better world."

What You Need to Know: With the Ford Taurus and Chevy Impala now on death row, the Nissan Maxima is about to be in a very small segment of full-size, front-wheel drive, non-luxury sedans. The only other players in that field are the Toyota Avalon and Kia Cadenza (you forgot the Cadenza existed, didn’t you?). Now that the Maxima is about to have the least competition it’s ever had, we’ll see if that translates into more market share and more sales of this pseudo-luxury/pseudo-sport sedan.