2019 Nissan Maxima teases tech and style upgrade

Nissan is teasing a bold new look for the 2019 Maxima, promising more striking style along with a gaggle of new technologies. The sedan, currently in its eighth generation, will follow the rest of the current Nissan line-up in tightening up its aesthetic to go with the automaker's more angular design language.

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The eighth-gen car debuted back in 2015, with Nissan positioning it as a "four-door sports car." Since then, of course, we've seen several Nissan concepts debuting a more aggressive visual, and production cars borrowing that for the road. Now, it's the turn of the 2019 Maxima to get a mid-lifecycle refresh.

Nissan is playing exact details relatively close to its chest. Still, from the image it has shared, some of the changes are clear. The lighting is more akin to what we've already seen on the new Altima, for example, while the grille shape has been reworked, particularly in its lower half.

According to the automaker, the more noticeable changes are only really visible when you're inside the car. For a start, Nissan will be offering the 2019 Maxima with its Nissan Safety Shield 360 as an option. That comprises forward collision warnings, automatic emergency braking including pedestrian detection, and blind spot warnings.

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It also includes rear cross traffic alerts, helping prevent colliding with a passing car as you reverse out of parking spaces with limited visibility. Similarly helpful in parking lots, Nissan's Intelligent Around View Monitor gives a 360 degree view around the car on the Maxima's dashboard display. There's also adaptive cruise control, which can keep pace with traffic in the lane ahead.

What we're expecting to see kept the same will be the Maxima's drivetrain. That pairs a 3.5-liter V6 engine with a CVT – Continuously Variable Transmission – and delivers 300 horsepower to the front wheels. Basically it's the same system we tested all the way back in the 2016 Maxima. Unfortunately there's no sign of any of Nissan's clever variable compression ratio technology appearing here. That will be offered on certain models of the 2019 Altima, with Nissan promising V6 power from the so-called VC-Turbo engine, only with diesel-like economy.

We'll know for sure what changes Nissan is making for the 2019 Maxima come the Los Angeles Auto Show 2018. That kicks off in late November, and will be where this new sedan makes its official debut.

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