For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Fusion have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Nissan Maxima doesn't offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The Fusion Titanium offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Maxima doesn't offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Fusion and the Maxima have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Fusion is safer than the Nissan Maxima:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Fusion is safer than the Nissan Maxima:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

There are almost 3 times as many Ford dealers as there are Nissan dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Fusion's warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2019 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 7th.

The Fusion Titanium's standard 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. produces 14 lbs.-ft. more torque (275 vs. 261) than the Maxima's 3.5 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Fusion SE/SEL FWD 1.5 turbo 4 cyl. gets better fuel mileage than the Maxima CVT (23 city/34 hwy vs. 20 city/30 hwy).

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Fusion ECOBoost FWD's engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn't accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The Maxima doesn't offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Fusion uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on Fusion Titanium for maximum performance). The Maxima requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Fusion has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it's removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Maxima doesn't offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Fusion higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Nissan Maxima (3). This means the Fusion produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Maxima every 15,000 miles.

The Fusion stops shorter than the Maxima:

The Fusion has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Maxima's suspension doesn't offer gas-charged shocks.

The Fusion's drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Maxima doesn't offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Fusion's wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the Maxima (112.2 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Fusion's turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Maxima's (37.5 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

The front grille of the Fusion uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Maxima doesn't offer active grille shutters.

The Fusion has 4.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Maxima (102.8 vs. 98.5).

The Fusion has .8 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 4.1 inches more rear legroom, .9 inches more rear hip room and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Maxima.

The Fusion has a much larger trunk than the Maxima (16 vs. 14.3 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Fusion easier. The Fusion's trunk lift-over height is 24.4 inches, while the Maxima's liftover is 28.8 inches.

The Fusion has a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The Maxima has no towing capacity.

The Fusion has a maintenance free battery for long life without checking the battery's water level. The Maxima doesn't have a maintenance free battery, so the water level in the battery's cells must be checked often to prevent damage.

The Fusion's power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Maxima's parking brake has to released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Fusion and the Maxima have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Fusion is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Maxima prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Fusion's front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Maxima's rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don't have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Fusion SE/SEL/Titanium's exterior PIN entry system. The Maxima doesn't offer an exterior PIN entry system.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don't have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Fusion SE/SEL/Titanium's exterior PIN entry system. The Maxima doesn't offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Fusion's rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Maxima's standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can't turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Fusion (except S) offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Maxima doesn't offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Insurance will cost less for the Fusion owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Fusion will cost $960 to $7680 less than the Maxima over a five-year period.

The Fusion will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Fusion will retain 39.28% to 42.37% of its original price after five years, while the Maxima only retains 35.28% to 38.25%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Fusion is less expensive to operate than the Maxima because it costs $145 less to do the manufacturer's suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Fusion than the Maxima, including $234 less for a water pump, $96 less for a muffler, $149 less for a starter, $210 less for fuel injection, $206 less for a fuel pump, $121 less for front struts and $252 less for a timing belt/chain.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Fusion will be $12911 to $16380 less than for the Nissan Maxima.

The Ford Fusion outsold the Nissan Maxima by over four to one during 2018.