The 2012 Volkswagen Passat and the 2012 Nissan Maxima are full-size family cars. Although similar in size, the two vehicles offer significantly different features. The base Passat is considerably less expensive than the base Maxima and is equipped with a smaller, albeit more economical, engine. The Passat is a midrange car positioned between the Jetta and Passat CC. The Maxima is Nissans top-end car, placed above the midrange Altima and economical Sentra.
Background
The Volkswagen Passat debuted in 1973 and has gone through six generations of design. It was once placed between the Golf and Jetta, but in its most recent incarnation the Passat sedan comes under the more luxurious CC four-door coupe. The Maxima arrived for the 1977 model year. Nissan marketed it as an upscale version of the automakers Bluebird model that was popular in the Japanese domestic market. Both vehicles received facelifts for the 2012 model year.
Size, Trim and Prices
The 2012 Passat is a bigger car than its VW predecessors, with its wheelbase stretching from 106.4 inches to 110.4 inches. It measures 191.6 inches long, 72.2 inches wide and 58.5 inches tall. As a cost-cutting move to drop the sticker price and to boost sales, VW dropped some of the creature comforts and skimped on some appointments to position the car as a gateway luxury car. The 2012 model sells for about $20,000, a good $12,000 less than the base 2012 Nissan Maxima S. Still, the Passat has some bang for the buck. It has the base S, midlevel SE and top-end SEL trim level. The SEL offers leather seats and interior wood trim that puts the Passat close to the Maxima. The Maxima shares some proportional characteristics with the Passat. It sits on a 109.3-inch wheelbase and is 190.6 inches long, and is wider and lower than the Passat at 73.2 inches wide and 57.2 inches tall. The Maxima has two trim levels: The base S and the SV.
Output
Under the hood, the Passat and Maxim are radically different. The base 2012 VW Passat is equipped with a 2.5-liter 170-horsepower, five-cylinder engine generating 177 foot-pound of torque. A direct-shift gearbox, or DSG, manual or automatic matches the engine. Output improves considerably with the SEL, which features a healthy 3.6-liter V-6, also known as a VR6, to develop 280 horsepower and 258 foot-pounds of torque. A 2-liter four-cylinder diesel is also available. The 2012 Maxima has a single engine offering for both trim levels -- a 3.5-liter V-6 generating 290 horsepower and 261 foot-pounds of torque.
Fuel Efficiency
The Passat earns respectable gas mileage. The five-cylinder engine earns 22 mpg in the city and 32 on the highway, while the VR6 garners 20 mpg on urban streets and 29 on the open road. The diesel version earns 31 on the street and 35 on the highway. The 2012 Maximas V-6 matched with a continuously variable transmission, or CVT, gets 16 and 26 miles per gallon.
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