Overview & Reviews

Nissan was born in Japan, and like other marques from its homeland, the brand is known for crafting vehicles that place an emphasis on quality and reliability. The company's roster of products is broad, and includes sporty coupes, family sedans, minivans, trucks and SUVs.

The automaker got its start in 1933 as the Jidosha Seico Co., Ltd. The following year, this outfit merged with another Japanese manufacturer, and the new company was christened Nissan Motor Company, Ltd. Nissan initially marketed its vehicles under the Datsun brand, with the first Datsuns being built in 1934. Postwar, the brand made its presence felt worldwide, building a partnership with the U.K.-based Austin Motor Co. and establishing a presence in the United States. The first Datsuns hit American shores in 1958. Vehicles like the Datsun 1000 were based on Austin platforms.

The '60s witnessed Nissan's merger with Prince Motor Company, a union that helped the Asian manufacturer create more luxury-focused vehicles. In the U.S. it began offering its first vehicle styled for the U.S. market, the Datsun 510 sedan. By the end of the decade, Datsun had exported more than 1 million vehicles. Datsun rose to prominence in the 1970s on the popularity of its 240Z sports car. Powered by an inline six-cylinder engine, the car was coveted for its blend of style, performance and affordability. By the time the '70s drew to a close, the automaker's cumulative vehicle exports had surpassed the 10 million mark.

In 1981, Nissan shelved the Datsun name and began selling vehicles worldwide under the Nissan moniker. The '80s also saw Nissan's launch of a tuning division called Nismo for the development of performance-oriented vehicles and accessories. Nissan also brought its production to American shores, with the construction of a Georgia-based plant.

The early '90s saw Nissan's fortunes rise in the U.S. thanks to fun-to-drive cars like the 300ZX, Maxima and Sentra. But this trend didn't last long and by the late '90s Nissan's offerings consisted of anonymous vehicles. The company's future was uncertain.

After the turn of the new century Nissan bounced back, helped by a 1999 alliance with Renault that boosted the company's finances. Its redesigned Sentra and Altima boosted sales and consumer interest, as did new models like the 350Z sports car, Armada SUV and Titan pickup. Today the manufacturer is known for offering a wide range of well-regarded vehicles, including the popular Murano SUV, the incredible GT-R supercar and the all-electric Leaf.

User Reviews:

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  THE modern era supercar! - 2009 Nissan GT-R
  By Manraj S Dhillon - February 4 - 8:13 am

  I researched this car for over a year against BMW M3, Mercedes C63 AMG, Audi RS4, Corvette Z06 and I was coming from a WRX STi and I kid you not, this car does it all. I had heard that it had a hard ride and was noisy but it is not the case. It handles beautifully and turns immediately when you want it to.The power is indescribable and the sound of the car, in my opinion, is just right (V8s are overrated). The interior is quality crafted and it has all the modern tech you could need or want. Do not buy if you need usable rear seats. It does better MPG than my STi did and the sound system is great. You had also better get used to the attention you will receive because they are so rare. The BEST

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  09 Murano SL - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By Mac - February 4 - 1:36 am

  We traded in a Lexus RX a year ago for a Honda CRV, and have missed the comfort. Went shopping and found the SL more comfortable and quiet than the new RX for $10K less. Looked at the Edge as well but it just wasnt refined enough - the power lift gate support looked like it was just added - oh wait, it was, whereas the Murano had the lift designed into the upper support - nice touch. MPG could/should be better, only getting around 19-20 combined. Only have 2k miles so cant attest to reliability. My last Frontier was excellent. Love the dual panel moonroof but it is a little noisier than expected

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  Dollar by Dollar the best SUV - 2006 Nissan Armada
  By Tico - February 3 - 7:26 pm

  Great suspension and power excellent sound system easy to get in third row also third row could seat adults up to 6 tall comfortably something that others suv can not do.The rear view is very helpful.

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  Sweet ride - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By boarder315 - February 3 - 12:16 am

  recomend to anyone who wants nice ooking saden that can blow the doors off of a mustang gt

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  bought a used one - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By lowpost50 - February 2 - 2:25 pm

  I bought a used rogue with 30,000 miles I already own an SUV. I bought it to replace my failed ford explorer with 162,000 miles. I needed a vehicle to go back and forth to work ( I drive 60 miles a day) needless to say I wanted something with good fuel economy, and a good warranty. I had my Rogue 3 months and i love it/ its comfortable nimble in traffic. I still have 70,000 miles left on a 100,000 mile warranty.its very stylish,and it must be a great CUV because I see sooo many on the road. go into a decent sized parking lot you will see at least 2 Rogues there.

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  Stick with toyota - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Junk - February 2 - 1:50 pm

  After having 2 Lexus and a Toyota, I wanted a change. I bought a 2005 maxima from an older gentleman that never drove it. It is a fun and fast car to drive, but that is it. The rides stinks. It is the loudest car I have ever owned, the sunroof broke with in 3 months of owning it, a switch had to be replaced in the heater, and everything squeaks or rattles when you go over a bump. By far the worst turning radius of any car. It is like driving a tractor! This by far the worst quality of a vehicle I have ever owned. Not to mention the resale is horrible! Good luck getting rid of this car without at least 3-5k out of pocket. Junk!

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  2005 Sentra Special Edition 1.8L Auto - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By NewEnglandDevil - February 2 - 8:10 am

  An excellent vehicle to own and drive, has made my commute (~66 miles/day, + trips to client sites = 100+ miles occasionally) affordable. Blew a head gasket while still under warranty (~48K), needed a chip download to eliminate rough shifting. Ive avoided replacing two expensive lights - fog light broke from being packed with snow and 3rd brake light went out. Other than that, no problems and Ive had no expensive repairs. Has performed great in NE winter; even managed to get up a ~10% unplowed incline to our winter rental in NH. Previously owned a Nissan Truck (350K) so Im not expecting any problems with the engine or tranny and Im at 123K now.

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  2004 a bad year to buy - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By tpk - February 2 - 4:00 am

  Well my experience with this vechile still continues. The quality factor is awful compared to what nissans used to be. Trying to get nissan to buy this vehicle back or give me a new one..

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  Titan power - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By Randy - February 1 - 10:36 pm

  Great truck to drive. Tons of power, even towing an airtstream coach. Great turning radius. Very comfortable on road trips. The attention to interior details are better than my dodge dakota.

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  Very Early, but Like it So Far! - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By teflon1968 - February 1 - 10:26 pm

  Alright, Ive only had my Rogue for about 4 days now. I had leather seats installed (but not the $3800 SL package). The ride is pretty smooth for an SUV; looks sharp; accels well; breaks on a dime. Very small issues I have with it: Bluetooth is not as comprehensive as say the Honda systems. For instance, you cannot listen to music from your phone via BT. Setting phonebook data is a pain if you have multiple numbers for one contact. Not a lot of gadget space; USB & alt 12vlt are in bottom of the center arm rest--so if you put anything in it, youre covering the outlets--bad design. Again, little things. This is my first post; Ill update as I have it longer...hopefully it will be good