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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  Great car if you want longevity. - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Neat B. - December 5 - 6:38 am

  I bought my 2007 Altima almost 2 yrs ago. At the time it had over 200k miles on it mostly highway from the previous owner who owned and operated a professional mechanic shop. His wife was the sole owner of the car and her commutes where via highway 80 miles per day. I am in construction therefore I did not want to spend a lot of money considering it would be on the sites a lot. The price I got it for was a steal and I paid cash because I dont like car payments. The cost of ownership has being minimal. I have the the SL Sanoma Sunset and tan leather interior. Overall it has been a perfect car even with the high mileage. The car always starts and runs well. The ride is smooth and in control. I do regular oil changes and fluids. I use a full synthetic oil. I highly recommend this car for ad ails driver. It does not disappoint. I am bummed because someone hit the back end of it and the cost of repair is not cheap. I am at 233k on it and my hopes are that I still have a good 60k or more before I need to replace it. It still drives well like a new car. My nephew wants to buy it from me because it rides well. I will more than likely buy a newer Altima or the Maxima. My family members all own Nissans and we all like them for the value, performance and style. I also own a 2009 Murano which is a great vehicle too. :-)

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  better then the rest at that price - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By Fl. Frank - December 4 - 10:00 am

  this is the 1st Yr. of my 2nd new Max. I like the car better than my last one (04) in comfort and style. The cvt takes time to get used to, I think it might be the engine noise at shifts? One thing I miss is the 6 pack cd player. We bought the crimson Blk. with Cafe inside,happy with that as it turns heads and draws Attn. when parked. I changed my grill to a SS wire type found on the Jags. took off the Nissan badging too,also added hand painted custom pin stripe and blacked in rear windows and lighter tint in the front ones. I wished they would have made the rear seat to fold down like my old one, Separating the nav. from the back up camera price nice touch. Having a Great Dlr. is nice too.

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  Too cool for school! - 2010 Nissan Murano
  By David - December 4 - 10:00 am

  I recently switched from an Xterra to the Murano, and although I am still getting used to the change in platform-truck to car platform, I am very pleased. The Murano is an excellent ride, smooth, great pickup and really brings a bit of sporty fun to driving. Not for trucking through the woods, but the LE is well trimmed, leather is comfortable, stereo is excellent. I love driving it.

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  Noisy - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By John - December 4 - 10:00 am

  Only have 3000 miles on this car. Transmission is noisy till it hits cruising speed. Road noise is terrible. Replaced orignal tires to see if that was the problem, but the noise level is still there and I am out $700 for tires. My Toyota Tacoma pickup is quieter than this car. If you want a quiet car dont buy this one. Be sure you drive it on a chip sealed road before you buy.

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  Thumbs Up to Nissan - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By texastruckgirl - December 2 - 5:00 pm

  First time Nissan owner. Love this truck. Roomy interior is user friendly. Tows like a champ. You get instance power when petal to the metal. Sharp looking truck all the way around.

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  Its About the Ride - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By TB - December 1 - 4:20 pm

  I bought my jet black Maxima Sport Edition on Xmas Eve 2008. I had narrowed it down to the Maxima, an Acura TL, or a BMW 128. The Maxima proved to be the best value, while probably not the top quality, but there is a lot to be said for value. If youre into Technology Packages, the Acura is the way to go as the Maxima Voice Recognition is nearly useless. It will turn things on and off, but not make adjustments, such as temperature control. The Acura excels here. But its about the ride and comfort! And the Maxima offeres gobs of both, along with exhilarating performance and great gas mileage (23 in town, 28+ on the road) The CVT is admirable and fun. And the Max has looks to die for

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  On the road in my 2013 Altima 3.5 SL - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By caliguy1 - December 1 - 1:28 pm

  I test drove a 2013 Altima 2.5 last fall and did not like the sound of the CVT transmission with the 4 cyl. engine. I drove a 3.5 SL with the V6 and loved it, but I put off getting one. I recently leased a 3.5 from Mossy Nissan in San Diego and the car is fully loaded!! Its great to drive, comfortable, quiet, smooth with plenty of power when its needed. Although I only have 550 miles on the car at the moment, I can say Im impressed with it and think I made a great choice. My first choice was a VW Passat, but the design was blan to me, especially the dashboard area, and VW just couldnt meet the lease terms Nissan offered.

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  Awesome - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By Martin Brumback - November 30 - 8:13 pm

  We have owned this car for about 6 months now and have no complaint excellent car would recommend to anyone the 4 cyl motor has endless power which you don,t see in many 4cyl engines

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  Loving our Altima at 5000 miles - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Gene Nagle - November 30 - 4:03 pm

  My wife and I are very pleased with our Altima, now almost 6 months old with 5000 miles. After looking at several cars of this type (Accord, Camry, Sonata), it seemed like the best value, and it has not disappointed. The responsive 4-cylinder combined with the CVT transmission makes for smooth driving both in town and on the highway -- and the best cruise control system Ive ever had. As noted by others, highway mileage is phenomenal at 40+ mpg, and we average close to 30 around town, about 32 or so overall. Its not the quietest car of this type, but certainly quiet enough. Both the suspension system and the seats are comfortable without being mushy, and cornering is excellent. My wife is just 5 feet and needs good, high seating for visibility, which the power seat in the Altima does better than any other car of this price that we looked at. (Most others at this price had to be jacked up to raise the seat.) The controls are pretty standard, nothing remarkable, but very functional; I really like having lighted controls on the steering wheel for electronics and cruise. We have the middle electronic system, with Bluetooth and a backup camera but no navigation. The backup camera is a bit blurry, but it has nice clear distance indicators to help with backing into a parking space. And the Bluetooth and USB systems work great for our smart phones and iPod. One small complaint on the heating and a/c: when I turn off the fan and then turn it on again, the a/c automatically comes on which seems odd. Both heat and air work fine, however, as do the defrosters. So far so good with our 2015 Altima; truly a good value.

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  The Little Car That Could - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By trewlove - November 30 - 3:56 pm

  This car is amazing for several reasons. The gas mileage is great, I average 30 in-town (as advertised). The CVT continues to get smoother with each mile. Compared to other cars in its class it has more horsepower so although this is no power machine, it will get up and go more than others like it. It handles well on the road, has excellent turn radius for curvy roads and city parking. You will notice immediately getting in this car that the head room is amazing which means it feels spacious and you have a great perspective on the road. This car does not look or feel like an economy car, inside or out, but could not be more economic for the price, emissions, gas mileage, and reliability!