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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  All wheel to front wheel... hmm, No Good! - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By fourbyforever - August 1 - 6:46 pm

  I traded in an Audi A6 2.7t for this car. After spending seven months and 9600 miles spinning the tires on dry pavement with traction control on, I figured it was going to snow soon. I traded it in for a 09 Impreza wrx. So far I think I made a good choice. The Nissan had a loose driver seat, the shifter was very notchy, the airbag light kept coming on, the cupholder door was broken, the brake pedal was starting to pulse. Sometimes the windows would roll down by themselves while the car was parked and unoccupied. It was a hassle not being able to open the trunk when the car was unlocked without the fob,which would always set off the panic horn while in my pocket. I will miss the HIDs and nav.

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  Why not to buy a frontier - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By trebor - July 30 - 11:13 pm

  I have had nothing but problems with this truck, the suspension had been squeaking since about 3,000 miles and the dealer hasnt been able to fix it, there have been several recalls, as well as many adjustments made to the doors to keep them from hitting other panels. Overall it is a fun truck to drive, but a pain to own. This truck had been at the dealer a total of 22 days having problems fixed.

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  Not as good as I would expect - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By Brian - July 30 - 6:00 pm

  I got a good deal on this car but I still expected more. The transmission seems to be slipping already when getting out of first. The trunk release works any time so what is the valet key for? MPG I get about 26-30 on the average. My M3 gets 22-26 so to me it is not that much better. Also the remote locks stop working from time to time. Have to go through the steering wheel to get to the trip computer. Should have bought a Civic which has a cheaper true cost to own if you sell it after 3 years.

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  Disappointed - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By scottfl17 - July 25 - 10:36 am

  This was my first new car purchase and thought I made the right choice. I was wrong. There are some major problems I have with this car. The main one being the engine. It is loud, noisy, buzzy, does not get good fuel economy. I am going getting 19-21 mpg city and that is driving as conservative as possible, I dont even want to know what it would be if I drove aggressive. The CVT may have been a good idea at the time but its not. During hard acceleration the constant rev of the rpm is annoying and loud, the acceleration is not smooth, sort of feels like youre on a roller coaster, going up hills decelerates very quickly even though the pressure remains constant on the pedal.

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  Stick with a Honda - 2000 Nissan Sentra
  By Sentra Money Pit - July 24 - 3:20 pm

  5 recalls and God only knows if they will stop. This does not include sensors that fail and are not part of the recalls most recent sensor failure $137.00 for the sensor and $170.00 for the labor and of course Tax. This car has only 43000 miles.

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  Unsatisfied - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By maureen - July 24 - 2:00 am

  Was very excited to purchase a new 02 Altima. Read great ratings, etc. Turns out after 7 months Ive been back to the dealership at least 3 times. Problems with squeeking in fastened seat belts. Need to have shocks replaced after only 7,000 miles. Now have a weird "rotten egg" smell coming through vent when heat is on. Took to dealership wasnt happening at the time it was there so they wouldnt even replace filters to see if that would correct problem. Told me it needed to be happening while car was there. Also lied and said there were no filters in the Altima.

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  Uncomfortable seats - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Debbie - July 20 - 9:56 pm

  Has anyone else had a problem with the seats. I love the car except the seat is so hard after 1/2 hour I am in excruciating pain and cant drive it at all. Ive never had this experience before with a car. I test drove it but had no problem on the limited test drive that I took at two different dealerships. Back pillows havent helped and the car is leased. Any suggestions to remedy problem would be appeciated - also just curious to know if I am alone in experiencing this problem.

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  I got suckered!! - 1997 Nissan Sentra
  By bodyglitter - July 19 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car used (with 30,000 miles on it) and have had a ton of problems with it!! I have had to have practically everything replaced from rotors, clutch, brakes, to two alternators. I also had a significant oil leak (it was pouring out like water). Every time I take it in the service man says that they never have seen so much wear on a car with that many miles. Currently, it is losing speed uphill and the clutch sounds like it is going to go out again. I will never buy a Nissan again.

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  Unreliable vehicle for the high price - 2007 Nissan Murano
  By pukark - July 18 - 6:46 am

  My powertrain warranty expired on March 13. I went to dealership on Jan/Feb 13 & till then I did not have any problem. I went again on 07/13 just after my warranty expired & now dealer says I have following issues and the price for it. Nissan Dealership is not telling me issues with cars until warranty runs out so that they can get money out of me. I have 5 year around 3 month and 49900 mileage on my 2007 Nissan murano SL. •right front lower control arm($445.99) & left front lower control arm($445.99) •Reseal transfer case ($1,871.37) •Replace rack & pinion assembly ($1,441.19) •Replace oil pan gasket($141.99) Hall nissan virginia beach suks .transfer case problem is wide spread.

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  Not so excited about this car anymore - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By TZ - July 18 - 6:30 am

  I bought this car brand new thinking that like my last vehicle it would less me at least 140,000 miles without fixing anything major, so in 2 years my air condition went down, following winter something happened with my unt brakes, and now my transmission start acting up dont know whats the problem, i hope this car will get a recall it seems a lot of people have the same problem and after spending a good buck for this car i expect also a better performance I would never buy Nissan again unless there is a 100,000 warrant since i dont trust them anymore,