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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  36 MPG!? HA! - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By CKS - December 30 - 2:30 am

  I have had this car for 8 months now and am averaging 24 MPG! Most of my travel is highway so I would expect much better mileage than that. Ive already had to have the fuel pump and O2 sensor replaced at the dealership after the check engine light came on. And the interior starting making rattling noises 2 months after owning the vehicle. The ride is pretty comfortable, but the seats can get pretty uncomfortable after a few hours driving. The biggest problem I have with this car is the horrible fuel mileage Im getting. I bought this car to save gas mileage, not get the same as my 96 Nissan Maxima or my 05 Toyota Sienna.

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  Tough Truck - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Major Disaster - December 29 - 10:20 pm

  Researched full sized trucks and chose Titan in 2004, after driving the others. Never regretted it, now has 80,000 miles on it without a complaint. Factory replaced original rotors after first ones warped early on, and no further problems and couple minor recall items fixed. Strong truck with torque-monster motor, have pulled big trailers, loaded it up even beyond its capacity and no complaints from it. Huge interior, now wife drives it regularly, with two big dogs in pack seat. Sad to hear that Nissan will discontinue it soon, would replace it with another one if they are still around, but its indestructible for now.

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  Really Great Car! - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By Bubbley4me - December 29 - 8:00 pm

  I never thought I was an SUV person, I went to buy a Maxima. This car was a super surprise.

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  Great City Car - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By brians2510 - December 29 - 5:40 pm

  Just put on 1200 miles and this car is great. Very quit and comfortable. I traded in a van and have no regrets. I get about 31 miles to the gallon with mixed driving. Feels very solid and build quality is excellent. Great power for city driving with 6 speed manual. Fun to drive in the city and quiet whats not to like. Very happy with purchase.

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  Allens new Maxama - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By George Eiring - December 29 - 5:23 pm

  Im 64 years old and have owned many vehicles in my life including a 1988 Nissa 300 Z . Very glad I went back to Nissan. This particlur car is first of all, absolutly georgous looking and the performance is supburb.The fit and finish is also supburb. I just love this vehicle. I would recommend this car to anyone especially what you get for the price. The list was 32,000. Incrediably low for the type of performance I feel. A friend of mine who owns a BMW drove it and said "I cant believe I like the handling of this car better than mine." THat tells it all

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  Best buy for the $$$ - 2006 Nissan 350Z
  By L4 - December 29 - 4:56 pm

  Im a legacy Z watcher, and finally pulled the trigger in 06. Im glad i waited for the 06, I drove the 03 and 04 cant compare to my purchase. Although its not a primary vehicle its well worth it for anyone who cant or doesnt want to pay Porsche $$.

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  Bad Transmissions - Terrible customer service - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By Huzefa Mamoola - December 29 - 12:31 pm

  No Nissans for me again! Rogue CVT Transmission failed at 119K, got it fixed under warranty from the dealer. The car failed in Savannah, GA, 640 Miles from my home. After 1280+ miles of driving to and from Savannah to collect the vehicle, the Nissan 1 rep kept saying that they dont have any policy to at least reimburse me for the rental car for the trip nor even gave me vouchers for future repairs in the vehicle, nor was willing to commit to increasing the warranty period on the new transmission. They stuck to their policy throughout the conversation about not reimbursing anything. No goodwill towards the customer and no regard of what the customer has been through with a transmission failure in a car that I hoped will go at least to 200K miles without major issues. Everything was a No, not in our policy. Nissan, you lost a customer today forever. Adios.

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  Its what I wanted and expected... - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By supercab95 - December 28 - 11:43 pm

  I wasnt looking for a sports car or truck. I was looking for a small car with some extra features and thats exactly what I got. The CVT is smooth and driving is comfortable. I wanted something with good gas mileage and once again I am not disappointed. The car takes off and drives smoothly on the road and even seems to handle snow and sleet without any problem.

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  Tight Truck - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By SS - December 28 - 7:06 pm

  This is my first Nissan vehicle. It is replacing a 2003 Dakota V8. In spite of a smaller engine than the old Dak, the Frontier is quicker, especially at highway speed, and manages 2-2.5 mpg better. Ride quality (noise,comfort) is on par. While the Nissan seats are significantly firmer, I find them more comfortable. In spite of cheaper pricing for both the 05 Dak and 05 Colorado that I also considered, the Fronty won out. Nissan just seemed to take an extra step in adding little touches here-and-there. The build quality just feels better.

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  A Good Choice in Minivans - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By J.R. - December 27 - 10:20 pm

  Our old Suburbans engine blew on the way to St Louis so we unloaded it and searched for a replacement. Not having a lot of time for research and negotiation, we ended up with a 2005 Nissan Quest with 74000 miles. We really liked the features as well as the unique appearance both inside and out. It runs great, has excellent acceleration, and is very reliable. You can lay flat all the seats and load it to the hilt, and it still goes like its empty. The seats arent quite as comfortable as Id like, nor is the mileage as consistently high as I had hoped. And Ill never buy from that dealership again as they severely took advantage of our situation. Otherwise, we love it!