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:

• 

  1999.5 Nissan Pathfinder LE - 1999 Nissan Pathfinder
  By jonathanmw - December 20 - 7:05 pm

  Very happy with the Pathfinder. Currently has 313,000kms and purchased it with about 260,000. Ive had it for about 3 years. Before this I drove a 2010 Subaru Impreza, a good car, but I prefer driving this older Pathfinder more. Its very reliable even the exhaust is original. The struts did need replacing.

• 

  Cost Cutting ruins an otherwise great car - 2017 Nissan Sentra
  By Bryan - December 19 - 11:19 am

  With the stick, is very fun to drive despite having the wrong gearing for the powerband and notchy shift action. No limited slip diff for some reason, even though this is the juke powertrain, which comes with the LSD standard. This car looks upscale and the interior is very nice. Unfortunately, this is thin veneer over a very cheaply made car that in my opinion will not last for the long haul. Feels substantially less well put together then the last generation sentra, which feels built like a brick outhouse. This is confirmed in that the 2007-2012 sentra weighs 150lb more despite being smaller than the 2013-up model. I am a mechanic and bought this car not only to improve my credit, but so I wouldnt have to work on my own car, as I spend 60 hours a week most weeks working on other peoples cars. Less than 100 miles into my purchase, I noticed 2nd gear was very hard to engage. Had to bring it to the attention of the dealer 3 times before they confirmed my findings (defective transmission). After that they replaced it with no issues. I have had the car for a year and have put only 5600 miles on it so far, and already the body is starting to loosen up, various squeaks are manifesting themselves. The body simply does not feel very solid at all. My mother owns a 2008 sentra, with over 180k on it and it feels more solid than my brand new car. I know this because I service her car for her. Yes, I test drove multiple 2017 sentras (after I was already committed to mine, unfortunately,) and they are all the same. If I would have known, I would have saved myself over 15 grand and bought a 2012 sentra (the last year for the old bodystyle) from Copart and fixed it, because thats how flimsy this new car feels to me. The car is otherwise great, I average nearly 33mpg average around town and have touched 54mpg on one particular back road trip! My issue is that I dont feel it will last long. Cost cutting abounds everywhere. The interior is about the only place that they didnt try to save coin....it is very nice. Everywhere else the cost cutting monster has had its way. The ride is nice, until you hit the first big bump, and you run out of suspension travel (something the previous sentra did very well was absorb bumps.....) Open the hood or trunk and you are greeted by great swaths of metal that Nissan didnt bother painting body color (to save on paint)...all you see is the base coat. What paint is on the car is very thin and very easily chipped or scratched, which was never the case on previous Nissan products. I already have chips on almost every body panel which are down to the primer. Remember, this is a NINE MONTH OLD CAR with 5600 gentle miles on it. The drivers door already closes with a different sound than the passengers door. It sounds tinnier, as if the weatherstrip is already wearing out. The rear brakes squeal when stopping, i feel like I am in one of those old 1950s TV shows every time I stop. The sunvisors buzz incessantly against the headliner at idle and the package tray rattles. Again, most of this stuff is nitpicking, but still, when a NEW CAR has more NVH problems than its 10 year old sibling, that is saying a lot, especially when the old car has 11 times the mileage. It is a great car to lease, not to buy, in my opinion.

• 

  Cost Cutting ruins an otherwise great car - 2017 Nissan Sentra
  By Bryan - December 19 - 11:19 am

  With the stick, is very fun to drive despite having the wrong gearing for the powerband and notchy shift action. No limited slip diff for some reason, even though this is the juke powertrain, which comes with the LSD standard. This car looks upscale and the interior is very nice. Unfortunately, this is thin veneer over a very cheaply made car that in my opinion will not last for the long haul. Feels substantially less well put together then the last generation sentra, which feels built like a brick outhouse. This is confirmed in that the 2007-2012 sentra weighs 150lb more despite being smaller than the 2013-up model. I am a mechanic and bought this car not only to improve my credit, but so I wouldnt have to work on my own car, as I spend 60 hours a week most weeks working on other peoples cars. Less than 100 miles into my purchase, I noticed 2nd gear was very hard to engage. Had to bring it to the attention of the dealer 3 times before they confirmed my findings (defective transmission). After that they replaced it with no issues. I have had the car for a year and have put only 5600 miles on it so far, and already the body is starting to loosen up, various squeaks are manifesting themselves. The body simply does not feel very solid at all. My mother owns a 2008 sentra, with over 180k on it and it feels more solid than my brand new car. I know this because I service her car for her. Yes, I test drove multiple 2017 sentras (after I was already committed to mine, unfortunately,) and they are all the same. If I would have known, I would have saved myself over 15 grand and bought a 2012 sentra (the last year for the old bodystyle) from Copart and fixed it, because thats how flimsy this new car feels to me. The car is otherwise great, I average nearly 33mpg average around town and have touched 54mpg on one particular back road trip! My issue is that I dont feel it will last long. Cost cutting abounds everywhere. The interior is about the only place that they didnt try to save coin....it is very nice. Everywhere else the cost cutting monster has had its way. The ride is nice, until you hit the first big bump, and you run out of suspension travel (something the previous sentra did very well was absorb bumps.....) Open the hood or trunk and you are greeted by great swaths of metal that Nissan didnt bother painting body color (to save on paint)...all you see is the base coat. What paint is on the car is very thin and very easily chipped or scratched, which was never the case on previous Nissan products. I already have chips on almost every body panel which are down to the primer. Remember, this is a NINE MONTH OLD CAR with 5600 gentle miles on it. The drivers door already closes with a different sound than the passengers door. It sounds tinnier, as if the weatherstrip is already wearing out. The rear brakes squeal when stopping, i feel like I am in one of those old 1950s TV shows every time I stop. The sunvisors buzz incessantly against the headliner at idle and the package tray rattles. Again, most of this stuff is nitpicking, but still, when a NEW CAR has more NVH problems than its 10 year old sibling, that is saying a lot, especially when the old car has 11 times the mileage. It is a great car to lease, not to buy, in my opinion.

• 

  A Nice Van - 2008 Nissan Quest
  By kulunphan818 - December 19 - 6:30 am

  My SE Quest includes dual DVD screen + navigation system. The main reason for purchasing the Quest because all my family members like the style, interior designs of the van, even though I am not very confident of the long-term reliability of the Quest. However, I was willing to make the bet. It is no question that the Quest has much better exterior and interior designs, comparing with other major vans (Odyssey, Sienna, etc.). The only thing I did not like is the uncomfortable front seats. But the van is much quieter than Sienna or Odyssey.

• 

  Been a great car so far - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Halbergrada - December 18 - 7:23 pm

  I have put 57,000 miles on my Altima. Right now Im sitting at just under 75,000 miles. So far I have not had any major maintenance issues and the car has been very reliable. I did have to replace the brakes at 45k miles and the tires at 50k, which I think is pretty reasonable. Its not using a drop of oil. I do have one annoyance. My drivers window switch is going out and sometimes it takes a few tries to get my window to stay up.

• 

  Very, Very Fast - 2007 Nissan 350Z
  By Timothy - December 18 - 2:23 pm

  The 2007 Z is a joy to drive. The last Z that a drove was an 05. I also owned a 2006 G35 coupe. There is a huge difference from both of those vehicles to the 2007 350Z with the new engine, especially in the the power/road handling performance. I have owned and driven a lot of cars: Infiniti M45 w/ 340hp, AcuraTL TypeS, etc. Nothing even begins to compare in the speed and handling department. I love it!

• 

  Very Impressive 4x - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By valkama - December 18 - 1:46 pm

  SE 4x4 offroad with premium package I just came back from an off-road trip with my friends and let me say that this SUV is really impressive in demanding 4wheel drive conditions. I dont see the resemblance but my friends nick named it the little hummer. From riverbeds, to steep inclines i had no problems and was able to keep up and on one instance out climb my competition (1999 Jeep Cheroke & a 2002 toyota tacoma) I would like a little more groud clearance but since its my wifes car i dont think she will let me lift it. My only complaint....I was expecting better sound from the bose stereo system. Seems a little flat. Everything else is perfect.

• 

  2009 Nismo - 2009 Nissan 370Z
  By Stephen Hare - December 17 - 1:26 pm

  I have had this car on the track and it also is my daily commuter car. I just love it. Everything they say about the car is true - road noise loud, very stiff, kidney shaker, stripped down, etc..... and it is exactly as advertised. If you want a track car that looks great and fun to drive then this car is for you. If you want seat warmers, GPS, BOSE system, all the creature comforts - stick with the regular 370Z with the sports package. Just my 2 cents worth.

• 

  nice car, needs to be smoothed out - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Aboy - December 17 - 2:00 am

  Great performance, beautiful styling, but still a little rough around the edges. Accelerator is a bit jumpy< and we had a few minor problems with wind noise on the highway and trunk release> rear shocks are squeaky> all in all however< a fun car>

• 

  Nice car but little bit TOO basic - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By ShortnSassy - December 17 - 1:36 am

  We already have a car payment, so we decided to get just the basic Versa with only air condition and auto transmission add-ons. When it comes to Nissans basic, be careful because there are a few things we didnt notice until after buying the car. No way to adjust the side mirrors from inside, no clock and the thing that we were most disappointed about is, there is no key hole on the passenger side. You cant unlock the door from the passenger side! What if someone parked so close to your drivers door that you couldnt get in? Well, then your out of luck because theres no other way to get in the car.