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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  2003 Nissan Murano Crossover - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Rick Scoville - October 25 - 10:00 am

  If youre looking for car-like ride, plenty of storage space, a well thought out interior, sports car handling and turn-your-head looks, the Murano is for you. Weve had more people stop and stare when we drive by than with any other car weve owned. They even walk up and ask to look inside. Its an SUV that handles like a sports car, rides like a sedan and looks like a million. Nissan has really done their homework on this one.

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  Has everything you would want - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By McDan24 - October 25 - 8:06 am

  It drives very smooth and is a nice ride, (nicer than the SE but Im sure it has to do with the stabilizer bars on the SL). I wish it had 18" wheels but that would probably have been at the expense of some of the comfort in the ride. I also looked at an 08 Accord VG w/nav and the controls in the thing made me feel like I should have gotten training in the space shuttle. There were so many buttons and knobs everywhere it would have taken forever to learn. But, the Altima has all the same features but in simple easy to use arrangement on the dash. The nav system is easy to understand and well thought out instruments great car, good drive, all I would ever want or need.

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  Great Ride! - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Tony - October 25 - 6:23 am

  I opted for a fully loaded 3.5 SE including the tech pkg and VDC; I struggled deciding whether or not to just get the prem pkg (no nav), but I am VERY happy with my decision. I love the bluetooth, XM radio, nav system with XM NavTraffic updates, & all of the voice activated commands. The car has excellent handling capabilities despite the front drive setup and the 3.5 V6 is as sweet as they come! My gas mileage has been surprising great (22 city/26 hwy) and the CVTs manual mode is a real hoot. I highly recommend this car to anyone cross shopping the Accord, Camry, or Malibu (and even the G35, 325i or C300). No regrets!

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  Not too bad after 36,000 miles. - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By jeep53 - October 25 - 4:46 am

  Well, I decided to write another review after 36,000 miles on my Rogue SL. I wrote my first review when I first bought the car. Overall, its been a pretty good compact SUV. The gas mileage could be a little better. I never get when they advertised it for. I average about 24 miles a gallon. I my opinion, I feel that the car scratches way too easily, especially on the drivers side door panel. I have scratches on the outside, too, that I have no idea where they came from. The leather seats are pretty comfortable and the GPS works quite well. The Bose radio sounds very good to me. The rearview camera works well and is a must in this car with all the blind spots.

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  Good Gas Mileage And Features For The Money. - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By moparmanttc - October 24 - 12:08 pm

  We have this model rogue which is the two wheel drive s-model for a month and a half. It has been great so far the front seats are comfortable and the ride is pretty good. We took it on a trip and managed to get 29.5 miles to the gallon and that is with the air conditioning on. With the seats down cargo room is really good. You get a lot of features with the s model front wheel drive. You will find the price hard to beat especially if you try to get and American made vehicle which you will have to shell out $3000 to $6000 more to try and match the rogue.

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  Smooth, Quick, Efficient, and Fun - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Brandon - October 23 - 3:10 pm

  with a sleek looking exterior and solid built interior, i am proud to cruise around in this car. It has impressive acceleration and handling that always surprises me when im cruising. The interior is comfortable, solid, and very inviting. my first tank of fuel lasted 410 miles which is always a plus, and filling it back up at $2.89 a gallon only cost me around $28. all together i am extremely pleased with my Versa!

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  Good commuter car - 2011 Nissan Versa
  By lughead - October 23 - 11:14 am

  Good car for a long commute.

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  Great Vehicle - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By James - October 23 - 8:13 am

  My friend had one and let me drive it. Fell in love right away. Great handling, smooth, fast, and good looking inside and out. Bought mine with 128,000miles now has 135,000 only preventive maintenance has been done.

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  Great New Truck - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By jd - October 23 - 7:33 am

  My son bought an 06 Frontier, and I liked it so much that I wanted one. Traded in an 03 V8 Dakota for my new Nissan. I liked the Dodge, but I like the Nissan better. Its just the right size, and is comfortable on the road, and really quiet. Radio and speakers are pretty darn good for the stock system. AC and climate controls are good, I think the interior needs a bit of "upscaling" (too much boring plastic), and the turning radius is far too big for this size truck. My mileage has varied from 18 to 23, but better than my previous Dodge. But the pluses far outweigh the negatives, and I have no regrets purchasing the Frontier. I recommend you drive and compare. Youll like it...

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  Having Lots of Fun - 2016 Nissan Murano
  By Jeff C. - October 23 - 6:14 am

  So far its been pretty perfect. Our other vehicle is feeling lonesome as we tend to drive the Murano for most non-cargo trips. Vehicle takes a little time to get used too - especially when parking, but that may be because we are used to a larger, higher-standing SUV; once you figure out when/where how to maneuver everything is good. Safety features - included blind-spot detection, all-around camera views are great, but our favorite so far is the distance-sensing cruise control as it lets us pay more attention to the crazy vehicles than to the speedometer. Cargo area is pretty good for most standard things - shopping for groceries for example, and rear seats can be easily lowered (and stood up) when necessary. No that it really matters, but this car has the largest glove compartment we have ever seen and we sometimes have to really look to find an object we have placed in their.