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 vehicle - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By MelA - October 1 - 2:00 am

  I love it. It looks cool, its comfortable on long trips, & acceleration is great. A very smooth ride, thanks to the cvt, I never feel any jerky shift changes.

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  My New Murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By Reese_az - October 1 - 2:00 am

  The Murano is great. At first I really didnt look at it. Then one day I looked and thought that really is a good looking suv, I then started liking it. I got on the internet and read nothing but good reviews. When I test drove it I fell in love so much I went to two other dealships just to drive it again. Well on my birthday I got me one and Im loving every minute of it. This thing rides like a luxary vehicle I was thinking of getting a Lexus RX330 the Murano is way better.

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  04 Murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By md1971 - October 1 - 2:00 am

  Great engine and handling. Rougher ride. Very poor interior build quality. Lots of creaking and cracking sounds on the bumps. Required a return trip to the dealer to fix the sounds.

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  WHOS BEEN HOLDING BACK??? - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By JohnsMD - October 1 - 2:00 am

  Cant say enough about it. Great Truck! Power is awesome! Smooth ride, plenty of interior space, easy controls. Package items work-someone was thinking with the factory sprayed- in bed liner! You cant go wrong with the utility package and tow package. Too bad it took Nissan to come up with a truck that was designed by truck drivers!

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  little titan that climp - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By titanatlove - October 1 - 2:00 am

  Great Truck!!! love the towing and everything else!!

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  I Love My Z - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By spinout - October 1 - 2:00 am

  WOW what a fun car to drive. Nissan needs to get a handle on the front end alignment problems. Once that is accomplished I think my car might be perfect.

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  To The Max - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By To The Max - October 1 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Maxima I had a 1989 that went for 289,000 miles with no drive line failures was driven hard right to the end. I traded a 2002 Niss, Altima 3.5 SE for the 2004 and all I can say is this car is incredible cannot stop driving it......Nissan let me do a comerical for you for free .......what a car and what a company........My wife and I drive it all the time it is just a awesome car and kicks butt on alot of so called american muscle cars... The power band just keeps going and begging for more..The only two faults the front grill and the power adapter pain to get to....10 out of 10 best buy

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  Great car in and out... - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By H. D. - October 1 - 2:00 am

  I saw this car in the dealers lot while I was browsing through the Maximas, and I am glad I did. I always liked Altimas. Only turn off for me was the interior. This model has a interior just like Maxima, which looks very classy and sleek. All the controls and knobs are within comfortable reach. Exterior looks great. Interior is very roomy. Even after I test drove some SUVs, I felt very comfortable in this car. I purchased the 2.5 liter because of the price distance. However, I still think the engine performance, especially high speed, is wonderful.

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  Sick of this piece of junk - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By Sick Of Rough - October 1 - 1:46 am

  We bought the new Rouge in April 08. At about 5500 miles we started hearing the "NOISE". The service tech couldnt hear it at first. I did get it to make the sound and he heard it. He then drove it and he said he got it to do it worse. They contacted Niaasn tech line. They said that they were aware of the problem. The sound got worse and at 6800 miles they replaced the Trans. This would be the second transmission being the first came in the car. Then at about 12000 miles it reappeared. they didnt hesitate to replace the trans. The service manager could only say that it "must" be fixed but he could not guarantee it is a fix. Im sorry to say that the trans is already "grawling".

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  New yet - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By JERRY TAYLOR - October 1 - 12:20 am

  After much research on smaller pickups, im pleased with my choice. After looking at ford and tacoma this was the obvious choice. Only had it 2 weeks, but im happy.