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:

• 

  best damn car i ever owned - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By ringer - September 12 - 10:00 am

  This car is the best i get so many compliments drives great very comfortable handles excellent highspeed lane all the way baby cheap interior plastic what the hell are you people looking at try looking inside a boring camry give me this car anyday over honda or toyota by the way ever look at the back of a honda accord ugly also as far as honda and toyota go know two people had to replace transmissions inthere camrys dont believe the hype go with the altima.

• 

  1000 Miles on My New Altima - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By gsemike - September 12 - 10:00 am

  Altima 2.5S w conv package. Looked at 6 comp cars w my emphasis on a car that is roomy but not too conservative and a good value. The Camry/Accord are vanilla. Galant is dated. Liked Mazda6 but just wasnt comfortable enough in it. It drove great but was a little too sporty. Sebring was nice and good value but a little too old detroit. The Sonata is the content leader but still feels like cheap car. With 175 hp, head turning styling, content, and size, I got the best $20k sedan out there. It feels solid and drives very nice. Its bigger than it looks but drives smaller that it is. So far, no complaints reliability wise.

• 

  Finally! A Good Car - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Denise - September 12 - 8:53 am

  I just purchased my Altima and I love it. I love the way it handles, the interior is really nice also. I test drove the Hyundai and the Kia Optima and you cant compare them to the Altima. Forget the Toyota Camry unless you like an old lady looking car.

• 

  40,000 miles in 1.5yrs - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By jrw1621 - September 12 - 1:10 am

  We purchased the Versa for my wife about 1.5 years ago and it already has 40,000 miles on it. The plan was for a reliable economical car that we could load the miles onto. We are very happy with the Versa. We shopped everything in the "Scion Class" of vehicles but found the Versa to offer the nicest interior, quietest ride and best highway manners of anything in the class. In 40k miles it has needed nothing more than regular oil changes and is showing no signs of wear. I think i will even get 60k miles out of the original tires with proper tire rotation.

• 

  Where did the oil go - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By jan - September 11 - 8:43 pm

  I too had the mysterious cluck in the front steering, air conditioning problem. After 5 times in the shop, The factory reps came in and looked at the car,gave me extended war. They said the noise was normal. When I picked up the car, the next day the engine blew at 30,000 miles. They said the car had no oil, but the oil light never came on. Took several weeks with Nissan to get the dealer to fix the car. We only have 5,000 miles left on warr. Dont want the car anymore. No one can tell me where the oil went and why the light never came on.

• 

  Love this car - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By cward74 - September 11 - 12:03 pm

  This car is awesome for such a price. Is extremely fun to drive with good acceleration and handling. Car looks very sporty and has drawn many compliments. At 55k miles in the two years we have owned it, there has been no issues mechanically. Just bought new tires which is the first money into the car other than normal maintenance. The things I would like to change are the touchy brakes that can catch quicker than expected in comparison to other vehicles Ive driven and result in some jerky stopping once in a while. Also, could use a little more room in the car, but cant complain as anybody buying the car knows this when buying it.

• 

  Great Vehicle - 2007 Nissan 350Z
  By Roodi - September 11 - 8:56 am

  Beautiful car, very athletic handling and performance. I have leather, navigation and bluetooth. This car exceeded my expectations.

• 

  worthless junk - 2016 Nissan Murano
  By Victoria Jesse - September 11 - 8:05 am

  Be very careful because the transmission will let you down in 2 to 3 years and Nissan will refuse to make it good it is a very unreliable car with the dealerships not willing to fix for under 4 to 5 thousand dollars

• 

  Dont buy this car!! - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By WCW - September 11 - 4:40 am

  Bought the Sentra SER Spec V; all options. Love the 2.5L 180 HP engine. Torque steer was an issue, but it goes with the territory w/ front-wheel drive. Also bought extended warranty from Nissan Motor Corp. Cars been faithfully maintained by the dealer. Theres been at least a half-dozen recalls, all dealer serviced. About one year in, popped a hole in the windshield washer tank. Not covered under extended warranty = $300. Next the horn stops working, electrical short - not covered = $200. Six-disk CD changer - broken - not covered. Next it needed a whole new engine - factory recall, so its covered. But whats next??? Bottom line ... Dont buy this car!!!

• 

  Great city truck! - 2011 Nissan Titan
  By wgrow - September 10 - 11:33 pm

  This is what I would call a great city truck. The interior features are comfortable and amazing and it has good capacity for doing small hauls. Plenty of acceleration but unfortunately eats gas like it was starving. I havent had a single problem with the truck in 11 months since purchase, but I do not do a lot of heavy duty work with it. Most of the time I am hauling a trailer with Lawn equipment or similar light items over short distances.