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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  brand new fun - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By mark - February 27 - 10:23 pm

  I drive Porsches... a Cayenne S a C4S and others... we have a lexus gx470 in the house also... I was looking for a pickup to leave at a weekend house and use infrequently to haul "stuff" in and out of a vineyard... drove all brands... The Nissan was a pleasant suprise. Well built, quiet, good power, thoughtful layout... and according to my 15 year old..."tight". handling characteristics were very good and since it has the highest safety/roll over record I feel pretty good about letting the soon to be 16 year old drive it... A great 4X4 with a nice V6 for a very reasonable price... Way to go Nissan... I actually left the Cayenne in the driveway for the weekend and drove the truck...

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  360Z is simply ZBEST - 2008 Nissan 350Z
  By zlover - February 26 - 10:23 am

  The 350Z has all it takes to be an excellent peformance and economical sports car! The handling and pickup is great! The gas miles is great! The look and feel is great! The cost is great! Basically you feel great all around in the 350Z AWESOME street machine! I wouldnt trade it for a Porsche or anything else. If the standard 350Z isnt good enough for you get a 370Z or NISMO. If you want another mint vehicle try the Nissan GTR or Skyline GTR which also in and of itelf can take most every vehicle on or on/off road and put them to shame! Once you try a 350Z or any of the other Nissan power machines you wont want anything else.

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  Its all good - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By perfection - February 26 - 3:23 am

  I drive a blue 2.5sl altima, it has all the bells and whistles. Leather, sunroof, navigation, rear view monitor, and bose. I love the way this drives. I feel like im driving 60 mph then i look down to see im oing 80. This is my first nissan the salesperson taught me a lot about the car that just made me fall in love with it. I never feel the car jump, its just like the commercial. I have to admit nissan did a really good job on the 2007 altima. I cant wait to see whats next.

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  My all-time favorite Car - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By gm157usa - February 26 - 2:00 am

  Excellent car,powerful but smooth with good gas mileage.Super strong transmission that handles evrything I throw at it. i have the Dark Blue matallic color that is great. My only major problem thru 109k miles was my Sunroof stopped working at about 50k miles and Nissan wanted $1500 to fix it but because I was a good customer at the dealer they kept asking for a good faith discount from Nissan and after 6 months they fixed it for 650.00 i highly recommend this car!

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  My Maxima - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By Mike NYC - February 26 - 2:00 am

  I`ve only owned the car almost 2 yrs and i put at least 30,000 on it and the only thing I had to do to it was brake pads(dealer pads are the only way to go).I had the car painted since then and some other things like rims,music,suspension and a ton of other things. I`ve pretty much bonded with it the car,it has been very good to me thus far.From gas milage to reliability no bigger bang for your buck.Everyone at one point or another should own a Maxima one day.My parents borrow the car from time to time and they ask me to sell it.....

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  Great Practical Car - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By jmdineen - February 26 - 2:00 am

  This car has a lot of room for its size. I have had no problems with it at all, and it has over 26k miles. It is great on the open road (a little stiff maybe) but also handles two lane roads with lots of curves with ease. Fuel milage isnt great but not bad.

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  I love this car! - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By poichky - February 26 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this car for 1.5 months and I absolutely love it! It is comfortable, smooth, and looks great with the 5 star rims and fog lamps, and the tints I added. This car looks and runs great, and I am VERY happy with my purchase!

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  Steady eddy - 2000 Nissan Sentra
  By Scott - February 25 - 4:56 am

  I bought a 2000 Nissan Sentra GXE new. Now have over 133,000 miles and runs like the day I bought it from the dealer. Got 91,000 on original Bridgestone tires.

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  Great Car for the Money - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By johnny D - February 24 - 11:13 am

  Love the way the Altima 3.5 SE handles, cabin is very quiet at highway speeds, CVT Transmission is smooth , car is very quick, and handles great. A lot of car for the money, great job on redesigning the Altima !

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  Fun to drive - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By skidunn - February 24 - 10:00 am

  I hated removing my seats in my old car, they were too heavy and my wife never had a chance so the fold down flat rear seat and flip away second row are awesome. Havent had it long enough to determine true milage but it averages over 14 Ill be happy, after all its an SUV. Kids really enjoy all the room to get in and out. Step rail is positioned much better than the Yukon. The shifter down in the middle is very convenient for down and up shifting manually. Also like the smooth ride. It really absorbs the bumpy roads. The only bad thing is I have to share it with my wife.