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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  Typical Nissan Truck... - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By theironchefchris - July 24 - 3:56 pm

  After a year, the truck has impressed the hell outta me. I went with it over the Tacoma which I like a lot as well but the Nissan was black, so I had to get it. The truck is what it is; a tough tank of a truck, nothing you dont need, simple, great design, and super powerful. The price is right and it holds its value well. Im hoping to keep this thing for a long long time at least until we can get one with a diesel! The paint is a bit weak and does chip behind the doors near the fender flares, but hey its a truck. Also, mine didnt have keyless entry and i got it from eBay for 7 bucks, so stop complaining people! I use it daily and love this truck, excited to drive it everyday

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  Family Wagon With Looks - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By Dave - July 24 - 3:00 pm

  The 4 doors are great for a family and the benefits of a pickup bed. Traded a 1994 Ranger for this truck. Gas mileage is the same but the power of the Nissan 4.0 is better than the Ford 3.8 dog. Getting 19 mpg - it is a truck.

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  Beautiful on the outside, ugly under the hood - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Brian Johnson - July 23 - 6:25 pm

  DO NOT BUY A NISSAN PRODUCT UNTIL THEY ADMIT AND FIX THEIR TRANSMISSION ISSUES!!!! I bought a 2013 Altima new at my local dealership (very nice and helpful people) in Sept. of 13. It had a 60k mile warranty. Based on my brief experience, 3 of my coworkers bought Altimas shortly thereafter. The car began to "shudder" upon slight acceleration at 25k miles. I was told that this was normal and there was nothing wrong. At 55k miles the car began to shake and shut off when I would come to a stop. I went online and read that many others had experienced the same thing and it was the CVT transmission going out. I took it in and they said the transmission had to be replaced. Thank goodness it was still in warranty. I expressed a concern about the transmission and asked if there was a problem. I was told "absolutely not" and the new transmission would be fine. It had a 12 month, 12k mile warranty. Within 2 months, 2 of my coworkers had their transmission go out!!! After 11 months, I had put 30k miles on the car (I drive a lot for work). THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AGAIN!!!! I was told "it is out of warranty and it will be $3800". I told them that it wasnt right and Nissan has a BIG problem that they refuse to admit. They called their Nissan rep and after haggling, he agreed to cover everything except about $900. I told them that I expected ALL of the cost to be covered. They are getting back with Nissan and are supposed to call me back today. I cant believe there is not a class-action lawsuit on this. I have seen THOUSANDS of complaints online. Also, I have visited with several others who have had transmission go out on THEIR NISSANS - Pathfinders, Sentras, and trucks. DONT BUY A NISSAN UNTIL THEY ADMIT AND FIX THIS PROBLEM!!!!

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  Happy Camper - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Happy Camper - July 23 - 12:26 pm

  I traded my full size 08 Titan 4x4 in on this car because I refused to pay $100 for a tank of gas. Very, very painful decision. But in the end, it was the right decision. I looked at all the economy cars and happily decided on the Sentra. I havent had any problems with my Nissans. This car has nice room for its size (Im 6-4 and 36" inseam), pretty good quality manufacture, good power, 31-33 mpg, and handling is good except I get blown around pretty good in high winds and behind semi-trucks. I got a great deal on this car.

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  First Mini-van - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By badtime - July 23 - 8:16 am

  Air compressor was frozen on the first trip (350 miles away). Spend your own money on hotel and food if you dont buy the Security+Plus package.

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  Very nice truck - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By army95bravo - July 23 - 3:13 am

  I purchased my 2008 Frontier used with 32,000 miles on it(one owner). The truck is great, turning radius sucks and I wish they included fog lights as standard equipment on the Frontier. Ive had Toyotas and Nissans and both are very reliable trucks. But this time it was all about price. I love this Frontier, the way it rides, the looks of it!

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  Great looking econo car - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By 350Z Owner too - July 22 - 8:46 pm

  I own a 350Z and its gas hungry and I wanted something I could commute to work a few days a week to save on gas, but also travel in. I researched and came across the Versa. Its got a great interior design compared to comparable cars in its class. Its roomy and has great visibility all around, which is hard to say for the 350Z. I think this is a great buy for anyone looking for a good point A to B car to save on gas, but not feel like your driving a cheap tin can on wheels.

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  Shuddering transmission - 2014 Nissan Pathfinder
  By zborra - July 22 - 4:12 pm

  As others vehicle shudders at low speed but not consistenly and never in the shop and nor did our dearship know or ever heard of this problem. On recent vacation when our car was lowed to the nearest dealership, thats an enitely different story, we mentioned it to the service manager who know exactly what I was talking as soon as I said transmission problems. They have replace two transmissions already with the exact same issue. Conclusion is we mentioned it yet a third time to our local dealership who finally tried some thing revolutionary and looked up the problem on the internet! Finally agreed to address the issue. New transmission being installed as we speak.

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  2008 Nissan Sentra 2.0 s manual trans - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Cassandra - July 22 - 7:50 am

  Great car, I drive to and from college in it and often get over 36 miles to the gallon. The 6 speed manual is fun to drive, but a little difficult to get used to at first. The new sentra is full of extras: the bluetooth system makes answering calls while on the road a lot safer; the back seats fold down for extra storage; there is an amazing audio system with radio, cd, and mp3 compatability; as well as a trip computer and air bags everywhere.

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  Great Truck... - 2012 Nissan Pathfinder
  By jbw5 - July 22 - 6:24 am

  Awesome truck. Bought a brand-spankin new one Wednesday night and am happy. Took the family to the beach and was impressed with the ride and gas mileage on the freeway. My only real complaint about this thing is headlights. Very hard to see, even when using the high beams. The SatNav system is awesome as well as the information display. No USB port, but aux input is there. The overall fit and finish is really nice.. and the Nissan dealer I dealt with (Jenkins Nissan) was very accommodating and professional. People complain that this thing "rides like a truck," but thats WHAT IT IS. Its meant to be tossed around and used as such. If you want an SUV that comes with a purse, go buy a CR-V.