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 car thus far - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Charly - January 2 - 3:10 am

  GAS MILEAGE IS OVERRATED THUS FAR. Ive had it under a year and have been pretty disappointed by the gas mileage.

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  altima - 2014 Nissan Altima
  By jbbblock - January 1 - 9:04 am

  During test rides I noticed the leather seats were far more comfortable than the cloth seats. The cloth is very sticky. I bought the Altima S with the sport value package because with the leather seats the cost was too high for me. NASA should stick to rocket ships not car seats. I have not found a Physical therapist that recommends a curved back while driving. Headrest is slanted far too forward! Combine that with little lumbar support my back will ache after 1 hour of driving. Make sure your ok with the headrest angle/seats. Also the heater wont heat the car when its under ten below 0F outside. Otherwise the car is awesome! So fun and easy to drive!

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  Very Pleased So Far - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By emgrtrct - January 1 - 7:54 am

  Ive owned my Sentra SR with the Drivers Package for one week. I previously drove a 10-year old Corolla with a lot of life left in it but in looking toward the future, now was the right time to make a purchase. I am a lifelong Toyota owner and am hoping this car is as reliable as my Toyotas have been. I compared the 2013 Corolla, Mazda 3, Jetta, Civic, Elantra and Sentra. Each had its benefits and drawbacks - it comes down to finding the right fit for the driver. I do not feel like I am driving an "economy" car which was part of the appeal of the Sentra. I have heard it called the "Small-tima" because it closely resembles the Altima.

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  Pleasantly surprised! - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Billy Minder - December 31 - 1:14 pm

  First time ever leasing a car, and my first new car. Got it the end of Sept 2015. I went into the search wanting a base model Camry or Accord, but I did drive the Altima because a friend was a salesman there, but I liked the Camry better. Then I took the wife. She wanted the Altima because she liked the styling and how the dealership treated us, and the manager was going to lease us a top-of-the-line Altima SL for just a little more than the base model. Its a very pretty pearlized white, hard loaded. So we compromised and got the Altima. lol. Happy wife, happy... however the rest of the saying goes. The car has grown on me a lot. The fuel mileage on road trips is incredible, its been getting in the 40s! Has plenty of power, very comfortable seats, road noise isnt as low as the Camry was, but its quiet enough. Feels solid and stable, tight, corners well, interior materials feel good and look nice. I like driving it. The car is very comfortable for me, Im 65" and 250. Plenty of room and comfort. Many cars that have sunroofs dont have enough headroom for me, but this Altima has plenty of head room, leg room, and lots of back seat room, even when I have the seat back. The CVT is... interesting. On the highway its awesome. Set the cruise and go. Because its continuously variable theres never any downshifting. You can watch the tach move up and down on hills, but you dont feel it, its very smooth. You can hear the engine pick up rpms a little bit but its not obtrusive or loud. So I really like it on trips. And did I mention the gas mileage is great?? We just got back from a trip up to Vail, CO and it had plenty of power on the passes and still got 41 mpg!! On another road trip with 4 people and our luggage we got 44 mpg! Love it! Around town it feels a little different. Tip-in throttle off the line doesnt provide much oomph, but once youre over 10 mph or so, its got plenty of zip. Actually quite quick for a 4 cylinder. I never feel like its underpowered. We live at 6200 feet elevation. The V6 version of the Altima must be a rocket with 80 more horses. Also around town the CVT isnt always as smooth and linear as a traditional automatic. Sometimes you notice a slight lag or surge. It doesnt bother the wife at all, I dont think she even notices it, but for me its just a little odd, but not a deal-breaker. I notice that in town if I put it in D-sport mode its more responsive and smooth. If you really want it to be snappy and drive aggressively around town, turn off the Over Drive. It leaves the engine in the higher rpms and feels like a little sports car. Overall, I dont mind the CVT and am happy with it. Heres some niggly things that I think Nissan should take care of for future Altimas: - When you hit the off button (its keyless) it kills the power to everything; the stereo, the windows, its OFF. Most cars leave the power on for a minute or two so you can roll windows up or listen to the radio. On the Altima, once you shut it off, thats it. Seems odd to me. - The sound system has no mute button... any where. You either have to turn the sound down or the system off. Not handy. - There is no scan or seek function on the stereo. Nothing but the tuning knob. Weird. You can toggle through your presets but thats it. - The detents on the tuning knob to change stations is too soft. Its hard to go one click to the next station because you can barely feel the detents. - The voice command system feels kind of outdated. Its kinda clunky to use. - The Navigation system feels like its from 3 generations ago. Our smart phones GPS and navigation systems have become so simple, intuitive and make helpful suggestions, so they are quick and easy to use. Nissans nav system feels old. And even when you have the street address and try to input it, sometimes it still cant seem to find the right address in its address book. But once you get the right place in, it navigates just fine. But sometimes youre sitting there inputting, deleting, inputting, backing out to the previous menu... it could be improved quite a bit. Come on Nissan, just use Google maps or something! - The back up camera resolution is ok, not great. I drove my friends Jeep Cherokee and that back up camera is like High Def compared to the Altimas. Nissan could improve that. Its ok, just on the blurry side and makes it feel dated. - The cupholders are kinda on the small side, so my wifes water bottles that she takes on a run dont fit. - The info screen between the speedo and the tach has some info that is in a really small font. They should be increased for readability. Speaking of that screen between the gauges, I with Nissan gave the option having less screens to have to toggle through. The blue tooth connectivity seems fine. Overall even with the issues I mentioned, I really like the car and glad we got it. Im impressed. My wife is very happy with it. It would be fun to drive a V6 Altima sometime.

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  Wonderful with Navigation - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By ruditoot - December 31 - 12:53 pm

  Traded my 2002 quest in and found this one from ABC Nissan Fleet department, Worked out my trade with Nathion, It was loaded with everyting but a sink. I wanted a navigation system but worked out a deal. Went to California and a Grand nice was driveing when someone local said turn here. { No way that gal not been wrong yet and I am going where she says } right to the door. To Oklahoma and averaged 24 mpg, Back to AZ 23.8 All I have done is routine service. Comertable to drive, No back pain like my SUV. Easy to drive and I love it. Power and accelaration is good and smoth. YOu should love it if you get one. Thanks

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  Wonderful with Navigation - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By ruditoot - December 31 - 12:20 pm

  Traded my 2002 quest in and found this one from ABC Nissan Fleet department, Worked out my trade with Nathion, It was loaded with everyting but a sink. I wanted a navigation system but worked out a deal. Went to California and a Grand nice was driveing when someone local said turn here. { No way that gal not been wrong yet and I am going where she says } right to the door. To Oklahoma and averaged 24 mpg, Back to AZ 23.8 All I have done is routine service. Comertable to drive, No back pain like my SUV. Easy to drive and I love it. Power and accelaration is good and smoth. YOu should love it if you get one. Thanks

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  No Problems - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By dlkoenig - December 30 - 11:40 pm

  After over one year of driving the Nissan Quest we are completely satisfied with this vehicle. It meets all of our needs perfectly. We have four children from 2 to 14 years of age and it hauls us around with lots of room. It is easy to care for and clean. The kids love and we love it even more. It has so many practical features, is well thought out and designed. From the back up sonar to the power rear hatch to the folding seats that interchange easily it is the best . Best of all we have had no problems with this vehicle. Thanks Nissan for a great Miniivan.

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  Very satisfied owner - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By Steven L. Weinstein - December 29 - 10:00 am

  After owning a Datsun 240 & 260Z back in the early 70s, I was pleased to see the 350Z arrive. The car is everything you can ask for in the price range. Its fun to drive, turns heads everywhere you go and asks to be driven hard. I have had zero complaints and look forward to many, many miles of enjoyable driving.

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  I love it - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By Pitlizard - December 29 - 10:00 am

  Traded 1982 280ZX for the new 350Z. Traction control "ON" is a must for normal driving. First year model does have some issues, but Nissan is doing their best to resolve. I am very happy with the response of the 287ph and the 6 Speed is very smooth. Its hard not to punch it every time you get a chance. Handling and performance are outstanding for a $30K true sports car.

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  the Sentra seR Spec V - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By BryCe1 - December 29 - 10:00 am

  its the best car ever ...nothing could over do it..