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:

• 

  Cannibal Car - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By jshores - June 28 - 12:28 pm

  At 45,000 miles the Check engine light came on due to a bad Catalytic Convertor, not diagnosed correctly by dealer. Honeycomb in converter powered and was sucked into engine. Diagnosed correctly after the factory warranty ran out. At 68K miles it has scored the pistons which causes the engine to burn about 1 quart of oil every 500 miles. Would cost more to fix than car is worth. Driver side seat panels cracked and peeled apart. Car could not be aligned adequately.

• 

  Think twice before buying this used... - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By jenvok - June 24 - 11:33 pm

  Had this car for close to 5 years, just paid it off and glad I did. As mentioned in other reviews, the hubcaps rattle, there is significant wind noise, gas mileage isnt great (24mpg highway) and the ride is stiff. The seats are a tad uncomfortable and become moreso on long drives. Had to have all 4 window motors replaced under recall, then had the intake manifold gasket replaced at 63K miles ($600 job and apparently a known problem with Nissan Altimas, but not subject to recall). All that said, this has been a very reliable little car. The 4-cyl engine coped fairly with driving the Virginia hills towing a U-Haul trailer and does okay otherwise.

• 

  Reliable - 1996 Nissan Sentra
  By sunnyface5 - June 23 - 10:00 am

  I purchased this veh 3yrs ago with 75,000 miles - I now have 170,000. With regular oil changes, maintenance, this car has gotten me though difficult times

• 

  Eh... could be better, could be worse... - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By MrPicky - June 21 - 5:03 pm

  The first Nissan purchased ever. Had a Jeep Gr. Cherokee V8 before so I wasnt as impressed as most were with the power. OEM tires stink - expensive and noisy. No traction up inclined snowy driveways - wheels spin easily which is probably why its even hard to drive up ramps for oil changes. Ive got a noise coming from the engine (30K miles) that sounds like a bad engine bearing, but I have yet to take it in to find out. The cover for the air filter is extremely difficult to reinstall. No major repairs up to this point, so all the little things are not a big deal.

• 

  Watch out! - 2000 Nissan Altima
  By Larry B - June 20 - 5:45 am

  Bought this car for my son and daugther while in college. It was already is bad shape because the previous owner did not perform standard maintenance. Put almost $3000 into it to get to safety margins. Car is now inoperable due to engine failure. Dont recommend this car at this age.

• 

  Great new, but not wearing well - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By cheddar_brett - June 18 - 2:16 pm

  Bought this car new in Fall 08. I was a fan of the Nissan line, and this car seemed a good value. Yet, fit and finish and wear has been a source of pain and expense. I would not recommend, wished Id bought something different (and paid more), and wont be buying any more Nissans in the future.

• 

  3rd time sentra owner - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By d. gleason - June 18 - 10:00 am

  This is the 3rd nissan sentra Ive owned. You cant kill the engines. I wouldnt but the automatic again it really takes away from the gas mileage. My 95 5speed got 35mpg. With the automatic its about 22 in the city. The interior comfort is poor. the a/c blows very cold. The bottom line is for comuting back and forth to work its ok. And the price is right.

• 

  Decent Econobox - GXE Synergy Package - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By kenjae - June 17 - 9:14 pm

  Ive had my Sentra for almost one year now. I recently had a Nissan dealer do a 25 pt inspection. I was told my rear motor mount was torn, my throttle body needed cleaning as well as a few other minor issues. I have had the car since 55,000 miles and I am at 76,000 now. The thermostat went out at around 73,000. Basically, it is a decent decade old econobox. The factory battery is still in there working fine. I get high 20s in town mid 30s highway gas mileage. A/C kills a lot of engine power but its got a sunroof. Engine noise is not too bad. Road noise can get frightening if it is a nice pot hole. Be careful on windy highways. Performs better than expected in the snow with allseason tires

• 

  Squeak-noise - 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Amir1978 - June 12 - 2:00 am

  Good overall, but first I had wind noise issues with the roof rack, it was replaced! Now in slow driving over a little bumpy assphalt, I hear annoying queak.

• 

  2003 Altima Over rated - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By kakadude - June 12 - 2:00 am

  Seduced by the looks so I bought it. Transmission problem within 3 months because of "internal problem" so needed replacement. Buzzing from AC took 4 trips to dealer to fix. The car is GUTLESS below 4000RPM and most of the time doesnt down shift to 2nd from 4th at 40mph when trying to quickly get on the freeway -even when I stomp on the gas pedal. Will downshift to 3rd but no torque in 3rd. Feels like no difference from half to full throttle. Mass airflow sensor replaced twice already. Gas mileage only about 18-20mpg.I should have bought the 3.5se.