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:

• 

  Watch out on transmissions!!!! - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Joe - May 20 - 2:56 am

  My 2005 just went dead with only 50K miles on it and the dealer says the transmission is done and needs to be replaced out of warranty at a cost of $5K!!!! What kind of a car is this??? Do I have any chance of getting this replaced by Nissan at their cost? Last time I buy a lemon from this company!!

• 

  Still Lovin It! Whoosh on! - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Raven - May 19 - 1:53 pm

  Bought the 3.5 SE 10 weeks ago -- still a great ride! Do see the tire light when it gets cold but that seems to resolve when weather warms up again. Otherwise, no problems yet. Recommend you spring for the compass mirror with integrated garage opener -- available as an add-on from dealer.

• 

  The Poor Mans 5 Series! - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By Lyon - May 19 - 10:36 am

  I own a SE with a 5-speed manual that I love to drive hard. Ive owned this car for nearly six years and drove it over nearly 98K miles, and have never needed any mechanical assistance. No matter how hard Ive driven it, its never left me on the side of the road or begged for anything more than the routine oil change. The car is just a joy to drive and still performs like few cars under $30K can. When I bought it in 96, no family/sports sedan under $30K could. I dubbed this car "The Poor Mans 5-Series" because for those of us who would give their right arm for an M5 (if you didnt need it to shift) but can only afford about $26K worth of car, the Maxima makes for a decent consolation.

• 

  Always wants gas - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By Marde - May 19 - 10:00 am

  We just bought our XTERRA brand new and at first we were real excited to have our first SUV. We live out in the country and now we really have to watch our driving. The amount of gas it guzzels is awful. We thought it said 16- 23 in the city and highway and we are lucky if we get 10-12 miles to the gallon. Looking to trade it now, after 1 month. Love everything else about it but fix the gas milage 1 month

• 

  Oh, You Gotta Love It - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By grieman - May 19 - 10:00 am

  Ive been raised to love Hondas, but once I sat in the Nissan and took it for a spin, I knew I was now a Nissan man. I love this car. Its quiet, its beautiful, its comfortable. I could not be happier with the purchase.

• 

  Darn Good Car - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By Elisa - May 18 - 6:03 pm

  I bought mine about 5 - 6 months ago, drives good, I dont get 30 mpg though like the other comments left, I get about 20 mpg and 25 on highway, either way its a cute compact car, dont like the trunk lights too much but the front is nice looking, could be a little bigger inside, overall no problems.

• 

  Wont be buying another - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By TurboTayrob - May 18 - 3:10 pm

  I purchased my 02 Spec v from the original owner at 41k back in oct of 08,the car was perfect condition, one owner, all maintenance records ,I bought it because the original owner simply didnt need it anymore(close friend)I figured "hey im buyin a nissan itll last me through college" WRONG!I lay no fault at the original owner, but at nissan , at 61k im having alternator, transmission and a whole lot of other electrical problems ,needless to say I didnt think SE-R parts would be easy to find but this is ridiculous,if only the performance made up for it when I hit the back roads its all gravy but in the city im highly disappointed with reliability,performance and MPGs, my last nissan EVER

• 

  OK - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By BeMore - May 18 - 3:36 am

  The ride is not as smooth as I thought it would be. The noise inside during riding is loud. Gas mileage is nothing to write home about.

• 

  Sooooooo disappointed - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By lori_colorado - May 18 - 3:09 am

  I purchased a 2006 Maxima about 2 years ago. Within that 2 years, Ive repaired the airconditioning unit, replaced the transmission, and replaced the catalytic converter. Nissan wont do anything, even though these are common problems! Ive put thousands of dollars into this car. I loved it when I bought it and I thought Id be a Nissan owner for life, but now I know Ill never purchase another one!! This was so not worth the money, Im very disappointed.

• 

  15K and still purring along! - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Chris - May 17 - 4:27 pm

  I am a first time owner of any Nissan vehicles. I have owned a lot of cars and I have read the reviews about Nissan vehicles in the past. People are correct that Nissan did have major issues with their CVT transmissions in the past. All I can say to anyone as a suggestion is that whenever you by any new vehicle or slightly used is buy the EXTENDED WARRANTY. My mother passed away in May 2015 and this was her vehicle and I took over on the payments and decided to take ownership of it and sold my amazing 2003 Infiniti I35 (Nissan/Infiniti are one) to keep it. Unlike the cars before 1999 all these new cars have a lot of sensors and computer crap and does go bad. More importantly if you see issues with your vehicle check online for recalls and check with the NHTSA (register your vehicle and they will send you complaints and recalls on your car). Research online for technical service bulletins that recommended service needed for the vehicle. When I purchased my first newer car ever in 2013 (never drove a car pass the year 1995) it was an amazing Infiniti FX50 S I got it from a private owner who had passed away and his wife was selling it. I got it for $10-$15 below book value so I thought I got it for a deal. First thing I did was research on the vehicle and though it had only 28,000 miles I was told an extended warranty was needed. Thank god I did it cost me $3,000 for the 7 years 120,000 coverage but in 5 months the Infiniti dealership did over $5,000 worth of work. Why? I found online thru NHTSA complaints from consumers about the vehicle and I found some of my own issues since I been working on car for some time. I also registered my vehicle thru Infiniti and called the corporate office and had a case number assigned to my vehicle forcing the dealership to fix the vehicle. Ironically enough you would think they would want to fix it since Infiniti corporation pays the dealerships when it comes to recalls or defects. Hope this has helped some of you out there. Reality is they dont make the cars like they use to. I love the cars from the late 80s and early 90s because they were simple now they manufacturer cars so you cant work on them and force you to go to the dealership.