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 on gas, Fun to drive, No repairs - 1995 Nissan 200SX
  By nfast - February 28 - 10:00 am

  This is our second Nissan Car. We bought it used from the original owner when it had 135000 miles. It was just getting broke in. We havent had to do any repairs. Just normal maintanance, brakes, struts, tires, etc. Gets 38 on the highway at 70 mph. and no less than 33 in the city. Just change the oil and it will keep on running.

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  Incredible car. - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By harmonic - February 28 - 10:00 am

  I purchased this 1995 Maxima SE last month. Coming from a 1988 ford tempo, the 3.0 V6 engine with its impressive 190 horses was especially pleasing. Ive gotten to 100 mph at 5600 RPMs in 3rd gear. There is no question, this is the best V6 in any family car model of 1995. The only downside Ive had so far is the almost uncontainable urge to give the tremendously responsive V6 more than a tiny hint of pressure on the gas pedal and take off like a fighter jet in the middle of a busy street. Excellent features, attractive rear spoiler. Suspension is annoyingly stiff on bumpy straightaways, but it pleasingly effective on turns.

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  The best car in America - 2003 Nissan Maxima
  By the nissanator - February 28 - 10:00 am

  there is nothing better than the maxima. It gives you a little bit of both worlds, the luxury and the performance. is the best car Ive ever owned. Nissan keep doing what youre doing, because in a couple of years Nissan is gonna be better than Honda and Toyota

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  Great Car for the $ - 2003 Nissan Maxima
  By Peacock - February 28 - 10:00 am

  Looking at other cars in the class - Acura, Audi, Saab etc for $10K less the Maxima is the best bargin out there. 255 HP is plenty, infact I call this family car STUPID FAST, The ride is smooth, the cornering is great. Compared to the other two Altima SEs that I have owned this is a huge step up in fit and finish as well as creature comforts. The 6 spd is fine, although I have not had too many chance to wind the thing up where 6th gear is needed. Acceleration is excellent and stability while accelerating is good for a front wheel drive car. For $21K it is a steal, yes $21K not the sticker $27K...

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  This is one AWESOME vehicle - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Leena - February 28 - 10:00 am

  I bought a Nissan Altima after owning 3 different SUVs, all 6 cyl. This 4 cyl. Altima outruns everyone of them and they were some pretty expensive SUVs, we are not talking Rodeos here. This vehicle made it to Disneyland, CA from Las Vegas, NV in a little over 3 hours! Incredible.

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  Nissan worst car Ive ever purchased - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Gipson - February 27 - 6:56 am

  I bought this 2009 Altima with 40,000 miles on it. Within a month the tps sensors went out. 600$ to repair. Less than 2years later those same sensors go out again another 600$ to repair. 4Years into the car the transmission is going bad and Nissan does not repair or even troubleshoot the transmission they only suggest replacing it when they feel it might b the issue. HONDA HERE I COME!!! I also have a 2003 honda that has 180,000 miles that Ive had over 8years no issues at all with it.

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  Love-it, if you can afford fuel - 2001 Nissan Frontier
  By Dan Myers - February 27 - 5:46 am

  This truck can go anywhere, and do just about anything. I keep it nice and clean and get so many compliments on its beefy, in your face look. I like the fact that I can work on it myself easily, even though I have had no major problems just the normal wear items. The rear bumper is hard to keep from chips even though I have factory oversized mud flaps. Love the color med. blue with dark gray trim. The worst is the mileage 13.5 around town, and 15.4 on a trip, for a small truck?? I have buddies with full sized trucks who do better. But I still like the truck.

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  me - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By jim - February 27 - 3:46 am

  drive about 55-60 miles a day. it gets right in to the flow of trafic very well. i get about 270 to 300 miles by 1/2 a tank.

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  Steering is dangerously bad - 2008 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Joefly5 - February 27 - 12:50 am

  Drives great initially, but after about 4k miles, youll notice a very pronounced vibration in the steering at highway speeds. Sometimes its so severe you can barely control the car. Lots of others have this problem if you search Google, and theres no resolution at the dealership. Just plain bad engineering on this one. Wish I had known before buying.

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  Passing Gas Stations! - 2012 Nissan Leaf
  By carlover59 - February 26 - 8:40 pm

  Had for over a month and with nearly a 1000 miles, I havent had to purchase any gas yet for our other car (gas of course, we always drive the Leaf whenever possible). The Leaf feels like a luxury car, not a economy car. Quieter than a Lexus, a smooth ride and based upon the electricity used so far, averaging around 140 mpg equivalent. The city driving range has been around 80 miles which for my daily commute has been good.