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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  xterra se super charged - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By greg pittaway - February 10 - 2:00 am

  well this is a truck.but with alot of power.the super charger helps alot.its a beauty.alot of people look.and it is a rarity too.really bad on mileage.and the trim fades after a while from common useage.but all in all its a terrific truck.

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  Not much better than nothing. - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Picky Driver - February 10 - 2:00 am

  Still drives and rides like a SUV. Needs a better dynamic stability control system. Cheap looking instrumentation panel. No day time running light. Need to lose that chrome grill. The vehicle has a cover underneth, which makes it more difficult to change oil yourself and more costly to get it done at a shop. Obviously Nissan wants us to pay premium for routine maintenance and thinks we are stupid because we dont know "total-ownership- cost". Self-serving companies such as Nissan dont deserve to be around. This will likely be my last Nissan. What a mistake for buying this piece of junk.

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  We love our Murano!! - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By molly11 - February 10 - 2:00 am

  Weve had our Murano for just a week now and our absolutely loving it. The ride is smooth and car-like. The CVT transmission is awesome...still getting used to not feeling the shifting. We used our Murano to pick up a piece of furniture the first day and found the seats very easy to fold flat, and the cargo area spacious. We also considered the Highlander, the Pilot, the Pathfinder and the Sorrento. After seeing and then driving the Murano, though, the decision was easy. This is the SUV to buy if you want to turn some heads!

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  glacier pearl w/ cabernet leather - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By bgeguy - February 10 - 2:00 am

  had the SUV about two weeks. very nice, I get alot of comments and questions about it. very good performance. like the CVT- its very smooth. interior ergonomics are nice. I finally got cupholder that is where my hand naturally grabs for. BOSE stereo is excellent. slightly hard ride, but it is much better than the standard SUV drive. Test drove Highlander, Pilot, X5 and chose the Murano.

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  Wow - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Garle - February 10 - 2:00 am

  I received the Murano as a Valentine gift from my husband. I love it! It is luxury, great drive, and the Bose stereo is wonderful. It rides more like a car than an SUV or a truck. It handles great and has "get up and go". I highly recommend it!

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  Hooked on the King Cab 4cyl 5man - 2009 Nissan Frontier
  By jkw - February 9 - 10:50 pm

  This is the third King Cab 4cyl 5/man since 1985. Nuff said.

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  01 SE - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Robert - February 9 - 12:56 pm

  great ownership experience highly recommend, the 3.5 V6 is incredible for reliability and power.

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  Happy overall - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By VANESSA - February 9 - 12:03 pm

  I love the look of this car and all of the features. I have had some problems though w/ the keyless entry but its in the process of being fixed. Great car for first time buyer who wants a lot for a moderate price.

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  Was dissapoiinted - 1998 Nissan Frontier
  By nextride - February 9 - 11:29 am

  I bought this truck in 2010 in the 4WD exteded cab thinking it would be reliable and i wanted decent gas milage for a truck. It had 140,000 miles on it and the gas milage was not as good as i hped it would be average about 19 mpg. I will say that the 4WD works very good in the snow. For a while it was fine then slowly small things started to fail on it. These were not the end of the world but they were annoying. Finally the transmission went out on me on a road trip at 155,000 miles. I do not know if it was due to a fluid leak or if it just happened. But the repair will be very expensive since they only made it for two years and it comes as a unit with the transfer case.

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  Favorite car ever owned - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By John Utley - February 9 - 2:00 am

  No mechanical problems, only disappointed with body style change. Enjoy looks of 2002-2003 a little more. Great clutch, air conditioner works great. Silver car traps heat pretty bad though. Use windshield cover it helps alot!