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 - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By pelican pete - December 13 - 4:10 am

  I bought this car from a private party in 1998. It has a lot of power, looks attractive, is comfortable to drive. Fuel economy is good. It was a good choice then and it continues to have a timeless appearance to it. Everyone is always surprised to learn that it is a 1995 vehicle.

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  Best Truck - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By Gravestone - December 13 - 1:50 am

  I drive a lot and I do heavy towing with this truck. I just went up to Maine towing a 7X14 trailer with 5500 GVW and got 17 MPG. Thats what a good full size truck gets without towing a heavy trailer. The truck is very dependable great on and off road and very comfortable for a truck.

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  Great Car! - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By SUV - December 12 - 8:36 pm

  The Murano steers with ease even with the 18" tires and glides along without any sense of shift change. The ride is smooth and comfortable. The only difficulty is with the front and rear vision because of the design of the windows front and back. Other than that I would buy this car over again.

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  1995 Nissan Maxima - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By john33rr - December 12 - 4:01 pm

  We bought this car in 1998 and it has 46,000 miles on it. We drove it until April 2012 when it had 265,000 miles on it. Very little maintenance on this car. It would get 34 MPG on the Interstate and around 26 MPG local. We sold it to a friend and it is still running. Best car we have ever owned. Way to go Nissan. I would have bought another Maxima but they started putting 3.5 liter engines in them. Bad for gas.

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  Good Family Minivan - 2013 Nissan Quest
  By rfallert - December 12 - 12:10 pm

  We purchased the Nissan Quest back in February and so far we have not had any problems. It continues to ride smoothly and comfortably. The interior is very nice and still enjoying the luxury feel. The performance and handling is good and it continues to be fun to drive. I believe it is a good value for what you pay. My only concern would be the third row seats. It seems a little low for the average adult to sit. I would consider another Nissan vehicle in the future.

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  Best car I have owned - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By alan - December 12 - 9:53 am

  Owned a 3 year old Chevy Trailblazer plagued by poor quality and workmanship. We originally purchased a new Murano for my wife and liked it so much i traded my Trailblazer in for one 4 months after we purchased the first. In short the best car I have ever purchased. The Murano had more standard features and better performance than cars costing $15000 more. Never had a problem with either Murano, economical, good performance, handles great in the rough New England winter. I will buy another when we buy a new car.

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  Great Car - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By Roger - December 12 - 7:46 am

  Extremely fun car. Always makes a bad day great! Compare to others on maket and the Z is without a doubt most polished for the price. Plenty of power, great features, and really clean looks, especially with top put away.

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  Nicely Done Nissan - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By SixFive - December 12 - 5:03 am

  Nice car in black with 20 inch wheels. Very plush interior and very much not a german built interior, which is good for a change. We chose this over the loaded FX35 even though within $10 of the payment we have with Murano. The Murano has a wondefully smooth powertrain with terrific town and highway power thanks to the VQ 3.5. The immediate availability of torque via the CVT by pressing the gas at any rpm is very impressive and very uneventful without gear changes. The car has superb output even on regular gas. Many 300hp SUVs dont have the grunt of this car. We just came out of a VW Toaureg. While not as solid a structure, it does shed about 650 pounds from the "egg".

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  Alternator - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By jolene - December 11 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my car for 5 yrs. Have had 4 alternators put in. Was left stranded again. Shop says nothing wrong with alternator or battery. Must be a short some where.

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  Very unhappy - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By VERY UNHAPPY - December 11 - 10:00 am

  I have had my maxima for quite some time now and Im just experiencing the problems. I now have to replace my transmission, which seems to be a common problem with this car. And the transmission is very expensive. We are trying to find a cheaper route than the 4,000 price the transmission company is charging. But before the transmission I didnt have any problems. I think its quite unfair that EVERYONE is having the same problem with their car. That means its a problem in the manufacturing of this vehicle..And to think I was going to consider getting another maxima! I dont think so! not a good buy!