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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  2010 Maxima - Fit and Finish - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By maximapa1 - December 11 - 10:00 am

  Great car to drive and fantastic looks all around. Finding some "fit and finish" issues. Leather seats starting to "shed" through perforations. Like the cost and initial perforamnce but wondering about how this car will wear. Interior carpet is very weak. Hook for drivers side mat already causing a hole in carpet.

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  Excellent commuter car with space - 2011 Nissan Versa
  By Chris - December 11 - 10:00 am

  I love my versa. Its a great car for the price and has a lot of space. Its great for commuting to work. I am 65" and fit easily in the car. Its very quiet and get great gas mileage.

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  First Nissan - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Brent - December 10 - 9:43 pm

  This is our first Nissan and we love it, will never go back to any GM cars. We have gotten 34.4 MPG on the highway and anywhere for 26-29 in the city depending on the time of year as we live in MN. The inside doors do scratch easily, but I got sick of spending $1000 for 3 different GM cars for replacing the head gaskets. GMC stands for good mechanic constantly. It has been a great car. We have put 17500 miles on it since November of 2007 and have not had any problems, I cant say that about the GM cars I have owned. The Nissan cars will go a lot longer with out ANY repairs compared to the GM cars.

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  Best car yet - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By Mr P - December 10 - 6:43 pm

  Ive had my Murano for 18 months and about 25k miles. Absolutely no problems, its flawless! Before this I owned an Accura TL and was hesitant to make the change but I wanted AWD and the room of an SUV. This car is a pleasure to drive, easy to get in and out of and all the features one would want. The transmission is exceptionally smooth and the AWD is great in the snow and seamless when it kicks in. GREAT!!!

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  GREAT CAR but think twice before you buy - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By CAR CRAZEEEE - December 10 - 12:50 pm

  Let me start by writing Nissan makes the best cars. Ive had my 10 maxima for about a month and Im thrilled driving it. Here it goes "pros" fast, comfy, power upon demand, style and safety. "cons" premium gas, $pecial e$ter oil, interior design, cheap radio, not enough storage, fuel economy avg 21-23 mpg at 30 hwy miles daily and I dont even Punch the car to enjoy the "performance" all doors opens at one stage only or you have to open all the way unlike altima and toyotas they have three stage door opening, dark interior, cheap head lights, too expensive for s type at 31k and back seats are too small. Bottom line think twice before you buy it. I should have kept my 2009 Nissan altima.

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  Great Car! - 1999 Nissan Altima
  By B.Hill - December 10 - 7:23 am

  My Altima has been a great car - very reliable. Pros: good gas mileage for size, comfortable ride, sporty feel. Cons: trunk design - opening is very small for such a large trunk, both front speakers have blown out even though I dont play loud music. Cost to replace each one at dealer is about $170. I replaced one but am doing without the other for now. Overall, though, Im very pleased with my car and plan to drive it until it falls apart.

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  Reliability So Far - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By roxygrl - December 10 - 5:14 am

  Had the Juke for a month so far. Traded in my Nissan Rogue. So far so good I am finded the seats to be a little firm and stiff. Has sufficient pickup and seems to do well on gas.

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  2012 Nissan Quest SV - 2012 Nissan Quest
  By ep1 - December 10 - 2:52 am

  Just bought my Quest it was used at 43,000 miles and it still drives very quite, the ride is supple with no rattles and compared to my 2004 Pacifica the Quest is right on par with the German engineering and in ways even better! Now after a year of ownership and putting on 20,000 miles the Quest still manages to be very quiet where you can have a conversation inside with out raising you voice, all this car needed in a year was new brakes, tires and oil changes. My wife just loves this vehicle

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  Awesome People Hauler!! - 2008 Nissan Quest
  By kris - December 9 - 10:20 pm

  Just bought the 08 Quest. Car drives excellent and has a lot of room for my child, his stuff, my huge dog and all of his frisbees and all of our show equipment. I traded in an 01 Sentra that was exclusively maintained at the dealership and ran trouble free for us till we decided on a bigger vehicle. The van is very nimble and drives more like a car. Did consider the sienna and the odyssey, but the quest simply drove better and felt better. It was also cheaper by several thousands!

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  After Extensive Testing.... - 2006 Nissan Xterra
  By X-Country Roam - December 9 - 4:03 am

  I bought my X in June of 07 with 18,000 miles on it. Since then, I have driven this thing almost 30,000 miles, from Chicago, to northern Michigan, to Myrtle Beach, to northern Ohio, in light floods, blizzards, and sand. No trouble digging itself out of 3 foot snow drifts, even a 4 foot ditch (when I was stupid, and turned the traction control off). Wonderful comfort and easy to pack for long trips. I tested the "top impact" rating with a telephone pole last winter. (Black ice, my fault, not the Xs.) Kept me and my passengers safe, roof held up no problem. Holds up very well in heavy summer traffic, 30 below temps, blizzards, floods, and anything else you can think of to throw at it.