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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  Mixed Feelings - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By Dan - September 11 - 11:40 am

  First the bad news after 500 mile road trip. Front seats dont provide the comfort/quality support that second row seats do. Longer seat bottoms like the second row would be the fix for tall guys. The seat covering on front of the driver and passenger seats bottoms will not stay attached to the seat pan. I noticed this in the first 30 miles. Its on my list to fix. The hood, headlights and grille dont line up correctly. Gaps are off on lift gate. Low speeds 18-22 MPH on gravel roads leaves the trans hunting for right gear. Not enough storage areas. Steering wheel is too far from driver when seat is back. Tires vibrate even after dealer balanced them before I took delivery.

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  titan gone bad - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By kennythornhill - September 11 - 10:00 am

  driverside rear seat belt still not working right since may. had truck in for worped rotors fixed but worped again. had brake recall done still getting shaking when braking around 30mph. stereo reception sucks,power windows will not come up when pulling up on switchs the first time. front bumper is not aligned properly. maybe i just got a lemon or could it be it was built on a monday or friday.

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  Could be better - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Andre Woon - September 11 - 10:00 am

  The car is sexy and fun to drive.I had a Altima before for about 10yr. Needless to say i was a lot younger and crazier. I figured if after 180,000 mil the car was still kicking strong with all those doughnuts and corner to corner races, id stick with Nissan. Im a lot older and wiser now so no more doughnuts. I like the acceleration on the car , the second glances one gets from people when passing by or just standing still.The alloy wheels and tires holds well when corning. Over all i feel good about the car for the money i spent. However if when im ready for another car if certain things arent changed i think id go to toyota (lexus)

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  3 years and 60,000 miles later - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By 6th SUV - September 10 - 3:03 am

  This has been a very good vehicle for us. Runs rings around the 99 Grand Cherokee we had before this Pathfinder. However in my 40 years of driving I have never had an exhaust manifold break. Not one but both broke on this SUV at 50,000 miles and the dealer wants $1200.00 to replace them. I feel this is not a normal situation and should have been replaced under the drivetrain warrenty. Besides this issue this has been a very reliable SUV, we travel with it alot and I have confidence where ever I go with it.

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  a womans view - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By rhonda - September 9 - 10:26 pm

  i like the pathfinder but it is not good on gas and the defrost unit is not that great

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  Not as good as people say - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Buhba - September 9 - 10:16 pm

  After 4 yrs, 35,000+ miles, very roomy, nice exterior, enough powerful, good MPG. Very noisy, twice changed shock absorbers (on warranty), over 3 yrs something knock in right front area, no one knows what is that, gaps around headlights, askew bracing of trunk hood, bumpers are very easy to markup after that looks cheap.

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  High Mileage Altima - 1998 Nissan Altima
  By Dragasoni - September 8 - 7:20 am

  I bought my 98 Altima in March 2001 with 30,000 miles. Now it has over 200,000 miles! Ive had almost NO problem with this car either. I had to replace the alternator at 120,000 miles and the the CV joints at 150,000 miles. The car has never broken down, and has made several long trips to New York, Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta from Tampa Bay. About 65% of the miles are higway and about 35% are city. It currently runs strong, just as it did when I first bought it. It does burn some oil (1 quart every 4,000 miles) and its a bit slower then it was 170,000 miles ago. I dont maintain it as good as I should though. I change the oil every 5,000 miles.

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  the one thing nissan for got - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By janie - September 7 - 2:26 am

  the big thing that i miss on my murano is a back up sensor i traded my jag for this car and it had a sensor after a while you just get use to having one and backing up at night it would sure help

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  Overall I like it, but have had issues - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Had a few problems - September 6 - 5:16 pm

  I bought this car used with about 36K miles on it. I previously had a 2002 Maxima GLE which I like but wanted the newer body style. I noticed fairly shortly after I purchased this one that the car shifted hard between 1st/2nd and 2nd/3rd gears and much harder during downshifting (automatic trans). I also thought that my older Maxima was better made. This one just looks cheaper inside.

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  Good News; Bad News - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Beatnoe - September 6 - 5:06 pm

  First the good news: 1. The CVT transmission is fantastic. 2. Abundant interior room. 3. Good sound system. 4. Superb comfort. Now the bad news: 1. There is a serious blind spot caused by the design and slope of the roofline. One must use extreme caution backing out of parking spaces and/or swithching lanes. 2. I have not been able to achieve better than 25 mpg around town or 31 mpg on the highway. This is a major disappointment. 3. At 1,100 miles the low tire warning light malfunctioned and will not go off. I have waited over a month for a replacement module. Will other parts be difficult for my dealer to obtain? Bottom line: My next car will be a Toyota.