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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  Awesome Car!!! - 1997 Nissan Sentra
  By Tenisrunner05 - November 17 - 2:00 am

  This car is the best car I have ever driven. This is my first car and I am going to keep for a very long time. Very fun to drive. Very smooth ride and no complaints.

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  Very Pleased - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By cheap - November 17 - 2:00 am

  Overall I am very pleased with the Sentra. I previously owned an Audi A4 so I miss many of the little comforts of the Audi, but I do not miss the expensive upkeep and low gas milage. The Sentra is reliable, performs well for the gas milage it gets and with a spoiler its not that bad to look at either. Ive only had the car for a few months and I already have 14,000 miles on it. If the 2.5 was out when I bought it, I would have gotten the 2.5l

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  Power oPlenty - 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Southern Fried - November 17 - 2:00 am

  Fun to drive and practical at the same time. Best bang for your money. If you are looking for a status symbol get an X5. If you are looking for something economical, practical and still fun to drive. I love mine.

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  junk, junk, junk - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By junk - November 17 - 1:00 am

  I bought this car new. Had no problems with it until about 8000 miles. Since then, it has has a new radio and about to have a new rear view mirror. This is all I can get fixed. The transmission is junk and the motor runs like a diesel. It knocks and rattles and seems to get worse. The tranny is junk. Any load and it slips and I get ready to call for a pick up. The air bag sensor on the passenger seat is defected. Making matters worse, customer service says nothing is wrong and the car is old and is going to have these problems at 9000 total miles. I will never own a nissan again.

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  A little trouble expected - 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
  By reviewer17 - November 16 - 12:06 pm

  With 2 kids now and carpooling I needed something with a third row. I love it because its not totally huge but the inside (even the third row) is very roomy. I especially like the second row folds forward even with car seat in it. We got the car in Dec of 2012. We got one of the first ones in our state and When we got there they were still cleaning it up and saw them taking stickers off some of the interior that said Infiniti on them. Yes this platinum addition has the interior of a luxury car/SUV . Now on performance. The car drives great!!!! I have had the car a year and a half and have over 10000. I have had zero issues except for the recall on airbag and brakes.

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  Couldnt Be Happier - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Jason - November 15 - 11:03 pm

  The reputation of Nissans engines are what drew me to the make. I originally set out for a Pathfinder, but after driving the Maxima about 2 inches, I was sold. The Maxima is the perfect blend of family sedan and sports feel/performance for me. I satisfy my familys needs without having to resort to a minivan or a pedestrian sedan. I love it.

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  Still running strong - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By ryogy - November 15 - 4:38 pm

  My wife got the SL in 09 and its now passed 80.000 miles. Ive read all the bad reviews here and all I can say is: were either lucky with our Murano or those other cars havent seen a lot of maintenance. Of course, its gone through 2 batteries but that is due to the fact that my better half never turns off any of the electrical consumers and her regular commute is generally short. ...And like other MO users, weve experienced that strange phenomenon when you have to call the Ghostbusters to scare the electrical gremlins that keep you from starting the car. Other than that, it has been a trusty companion. Powertrain runs strongs, the plastic interior holds good, all it needs is oils&fil

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  Bang for the buck - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By J. Regier - November 15 - 9:40 am

  Best bang for the buck. I chose the SL over the Acura TL. The only things I gave up were better turning radius, blue tooth, and better cornering (I didnt get the vehicle stability system). However, low end torque is much better (watch the torque steer), and the amenities are much better as well. An example of this is the steering wheel audio control. Acura has the typical volume up/down, preset/track button. Nissan has a far more practical set-up w/ power on/off, mode (i.e. change btwn CD and the 18 presets), volume up/down and track up/down. Dont know why I need two subs, but the 320 watt Bose system rocks. Love auto-dim mirrors (three), ability to link seat/mirror set to keyfob.

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  2nd time around - 2010 Nissan Titan
  By daddyo - November 14 - 8:40 pm

  This is my second Titan, the first was a 2005 LE. I went to a 2007 Chevy Silverado, big mistake, what a piece of junk. I just swapped for a 2010 Titan LE loaded, way nicer in every aspect. As someone else said no buyer remorse. Add to that buiy at invoice and a $4,000.00 rebate, the rest are just also rans. FYI, my 2005 only went in for repairs once in 3 years and that was for a squeaky drivers seat which was fixed, dont even get me started on the Silverado, paint peeling, emblems falling off, dash rattles, the list goes on.

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  Ferarri Beater - 2010 Nissan GT-R
  By Driver2755 - November 14 - 10:20 am

  Just returned from a Ferrari Owners club drive. None of the over 40 cars represented, including a Lambo Murci could touch the GTRs acceleration. The only problem is the factory installed governor which limits the top end to 155. Working to fix this problem. This car is fantastic and I have owned many exotic cars.