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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  Altima! - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Jedidiah - October 16 - 10:00 am

  This car is very fun to drive and the interior is great. Test drove Camry, Passat, Lexus, and Jetta and the Altima Out did them all.

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  wow - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By joebobster - October 15 - 5:50 pm

  I have done alot of research, and this car is something else...finally purchased it and the stick is very smooth, the ride is excellent...and aweseome acceleration...i got it with the wood trim and emerald green...absoluletly beautiful car...

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  Not Pleased - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By br - October 14 - 11:20 am

  I bought this car brand new at the beginning of 2008 however, I purchased the 2007 model. I have 29,000 miles on the vehicle and Nissan has had three recalls on the vehicle. This is important depending on where you live. I could not renew the cars registration until one of the recall issues had been taken care of in my state. I have had my brake calipers replaced already as well. This is my first foreign car, and I am not pleased.

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  4th Pathfinder, still love them - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Lawrence Acabah - October 14 - 10:00 am

  This is my 4th, starting with a 92, had 200k when I sold it, the other 2 were killed by stupid drivers, the latest has been great. The only major issue I have had is when 2 of my injectors failed, it took a while to find the problem but when the dealership mechanic got it he found it right away. Other than that it has been a solid performing vehicle. I use mine for work and family so it is high miles, currently at 180k but it looks and drives like a much newer vehicle. I can see where Nissan has skimped over the years with quality of the interior materials but with the 01 it appeared to come back a bit. Power is perfect for its size. For its age and what it is I have no complaints.

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  Hard Vibrating ride - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By J. R. - October 14 - 6:40 am

  I purchased the 2.5SL Altima for three main reasons. Fuel economy, style and price. Those are the good things. I noticed a vibration in the front end, on the drive home, between 63 and 70 mph (approx 20 miles). Took it to a tire shop to check the balancing, that helped, but didnt solve it. Im on my third trip to the Nissan shop. If this doesnt fix the problem, I will have to consider another vehicle. The vibration and what I would consider a hard ride, has soured me. I still like the style and fuel economy and would love to have the vibration issue fixed. I will check the tires for overinflation from the factory. That may improve the hard ride.

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  05 sentra shifts strangely - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By islifereal - October 13 - 7:07 pm

  We bought this used in 2010 for 6,600 with 83K miles. We found the console light doesnt work nor does the crusie control. It was too late by then to take back to dealership. That was our fault for not checking better. But then we changed the oil after only 40K miles and it was dirty! We havent found any real problems aside from it shifting jerky going from 1-2 gear and moreso when cold. It is a automatic

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  2nd Frontier - 2016 Nissan Frontier
  By Joe - October 13 - 5:44 pm

  I originally bought a 2015 SV V6 2WD King Cab (in May 2015). After using it for 6 months it became obvious there was not enough room in the cab when I needed to carry passengers. I was also a little disappointed with the lack of features I have become accustomed to in my new vehicles - heated seats, compass, outside temp, rear camera............ While the reviews of this 2015 vehicle were not outstanding, I was happy (overall) with my truck. It was fairly noisy, but it fit my expectations of a truck. (I want to be able to carry stuff, with reasonable expectations for performance and reliability.) So after getting a reluctant nod from my wife, I bought the same truck as a 2016 (November 2015). However, this time it was a 4 door SV with the value truck package. This version is much more usable, with less road noise. Gas mileage is not outstanding, but its not rediculous (as you might expect from the reviews). I get 20 mpg consistently (combined). The features and controls work well, and are simple to use. However, they may be somewhat dated in their design. Again they honestly meet my expectations for a truck. I did look at the new Chevy when I bought the 2015. The dealers were unwilling to negotiate on the price, and there were few vehicles available on the lot. There were no Toyotas available in a 2WD, and the dealers were even less willing to negotiate about the price. To be honest, I may be unlike many who want a pick-up. Id really prefer a small/mid pick-up that would be based on a small SUV. This would likely improve gas mileage, and address the main reason I have a pick-up. Did I mention I want to have the ability to carry stuff...... I am not a farmer or tradesman, so I dont need all the bulk and capacity of a real pick-up. I use this vehicle to go to work, shopping, and just general transportation. Given the 3 small trucks currently available in the market, I think the 4 door Frontier is a competent choice. It doesnt seem to have any of the concerns noted in many of the customer reviews for the new GMs or Toyota, and the gas milage is not significantly different.

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  best truck you will ever drive - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By ross bryan - October 12 - 6:40 pm

  This is a great truck. its fast, fun, powerful and reliable. every time i turn the key it starts right up. i will drive it until the doors fall off of it.

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  3 years later.... - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Sherryll - October 12 - 9:33 am

  So now that the 2003 models have some serious mileage on them, I am curious how many of them had transmission issues... At 68,000 we had to replace ours and 30,000 miles later, the transfer case had to be replaced. Got past the minor annoyances (poorly placed rear cup holders, buttons on rear view mirror should be lit) early on but the transmission issue is a problem.

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  not a bad car - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By j - October 11 - 11:06 pm

  a great little car that gets great gas mileage . a lot of road noise but what do you expect from an econo suv. we would buy it again