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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  Happy Altima - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Patricia - November 6 - 2:43 am

  Its a Great comfortable car. Spacious, and quiet. Very happy with this car.

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  Good Used Car - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By 2001_AltimaSE - November 6 - 2:43 am

  Purchased an SE preowned for $7k with 61k miles, sunroof, manual tranny, 6 CD changer. Reasonably refined with quiet engine and few vibrations, absolutely no torque steer, very little wind noise, and the interior is well executed and looks sporty in black (love the seat fabrics). The steering is well weighted but could offer more feedback (might improve with better tires), the 4 wheel disc brakes are reasonably powerful, and the engine has more than adequate power in low gears (esp. with the 5- speed). I dislike the exterior styling, particularly the rear, but have had good experiences with other higher-mileage Nissans. I didnt buy the extended warranty, but Im optimistic :-)

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  Quests are great! - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By C. Evans - November 6 - 12:46 am

  The Quest has been a smooth, comfortable driving experience under most circumstances. It does not handle well in wet/snowy road conditions (and I KNOW how to drive in the snow...in a van even) and has a few issues with side doors opening in extreme weather conditions (below -25 and also above 105). They were recalled and fixed but we still experience the problem. Always make sure side doors are closed before switching gears. Other than that, the interior design is great, every seat has a perfect ride! Very quiet road noise and very quiet body with no squeaking too and excellent options make this van a perfect fit for large young families.

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  Best value minivan - 2012 Nissan Quest
  By zyndurai1 - November 5 - 9:32 pm

  This van is fairly fun to drive. What makes it fun is how luxury and comfortable you feel when driving it. I seriously considered the odyssey and sienna but you just get more for your money with this one. The looks also is much better than the others. My boys love the entertainment DVD. IPhone blue tooth is good but not great as well as input for listening music from your iPhone. It works but you have to do a little playing around to get sound from different apps. You get this van for its value and the look and feel. The others are good if you want more amenities like cooler or split screen DVD. This one feels most comfortable IMO.

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  Giving it back -> lemon - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By notrockstar - November 5 - 7:10 pm

  Im returning my car on 06/01. Dealer finally settled with me on a lemon case. I had issue with the fuel gauge. It will show half tank when its actually almost empty. I went to dealer ship 5 times. Replaced sensors twice and twice I was treated like crazy. + recalls. I got so tired of owning not reliable car. I agree with previous postings, the car is good overall, but has too many blind spots. Ive managed to handle that issue well, but Nissan needs some improvement in design of the back window. Also, MPG went down to around 20 in the city. oh, well it was hard for me to check as I think I never got accurate reading from the computer. I would not buy this car again.

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  Problems with CVT - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Alex - November 5 - 5:30 pm

  Dont buy Altima with CVT if it does not have ABS. The issue occurs at speeds over 45 mph. If you slam breaks so they lockup until car comes to complete stop transmission locks up and throttle is stuck for up to a minute at a time. Nissan refused to correct this issue saying that this is intentional to protect transmission. It happened to me at intersection and I was able to duplicate this every time at will. I have traded my car and bought a new one.

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  Its been great - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By Van - November 5 - 3:20 am

  Bought new, now 74,000 miles. One service bulletin for tie rod. Paint could be better, chips easily. Creaky front end. Decent mileage on highway. Recently replaced exhaust for about $500. Brakes work great but rotors do not hold up. Will be on 3rd set of fronts next break job. Stiff, sometimes rude ride. I replaced front right speaker last year. Easy to do, ($50). Still fun to drive, even though I have an automatic. Plenty of power for pretty much any situation. Sometimes let er rip to 5500 RPMS and the car just flies - never complains. Recently on 3rd set of tires. Went for good set of Bridgestones, all weather. Confident foul weather car. Maybe mine was a good sample. Never let me down.

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  Great Choice for Comfort and Economy - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By EJJE - November 4 - 9:00 pm

  I have had my Sentra for over a year now. The new Sentra design is much better than the previous models. This is really a French Car with Renault roots. Built for ride quality, comfort and quiet traveling. Also inside it is as big as a mid size car although the outside looks very compact. I enjoyed several trips in this car and I do not miss having a bigger mid size car at all. CVT tranny takes a little getting use to and car will drift a little on very windy days due to the height of the car. Everyone interested in a compact car should drive a Sentra for sure!

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  Mikes Murano - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By PTA Mike - November 4 - 5:43 pm

  Fashionistic! Great style and performance. Got stability control/traction control, adjustable pedals. Great Bose stereo, 6 air bags, 18" tires/wheels. Rides great, excellent handling/performance. Smooth CVT (transmission). High intensity headlights, leather/sunroof. A real joy to drive. Excellent visability - removed rear headrests. Intelligent key (no key to unlock or start engine! Easy to drop rear seats, from the rear. Can lock the car with a button on rear hatch. Great eye appeal, with the technology to match.

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  Great all around vehicle. - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By Frank - November 4 - 5:03 pm

  Purhcased this car for my wife in Nov 2005 after I wrecked her PT Cruiser. She wanted it because of the look and the adjustble pedals, (shes 5 feet tall and has always had to sit very close to the steering wheel to reach the pedals). She fits great, now a safe distance from the air bag, and absolutely loves the car. It handles like a car, not a truck, gas mileage averages around 23 and will run fine on regular even though Nissan recommends 91 octane. I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and try to drive the Nissan as often as I can, much more fun to drive, and more comfortable.