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:

• 

  Dont buy from NORTHSIDE NISSAN SC - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By Jason R - October 31 - 3:40 am

  I got the Spec-v Its an awesome car. I got the fully loaded one. Side Air bags sun-roof everything. The car is the fastest car Ive own yet. I would recommend it to everyone.

• 

  These are undervalued SUVs! - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Rob - October 30 - 7:23 pm

  This is one of the best SUVs out there for the amount of towing capacity, options, style, performance, etc. I took mine across country with a family of 6 and all of us were very comfortable and our luggage fit easily in the back. It performed as well or better than any of the larger SUVs and better than any of the comparable or smaller sized SUVs. AWESOME!

• 

  My Murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By feisty3 - October 30 - 3:10 pm

  If this suv were a man, Id leave my current husband and marry it! Only problem I have is that the drivers side mirror takes time to get use to. Even though the seats are adjustable, Il only 411 so the mirror poses an obstruction, trust me, a small price to pay for this GREAT suv. Not a day goes by where my Murano greats mouth opened wide eyed stares. I CONSTANTLY get questioned about it.

• 

  Fun while it lasted - 1999 Nissan Altima
  By Zidanet2 - October 30 - 9:46 am

  My 1999 Nissan Altima was a very nice car. Ii had some work done to it, like a full ground effects kit, a cold air intake, and some subs and new speakers, beside the tranny giving out on me at 55,000 miles and battery dying at 62,000 miles it was a fun, reliable car to drive. It had the power to smoke Honda Civics and Acoords and a lot of other 4 door middle grade sedns. It was a safe car as well, I totaled it after hiting a guardrail doing 75 mph and it kept togther very well. It was definitely repairable, but my insurance company just totaled it because it experienced some frame damage. I reccommend this car to any one who wants a car they can trust and have fun with at the same time.

• 

  Murano is a Great Vehicle - 2006 Nissan Murano
  By Scuba - October 30 - 7:50 am

  The Nissan Murano is a solid, sylish SUV that has a lot of interior room for a mid-size SUV. All the standard features, the ride, body style and power are what sold me. The engine gives you all the power you need and you dont feel the transmission shifting as you are gaining speed. If you are looking for a great automobile that has style, power and is luxurious, this may be the SUV for you. The other factor that sold me was the dealer. Arron Carter of Bankston Nissan, Irving, Texas, had a low key approach and was very interested in helping us find a vehicle that met our needs. From the top down, I think this is one of the better dealerships in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

• 

  Dont ever buy one - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By No Happy - October 30 - 7:43 am

  I bought the car brand new in June, it had to be towed to the dealership because of the sensor (1) in October 2003, in September of 2004 the car stalled out at the light and an 18 wheeler was approaching fast, I thank Jesus for answered pray, the car started up enough to get it out of the way, I had to get another sensor (2) replaced. 2009 all three sensors (3) went out and there was a recall on two of them (Midas found them) but Nissan never sent the notices out nor did they honor them. I fought to get the cost down to $3,000.00 for them to be fixed and 7 months later the crankshaft sensor (4) went out again, they replaced it because it was under the 12 months or 10,000 miles.

• 

  Highly recommend the Rogue - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By Kathy - October 29 - 4:53 pm

  Have had my Rogue for 3 weeks, am loving it. The first car I have owned that people are stopping and asking to look at it. Have only seen one other Rogue on the road.

• 

  Run From This Vehicle - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By questbegone - October 29 - 4:40 pm

  Had all the quality problems others talk about here, but the killer for us was the right front tire going flat. There is a problem with the tire pressure sensors and it could not be fixed. After eight attempts to fix it they finally replaced the entire tire and wheel. This worked for a while so I didnt go to arbitration which I probably should have. When the flat tire sensor came on again, my wife refused to drive the car ever again. I had to unload it. It had 8K miles, I got $21,5K in trade, and I bought an Escalade for its reliability and build quality. Is that irony? I lost the value of my trade ($12K, 2001 Honda Accord). Obviously this vehicle is a piece of crap and Nissan knows it.

• 

  Transmission Issues... - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Mayra - October 29 - 10:00 am

  I to have a 2005 Pathfinder and like the other reviews on this site, I have had the same problems. The transmission is slipping and I just had to have a major repair with the coolant and fliud mixing together. There were no signs of this and suddenly while driving on the highway my car overheated. I also have the vibration of the car at certain speeds. Its awful that Nissan will not admit to the issue and resolve it. I have been telling Nissan (Meadowlands) about the vibrations since I purchased the vehicle and they just think its me. My mechanic indicated that he has never seen this happen. He couldnt believe that there were no warning signs either.

• 

  Sun Visors Dangerous - 2010 Nissan Cube
  By Sandra - October 29 - 10:00 am

  Visors are too big, they come down to low, blocking most of drivers front windshield view. Have to push all the way back towards window and still its hard to safely see out. Also they are not wide enough to help block sun through side window except for about 2" of very front area. Coming over Pacheco Pass with grand kids and we had sun directly through front window. Even my teenage grandson had a hard time maneuvering his visor. Plus trying to quickly adjust from front window to side was so dangerous, I almost wrecked into the guard rail a couple of times. I am very uncomfortable with these visors Now we have to find visors to buy that fit and do the job the right way. Anyone else agree?