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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  Rock Solid - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By Ed W - October 29 - 10:00 am

  After reading some of the comments on this web I must add mine. This truck has been fantastic. No problems, just oil changes and tire rotations. Just past 60K and still the original brakes. Not a rattle in the vehicle at all. Rides quiet and solid. Love the Rockford Fosgate stereo

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  Awesome Vehicle / Bad Transmission - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By OK - October 29 - 10:00 am

  I purchased this car in October 2008, with 62,000. The car is very roomy, sleek, and sexy. By the way it is very fast for a V6 sedan. Everything was fine until about 85,000, and I noticed a jerking when driving after awhile. I took it into the dealer, and they said that they feel the jerking, but the warranty that I purchased didnt want to fix it right away, they recommended that I do a transmission flush, which I did. As soon as I left the lot, the jerking reoccurred, I drove it till the transmission got worst, took it back and the warranty will NOW replace the transmission. Also the air conditioner went out, motor mounts were shot also. All this under 100,000, thank goodness.

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  Transmission mismatch - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By porsche - October 29 - 10:00 am

  4 cyl. has little power, the truck weighs a lot. the gearing is poor for the engine powerband, gears are to tall, shifting puts you too low in the next gear/lugging badly. if the trans had 6 gears instead of five it may work. gas mileage at 20-21 mpg is poor for such a gutless power-plant. get the 6 cyl. and power is great and you will get 18-19 mpg.

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  Good car BUT Wind Noise!! - 2010 Nissan Murano
  By 1MuranoOwner - October 29 - 10:00 am

  Excitement of the new car purchase did not last long. Our AWD SL 360 package came with in built wind noise. The dealership insisted that the wind noise is not an issue and they branded it as normal operation. But for 35K car I expect it not be noisy on a long drive.We do a lot of long drives and listening to music on a windy day is frustrating. Driving this car is fun if you dont cross 60 mi/hr. Love the Bose Music system.

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  Follow-up - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By Jimbo - October 29 - 10:00 am

  Hate the r-view mirror, had better mirrors years ago with normal views & could adjust if lights behind you were a problem. Mirror gets too dark with the auto-dim thing which does not work, have had 2 of these mirrors (got 2nd with camera system) both same problem, light & button useless because light goes on & mirror reverts back to the dark auto-dim view every 5 mins after you turn it off, no matter if its day or night or anyone is behind you or not, wish I could disable the auto-dim function, regular view is dark enough. R elbow rest on center console should be way more forward-- even with my long arms (I am tall) my right elbow just barely catches the very end of it.

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  20th Anniv. Review - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By Robert - October 28 - 10:33 pm

  The 2001 Nissan Maxima is a very reliable and fun car to drive. In the past six years I have never had to have my car towed. I recommend anyone looking for a new car to test drive the Nissan Maxima.

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  Trouble Free - 1999 Nissan Quest
  By Happy Owner - October 28 - 10:06 pm

  Never had any problems with this van. Had Ford, Chevy and Dodge vans and this is by far superior in low maintenance costs. I have only had to do brakes, tires, oil changes and 30,000, 60,000 and 90,000 maintenance. Great for family vacations and shopping trips. Several trips to the hardware store and it will hold up to ten foot long boards and lots of bags of concrete, bark and potting soil. Drives and handles great. I also have a Frontier and am very impressed with Nissan reliability and dependability. Even with over 100,000 miles still feel comfortable with taking it on trips.

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  Smooth Riding Altima - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By Pat - October 28 - 11:03 am

  I have owned my Nissan Altima for 1 month now. I love it. It has a lot of power for a 4 cyl. It rides very smooth. I love to hear the engine roar on open road. The car is very quiet, you cant hear outside noises. One thing that I do not like is that the arm rest sits back a bit far so you cant rest your arm on it. If the car is not warmed up completely it jerks once you start going. Once warmed up, I have no problems. I only noticed that when I start out first thing. But, besides the cold jerking and the armrest. Its worth it. I bought it for reliability and I have always wanted to own a Altima. Nice Pick up, just as fast as the Malibu. Nice styling.

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  Awesome truck! - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Tim - October 28 - 6:20 am

  Loved the truck since the day I bought it. Gas mileage as expected. Calipers were replaced in first 3 months I had it by dealership with no hassles. The 4x4 off road package makes this truck ride like a truck - especially on long distance trips on highway.

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  Made cheap - 2008 Nissan Quest
  By haynie3 - October 27 - 11:18 pm

  We bought our van in 2008 thought it would be great to own a brand new vehicle. Well within 1 year the mirror visor broke off and the arm rest fell off and the rubber seals on side doors came off. Well today i was driving and there was a flapping noise, I looked back and it was the metal insert on top of the van,where you would have the racks at flapping on the side of van, i had to pull over and get before it hit someones vehicle. It just seems like the veichle is made cheaply, when only having a short time.