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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  what a ride - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By glen - October 14 - 5:30 pm

  This truck is a pure and flat out blast to drive!! And the power.....ohhh the power!! The smoothness of the ride is unequaled..and I test drove the ford and Dodge Ram before I finally drove the Titan!!I am a Titan man for life!!

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  2005 Nissan Pathfinder a Gem - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Jude - October 14 - 11:53 am

  After owning strictly American cars, Jaguars, Mercedes and Audis, this is the best value and quality I have ever had. Best priced, best value retention with absolutely no defects or mechanical problems in 2 years.

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  my first car...and im glad i bought it! - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By jar29 - October 14 - 10:00 am

  one car mag review described the se-r as "you never forget its a little car with a big engine", and i have to agree. ive gotten some positive comments on its appearance (i purchased mine in black). fuel economy isnt as good as the models with the smaller engine (id say it gets about the same MPG as the base model altima). no problems so far(except two factory recalls). the back seat could be a little roomier, but aside from that, it does perform well for its size and class.

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  A truck your wife will love - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Oregonlogger - October 14 - 10:00 am

  I can barely get my wife out of the truck so I can drive it. The smooth shifting power and looks really sold me. Turning radius on narrow logging roads is a big plus, shorter than the competition. I can to a lowboy trailer with 4 tons of machine and no holding this beast back. With four burly loggers in the cab, comfort has not been a complaint. Kudos to nissan for making a real truck thats gonna kick some tail.

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  My 350Z - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By Lyle S. - October 14 - 10:00 am

  The Z has been a great car to drive. I still get many stares. My complaint is that I have a rattle in the door and considering I bought it last year and it only has 8K miles there should not be any rattles. I would have liked Nissan to have put some more higher grade products for the interior, but that is about the only thing I can say negative about it. It really goes. If you are looking for a fun car that will get you there fast this is the car. You cant beat the amount of car you can get for the money.

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  Love my new Max - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By MaxFan - October 14 - 10:00 am

  Just got a SE a few days ago (my 2nd Max after the 97GLE). Been loving every minutes. Been waiting 2-3 years for it to come out. But was a bit put off by the look in the pics (ugly grill and too big). Well, its so much better in person. Only a few other expensive cars can make me wishing to trade the looks. This Max is above the rest in the look department. If you dont like the grill, get an aftermarket one @stillen.com, it will inprove the look a lot more. I sold the old Max @100Kmiles and everything was still solid and smooth for another 100Kmiles.

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  Nissan Altima 2.5 SL - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By 2.5 SL - October 14 - 9:13 am

  I have owned 8 Nissans over the last 12 years. Great reliability! This is one of the best values on the market. Great exterior styling. It looks much better than the other sedans in its price point. With the CVT, you get good acceleration and good gas mileage. Get it in Super Black.

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  Great Car All the Way Around - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Raymond - October 13 - 7:00 pm

  I bought my 2003 Altima because my 1989 Altima was on its last legs at 190000 miles. It was a great car and my newer one is even better. We do not take car of our vehicles as we should with constant maintenance but they have kept performing anyhow.

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  2nd Frontier - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By 808blue - October 13 - 8:30 am

  This was my second frontier. Loved it, great MPG , good power for a 4 banger. Only really dumb move on Nissans part is even offering a truck without AC. I bought the truck second hand for a great deal, and other than having no AC whatsoever, the truck was awesome.

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  Goods and bads - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By lacedup - October 13 - 4:03 am

  I have a 2004 Nissan sentra 1.8s its been really good to me I mean its a 2004 and has 83,000 miles allready meaning it is reliable and fun to drive but there are a few things wrong with the one I have and I have heard this happens with many others also the cd player just stopped working and didnt spit the cd out just made a clicking noise which I had replaced and I had to replace the belts on the car numerous times and sometime the car takes 2-3 tries to start, but also on the insides the seats rip very easily and back seat, well consider there is basically no backseat cause its very small and tight, paint that it come with is very cheap, other than that it pretty quick and very good on gas