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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  1995 Nissan Pathfinder XE 4WD - 1995 Nissan Pathfinder
  By cwade - August 19 - 10:00 am

  Just purchased my 95 pathy a few months ago. Since then, Ive replaced all plugs and plug cables, fuel filter, fuel pressure regulator, engine wiring harness (frayed wires to injectors), thermostat, a tension rod (front left broke from rust), O2 sensor, and now just found that the front right CV boot is cracked and the other is on the way. Ive been turning a blind eye to the major rust on the frame. The list will never end with this truck (yours may be better). If you live in a 4 seasons kind of area (Im in MN), Id look for a newer model. If it werent for the fact that I have to drive this, Id take it back. Surprisingly, the interior is great- all the lights work, windows, etc.

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  5 Year Review - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By Solid Vehicle - August 19 - 10:00 am

  I bought mine brand new in 2005. I now have 116,000 miles on the vehicle. I do a lot of driving. This is a fun car to drive on road and off road. I have taken it on many off road trails and it handles very well off road and will climb steep hills, drive through muddy roads, deep snow. Quality wise its a good vehicle, Ive had problems with the CD player, Im on my 3rd one right now. Ive had some squeaky belts replaced a few, this can be annoying with the car squeaking. The most expensive repair Ive had is when the computer went out on the car and the car was out of warranty.

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  Dont buy any Maxima between 04-06. - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By VKMaxima - August 19 - 10:00 am

  We purchased our car in Nov.of 2008. The car ran beautifully for about a year. Then around mid 2009 the car began jerking. The jerks became more and more violent as time progressed. We then had it checked by Nissan, but it was too late for the power-train warranty. Thankfully we purchased the CarMax Extd. warranty. Had the job done by AAMCO,and about two months later the problem arose again. They then replaced the valve-body,and its now running "better", but not like before. I truly love my Maxima,but I feel Nissan has neglected many of their customers. I just wished that Nissan took some responsibility for their actions. Overall it is a GREAT car. The 07-08 is a much better choice.

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  Mixed Feelings - 2008 Nissan Titan
  By Truck Dude - August 19 - 10:00 am

  The 5.6 puts you a quick stomp away from instant gratification. A good mash when you are not loaded will put you in the back seat. The throaty exhaust note is hard to beat. 390 lbs of torque makes the Titan the best tow rig I have ever driven. The suspension is spot-on. The interior is quiet and the seats are awesome. However, the truck has its down side. The sloping front end and flared rear fenders make judging distance in a parking lot quite difficult- rear blind spots swallow a Caddy with 10ft to spare. The turning radius isnt exactly competitive. Fuel economy is worst in class- mostly highway, I avgd 14. I got 17 mpg hwy with a tonneau cover and 10 mpg with an enclosed trailer.

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  I think I got a bad one - 2012 Nissan Sentra
  By randis623 - August 19 - 3:33 am

  I loved the car when I first got it on 1/31/2012. It did perfect at first, did the "clunk" at 25 - 30 mph and was told it was normal for the car. But it wasnt long before I started to notice little things and some big that were going wrong and I babied this car. About 5 months into ownership the window regulator failed and had to be replaced. A month or so later I started to notice a lot of clunking when I would back up, not cv joint type noise, but more like a series of little clunks. The driver side door and hood seemed to be poorly aligned as the door scraped the paint off the running board and the hood had a major gap on one side. The last straw was the failure of the A/C. I traded it.

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  2010 nissan pathfinder - 2010 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Hockeymom - August 19 - 12:20 am

  Love the pathfinder. Have had it for 7 months. We traded in a toyota sienna, when looking for a new car, realized that we still needed the third row on occasion. I was surprised at how smooth the ride is. Not at all what I had expected. The only downsize is gas mileage. Around town get only 16 - 17 miles per gallon. On the positive side, took it up skiing and managed to get 22-23 miles per gallon.

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  Great little truck in general - 2003 Nissan Frontier
  By beast10r - August 18 - 1:11 am

  When I was looking for a truck I needed something that I could get into relatively cheap that I could haul my motorcycle around with, and last a long time. After doing lots of research I decided on the Frontier. I bought the truck with 75k on it 2 years ago, and it currently has just under 100k. The previous owner took good care of it and gave me a bunch of maintenance receipts and so far its been trouble free except for a bad knock sensor, but that doesnt really effect anything. That said, its not very powerful and it drinks gas like a V8. It should have had a 6 speed but with this truck you trade power and efficiency for reliability. If your Ok with that, then its great.

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  Love my Pathfinder - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By AMC - August 17 - 3:10 pm

  Handles well on-road and off. Wide profile not the best in snow, but decent with good tires. Very comfortable, and most importantly, eminently reliable in over 85,000 miles. Of course, gas mileage is pretty poor, but I think I will keep it as a second car for camping, trips, etc., even when I look into a more economical daily driver.

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  Perfect for the spouse - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By ron - August 16 - 10:13 pm

  My wife owned a used 97 Sentra for a few years. When we went new, she insisted on a new Nissan. As she is from S. America, and grew up with hatchback family haulers, the Versa is perfect for her. Her biggest want was space, esp. for the suitcase laden trips to visit her folks. The car has no pretensions of sportiness, but the CV transmission pulls well enough and the car is relatively quiet. It has had a few problems (ones that I have read as common): hard starting (replaced fuel pump regulator, front end "clunk"(in for service on this once, now has it again -dealership says it cannot replicate this), 6- changer CD player replaced. Overall, not a bad car, the wife loves it, would buy again

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  Great SUV - 2006 Nissan Murano
  By Peter Decker - August 16 - 2:30 pm

  My wife has always wanted a Murano, after driving it now I want one. I am a big person(65" 260 lbs) this is the first SUV that I can fit comfortably in. Also great in the snow. Would highly recommend.