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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  Nissan 350z - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By Shimon g - September 1 - 10:00 am

  The 350z is a great car to drive. It takes driving to a new level. However, i felt that Nissian could have done a better job of comfort and design on the interior. The car is a beautiful looking car that lives up to its name with its intensee driving power and superb handeling, gripping evry corner on a turn.

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  Crew cab - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By organic - September 1 - 10:00 am

  My crewcab has over 140000 miles on it and it still looks and drives like new. It had provides fuel mileage of 19 mpg since it was new and this never varies. It tows heavy trailers well and is okay on snow and ice. I would advise tires with a smaller contact patch in the winter snow. The service manual is way overpriced and one of the plugs is a bear to change.

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  Heathers Review - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By Heather Theodore - September 1 - 10:00 am

  Wonderful truck to get. Its great with power and good on gas knwoing the gas prices these days. They are fun to drive!!!

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  Early Review - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By rickh - September 1 - 10:00 am

  King SE 4x4 no bells and whistles. Only 1000 miles - so far everything Id hoped. $ was comparable to even the heavily-incentived Dodge Ram. HUGE upgrade from from my mid-90s GM. Comfortable, powerful - truly 305 horses lurking under the hood! Home is an "American truck" town, so I get a lot of "you bought a Japanese truck!?" Then they look closer, and I get "so what did this cost?", and even one, "do you still have the brochures?" Brand new, but after ten years of transmission problems, a great feeling to climb in and not worry about ANYTHING. FEELS well-built and solid. Getting 13-14mpg so far around town - only slightly worse than my old 5.0L got.

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  04 Nissan Titan LE - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Tony_W_Palm - September 1 - 10:00 am

  Scoped and drove all the competing big 5 manufacturers - Niccan, Toyota, Ford, CHevy and Dodge. Fit and finish of the Titan a run-away hit.

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  Honest 2008 Altima coupe 2.5 automatic review. - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Kyle Garrison - September 1 - 8:28 am

  This is the first car I bought. Im not gonna talk much about my story, just stick to what you wanna hear. The pros and the cons. Im going to start out with saying Im very happy with this car and Im happy I bought it. I first bought it fully stock except with a nice spoiler on it which is a great touch to the already nice look the car has. Its a nice quiet car but not anything worth racing with. The interior is very nice looking and I have 0 complaints about it. There isnt any cool tech but thats okay to me. The exterior is very nice and slick. What I like about it the most is I find it unique looking, something not everyone has. It tops out at 111mph wont go any fastester. Here are the cons i have with the car. It tends to over heat easily which had me worried. Also the stock tires are awful. And It does not handle turns well. Those are my only complaints. Besides that its a smooth riding car with a nice exterior/interior and a very smooth shifting transmission. If you want to make the car extra nice, loud, and worth racing with, put a stillen air intake, header, and exhaust system on. Runs great, sounds great, and doesnt over heat anymore. Definitely will be turning heads when you drive by!

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  still love it!!!!! - 2006 Nissan Armada
  By chunter4 - September 1 - 3:58 am

  I bought my Armada in 2008 with 27000your miles on it. It now has 90000! I have driven it everyday since I got it and love it like I did the first day I got it. My husband hates cleaning the interior because of the texture. I have changed the brakes and rotors and thought the a.c. was bad because it wasnt blowing in the front.Come to find out it needed a cabin filter $26.00!! I live in CO and in ten years never drove in the snow until I got the Armada.Its amazing in the snow,ice,heavy rain,and cruises on a nice day.Captains chairs in the middle make it so nice for the kids. I would NEVER EVER trade this for any other vehicle.

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  Best family sedan ever made - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By btrotman85 - September 1 - 3:00 am

  The Altima beats all competitors by far. I am averaging 25 to 27 mpg in mostly city driving. The CVT is smooth, the ride is supple yet sporty, the handling is inspiring, the brakes are great, and even the four-cylinder is quite powerful. All controls are bright at night and everything is laid out nicely. Most any one can find a comfortable driving position as the power seat is highly adjustable

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  Aviod this car - 2011 Nissan Altima
  By bvetmed - August 31 - 8:11 pm

  Since purchasing this car new, I have had nothing but problems. The moon roof hose kinked causing water damage of carpets. Nissan repaired the hose but refuses to clean carpets or covering the cost of cleaning the carpets. The acceleration has become sluggish even on premium gasoline. Navigation system has towns listed as both "town of XXX, state" and XXX, state". For any given address searched, one will work, one will result in a "no information available". Also the navigation does not assume you want a point of interest near you. It will list all even those > 80 miles away. Heated seats take greater than 10 minutes to warm up. AC is very good and cabin climate control is great. H

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  Torture Chamber for Bad Backs - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By ann - August 31 - 7:50 pm

  Minus side: If you have spine, back, or neck problems, this is not the car for you. The seats are unbelievably hard, do not conform to the body and poorly designed headrests do not allow driver to sit straight & lean against the back of the seat. Even with power seat adjustments, this car is very uncomfortable, although it may not be a problem for younger folks without back problems who seem to be the majority favoring this car and its "sporty" drive. The headrests also present a safety issue because they are difficult to see around, increasing strain on the neck. On the plus side, it is a beautiful car with lots of power. It simply depends upon the individual and their priorities.