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:

• 

  Done with It - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Roland - May 15 - 10:00 am

  I purchased the car 3 years ago, I got the le with navigation and dvd. First when I got the car the screen used to tell me 325 miles to empty. Then year later went down to 290. Then again went down to 272 exactly. And I still wont get the 270. The most is 240 miles per full tank. I took it to the dealer and told me nothing wrong with it. The same day I decided to get rid of it. Same hour drove couple block to Honda dealer and I got the Odyssey true 8 passenger unlike the pathfinder 7 passenger and barley fit 6. This car has the worst fuel economy and not comfy at all. Lots of vibration when you press on gas. The hood always shaking to the point I had to stop 2 times to check on that.

• 

  Good and Bad - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By JackInFla - May 13 - 4:10 pm

  Bad; Very thin exterior sheet metal. Brake pads and rotors only good for 15K. Atleast 3 recalls,leaks in passenger door, moon roof. Second row seats even w/ extra charge are NOT fold flat. Front seats are very uncomfortable, feels like plywood. Gas milage is 9 mpg worse than my 98 Vette. Hate the varible steering while parking. Should have indicator of what lights are on or off and lights should go on auto. when wipers are on. Good; Great space, am-fm above par with speed variable volume, separate a/c and heat in back great. Heated front seats good and motorized side and back doors are well worth it.

• 

  My Versa - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Ursula - May 12 - 7:50 am

  This car is just OK, but not comfortable at all. Very small trunk, cant fit a small suitcase. Very hard to take anything out of the trunk. Heating does not work well.

• 

  Hard Seats - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Woodrow - May 8 - 3:46 am

  Heater was defective and needed parts replaced. Leather seats are hard, stiff and terribly uncomfortable. CVT drive train and rack & pinion steering make the vehicle drive and handle very smooth, but gas mileage is somewhat disappointing (averaging only about 28 mpg in 2.5 four cylinder model). Audio has nice tone quality but the output is relatively low, unless you get the Bose system (which is pricey because it only comes in an electronics package with Satellite radio, Bluetooth, etc.).

• 

  Road Noise a REAL PROBLEM! - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By Zster - May 6 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my Z new in March of 2003. The dealership (Thopmson Nissan in Doylestown, PA) is the best in terms of service which is why I bought it there.The problem is inherent in the vehicle though. Ever since I bought it, I get so much excess road noise, from the car being inherently out of alignment, that its just not as fun to drive as I thought it would be. In fact thousands of Z owners have the same opinion who have 2003 year models.

• 

  Shame On Nissan - 2003 Nissan Maxima
  By Lorenzo W - May 4 - 10:00 am

  I just Purchased my vehicle and loved it for the 3 days I had it in one piece. To My horror, I walk outside on the 4th day to see my HID headlights are GONE! After filing a complaint at the police staion, I find that this is an ongoing problem with Nissans design. The Lights are easy to pop out and the car horn (alarm) can easily be disconnected by sticking your hand in the front grill and pulling the wire. NISSAN, WHAT WERE YOUR DESIGNERS THINKING OF?! To top it off, the Nissan Parts and service station charge over $4,000 to replace the bulbs (at $750 a piece).

• 

  Serious CVT Problem - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By Serious CVT Problem - April 25 - 6:23 pm

  As others report, there is a dangerous problem with the CVT. After driving hundreds of highway miles twice this summer in very hot weather, the transmission failed to downshift into a lower gear upon exiting the interstate, leading to a dangerous loss of power. The owners manual indicates that this may happen during certain conditions to protect the CVT. The first time this happened the dealership found no problem. The car is being serviced, now, following the second time, with intervention by Nissan corporate. Clearly, Nissan knows it has an engineering/design problem. This may be an issue for the National Transportation Safety Board. I recommend staying away from Nissan CVT products.

• 

  Extremely bad mileage car! - 2012 Nissan Murano
  By ozhukhov - April 20 - 12:21 pm

  Dont have a hope that the car will give you 18-23 mpg city/highway! In fact, it may be way below fine printed 14-20 mpg. I was unlucky to by Nissan Murano S AWD 2012 in July 2012. The car makes only 11-13 miles per gallon even if I drive very smoothly. It is bad in city and bad on highway. Checked with the service in the dealership - they found nothing wrong with the car. Third time the service director took the car on the series of test drives and measured the mileage himself. Not looking at the cluster display but actually running the car, measuring miles, topping the fuel and calculating the mileage. The numbers went out the same: 11-13 mpg. Nissan doesnt want to take the car back!

• 

  2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4x review - 2011 Nissan Xterra
  By nissanboy1 - April 18 - 7:39 pm

  I bought my Xterra strictly for its offroad capabilities and here is my opinion after 36k miles: I bought a manual tranny model cause I was unsure if Nissan fixed the automatic tranny problem. First gear on the 6 speed is pretty good ratio wise for crawling around technical rocky terrain, I live in NV where that is most of the terrain. The stock tires were terrible offroad and should not be used in hard wheeling conditions. My Xterra would climb like a billy goat, but performed terribly in snow and mud as it wouldnt allow wheel spin to get through such. I blew up the front axle when I pulled the fuse to allow me to actually get the front wheels spinning in snow. Towing is sketchy!!!

• 

  looks are deceiving - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By daless - April 17 - 8:10 am

  looks great, but dont judge a book by its cover. Ride is fatiguing and dont even mention wet roads with the General Tires. Overall I would never recommed this vehicle to anyone....even my enemies. Stay away!