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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  Fantastic! - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By aesgemini529 - June 21 - 8:25 am

  There isnt much I dont love about this car. Ive had it for 8 months now and I have the SV/SL "everything" package. The leather is nice, my friend says the seats are more comfortable than in her CR-V. Im slightly disappointed with the gas mileage, but I have a lead foot (20/22 city with AC in Texas heat, 28 tops highway). I went from a 2000 Cavalier, so I really love sitting up higher, and the sunroof and back-up cam are must haves. It is very quiet, and it doesnt feel too large unlike some others in the category. Accessories feel high-quality, not cheap.

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  Presidents Day Bargain - 2014 Nissan Pathfinder
  By frozentone - June 20 - 9:43 am

  We purchased our 2014 PathFinder SV on a very snowy presidents day. In the last few months we have logged almost 5,000 enjoyable, uneventful miles. This includes a road trip and numerous trips to sporting events hauling 4 kids, 2 adults, and 3 sets of hockey equipment. The ride is great, handling good, and acceleration smooth. So smooth that it is accelerating faster than you at first realize. Mileage has been very good, usually 22-23 in mixed driving (overdrive enabled, towing mode disabled for normal driving). I am looking forward to seeing how well it handles our boat. No shudders, or hick-ups, at all... Just enjoying the ride.

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  Good Car - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By kano1017 - June 20 - 8:41 am

  I got my Path used 3 years ago its a 2005, Im very happy with it then I started reading the reviews and got concern I know that this is a Nissan design issues but I was not going to wait till I have to pay a lot of $$ to get the radiator and tranny fix so my friend and me started looking for some options and we found the solution so we cancel the lines that go thru the radiator to cool the tranny oil and put an independent oil cooler so now I will never need to be concern on this issue, cost to do this 70 bucks for the oil cooler + what you mechanic charges you. Good luck

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  Nice car that needs some improvements - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Chicago_driver - June 20 - 4:23 am

  Sporty sedan with much nicer body design than Accord, Camry or Avalon. 265HP is more than average driver needs. Unfortunately you better keep both hands on the wheel when flooring the gas pedal - terrible torque steer. So used to my V8 T-Bird with RWD I almost crashed the car when accelerating while turning. Acura TL which I also considered for additional $1,500 didn’t have that problem and it had a lot nicer interior design. Too bad TL’s interior is even smaller than Altima’s. Front seats could be more comfortable (no upper back support). Driving 50% city – 50% hwy I only get 20mph not between 20 and 28 as stated on sticker. It costs me $50 to fill up the tank (recomended premium fuel :(

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  Somewhat disappointed - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By Rogueguy - June 20 - 2:16 am

  Transmission had to be replaced after only 8,000 miles. Hope it gets put back without any "new" service provided surprises. Some road noise. Ill try undercoating. Good ride and handling. Fuel economy better than advertised. 26 MPG overall. 32 mpg at 55 mph, 28 at 70 mph. I believe that there is enough power to slow engine to 2000 rpm at 70 mph and improve highway milage with CVT. Rear visibility is a problem. Wide angle stick ons on outside mirror helps. Some engine and air conditioning compressor noise.

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  Good design...No support from Nissan - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Morteus - June 20 - 1:03 am

  Love the engineering. Fun to drive. Way too many recalls (6) I brought the car in to the dealer for a fuel system recall and they left the engine cooling fans unplugged. Drove around for a couple of weeks until the engine overheated. Left me stranded and couldnt get an answer from Nissan Roadside assistance. I had to pay for a tow. Called Nissan customer care and they refused to get involved. Told me to go back to the original dealer to have the car looked at. I told them that they are asking the negligent dealership to determine if they caused any damage. Dealer said no damage was caused....6 months later the radiator cracked. Called Nissan customer care again. They couldnt have cared less.

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  tight and smooth - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By mike - June 19 - 3:13 pm

  performance is better than 1.8 and transmission changes are revolutionary. steering is tight like a sports car.really fun to drive.

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  Great truck - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By travgt - June 19 - 8:56 am

  Great truck especially for a suburbanite type. Design reflects thoughtful analysis of how a customer actually uses the truck. I compared with an F150 loaded up and the Titan LE definitely provided more features and at a lower price. I use the utilitrack and the exterior toolbox. Love the exhaust note! Nissan did a great job with the balance of power in the endurance v8 too. It also has a power rear window.

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  Cruiser - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By ookpik_one - June 19 - 2:00 am

  Excellent dependability with a somewhat stiff ride. Good trunk space and passenger room. Good milage with the 5 speed transmission.

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  Disappointed - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By Amanda7 - June 19 - 2:00 am

  We have had this SUV for two years. This is a truck based SUV and therefore, not always a comfortable ride. The gas mileage is horrible and the V6 engine isnt very responsive. At 45,000 miles, air conditioning started messing up. It only works half of the time and we are still trying to figure out what is wrong. Very disappointed with the overall performance and reliability of this Japanese vehicle.