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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  Just bought a Spec V - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By Edmunds junky - June 17 - 10:00 am

  Just purchased in mid-April 2002 from Libertyville IL. The sticker was $18,800 for the Spec V w/ audio fanatic & sunroof packages. Ended up paying $18,000 even, which isnt bad (vibrant blue). The 6 speed manual is great, a lot of power. The ride is a little rough, but that is expected with the performance suspension, but overall is not that bad. The 300 watt audio system is great, enough bass, but also has good clarity as well. Styling is cool, 17" wheels look fantastic, agressive- looking front end, and 4-dr still maintains sporty look while providing more room. Overall Im very happy w/ my purchase.

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  room with zip - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By DCrane - June 17 - 10:00 am

  Planned to buy a Passat until I saw the first one of the new Altimas. Checked it out and was very impressed. The handling is incredible, changes lanes as fast as my race tuned Datsun 2000! And if you are over 6 feet tall, this is the sedan for you. More leg room front and back than my wifes Volvo. The car has some great, well thought out features normally found on more expensive models. The key fob that opens the windows remotely is a great feature I didnt give much thought to but use daily, and the Bose stereo has got to be heard! Be prepared to find onlookers gathered around the car when you come out of the grocery store.

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  Great - 1997 Nissan Altima
  By Mike78543 - June 17 - 2:00 am

  great car

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  exhaust problem - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Tabitha - June 17 - 2:00 am

  I bought my car in August of last year and I have already put 12,000 miles on it. Unfortunately, I have a terrible exhaust problem. From what I have been told by the service dept. at the dealership, it is a design flaw. My car smells like rotten eggs 85% of the time. From what I understand, the engines were built for low sulphur gasonline (primarily sold in CA.) and on other fuels (even high quality) the smell is unavoidable. It is really bothersome.

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  X Terror - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By Js_brady - June 17 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle looks great BUT the 2000 model is severely lacking in interior design. I have had my XTerra in the local shop close to 30 times in the past year. It took about 7 visits just for them to do an alignment, 4 visits to replace the intake manifold, 3 visits to replace the window seals on both of the front windows. So on and so forth.

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  The new speedy - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By stxman - June 17 - 2:00 am

  The loaded GLE is not only a rival to the luxury kings of the road, the car is fast and powerful. With regard to the slight delay on the gas when the pedal is floored, the car is an all around rocket that grips, sticks and hauls!!!

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  Fun Mobile - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By YeeHaa - June 17 - 2:00 am

  Just got My Xterra last week. Went off-road and had a blast. It is a little piggy when it comes to gas, but I knew that would be the case. It handles quite well, much better than some reviews that Ive read lead me to believe. It also has enough power, even without the super charger. I having that commanding view of the road. This is the best SUV for the money.

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  Almost as good as my hubbys Infinity - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By lexpat - June 17 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased my Altima SL on 3/29/02 but have found it to be a wonderful car to drive and look at. The following day, my husband bought a new Infinity I35. Although his car is a bit more luxurious, my Altima shares many of the features of his car. Although my Altima is a 4 cy., it has a good pick up when I need it. Smooth ride is great. It just took one drive and I was sold on the car. The dealership where we purchased the car was top notch. All car buyers should be so lucky to have the professional, caring salesman we had.

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  XMAX - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By csrmax - June 17 - 2:00 am

  Having owned 3 Maxima SEs, I never thought I would consider buying an Altima. I was looking at the Acura TL Type S, Jaguar X type and pre-owned BMW 330 series.On a visit to my dealership, they had a silver/black leather on the floor,and I couldnt believe I was in a Nissan dealer!The Maxima was starting to look very dated,but the Altima grabbed my attention,especially after I spent a day driving it around. Needless to say, I now have a Silver/Black leather parked in my driveway,and feel that I received great value for 30K!

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  The Beast - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By The Beast - June 16 - 11:00 pm

  Traded in a f150 supercharged harley truck for this truck due to family size increasing. Was worried that I would miss all the horsepower that I had. Not so!! I love the power of my Armada and the stance. Had brake issues after about 15,000 (rotors too small on 1st year) dealer replaced with bigger rotors and we havent had any problems since. Only issue I really have is plastic center channel speaker cover on dash rattles and can get annoying. The gas mileage isnt the greatest but what do you expect with all that power and torque. I recently researched resale value and even with its superior options and bigger cabin the Armada still takes a backseat to the Sequio, which I think is wrong!