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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  Not worth the money - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By Melissa Peterson - May 17 - 8:16 pm

  Ive only had my Quest for less than 1 month and I do not love it. For the money, you get a lot and not having to remove the rear seats are a big plus but the driver seat doesnt provide enough support and I slide around when turning. The lumbar support is extremely uncomfortable. There are lots of rattles in the car which Nissan tried to fix but couldnt. I love the looks and the drive but thats about it.

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  Pretty much what we wanted. - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By NiallMac - May 17 - 4:13 am

  We went looking for a small, reliable car with a/c with a strong preference for a hatchback. We focused on the usual suspects - Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Scion whatever, Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe. Then we saw the Versa at a Hertz sales lot, liked it, researched it and could buy it for $3,000 under KBB. Negatives are rear visibility and stability in cross winds. A big positive is roominess whether carrying four people or two people and two bicycles - they fit in all the way without having to take off a wheel. When we bought we would have preferred a Matrix if the money was close to the same. That would have been a mistake.

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  Nissan Rogue SL AWD Review (no prem pkg) - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By ReluctantBuyer - May 17 - 1:20 am

  I dont usually complete reviews but had to share my Rogue experience. As a reluctant buyer after several "car payment free" years, I wanted all the latest safety features, great gas mileage, proven quality, AWD, and a sporty look. Nothing on the market was interesting me enough to warrant the payment. Then I saw the Rogue. Its Altima motor and Sentra platform, both rated above average, helped with the quality concerns with a new model (bought the ext warranty too). I browsed the online inventory of nearby Nissan dealers, chose a Rogue, took it for a drive, bought it and am loving every minute I drive it - its great! Online prep makes dealer part go much smoother and more quickly!

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  Never again - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Pier - May 16 - 10:20 pm

  Over a period of 22 months the vehicle has been 18 visits (6 of them combined with regular services) resulting in 22 days at the dealer, the vehicle generated 45 warranty-related repairs. The tires lasted 30K miles and required new brake pads at 27K miles. It is apparent that this car, if not legally a lemon, is definitely a buyback case due to the nuisance factor caused by poor quality. Nissan refuses to admit this. With 26 months left at the average rate of warranty incidents, the car is projected to return another 14 times (excluding scheduled maintenance). I strongly urge any prospective minivan driver to avoid the Quest on the grounds of poor build and service quality

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  Very dependable - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By redness - May 16 - 9:10 pm

  Bought mine new and have had no problems at all. It has 106,000 miles on it now. Besides regular maintenance no one problem at all! Good truck very reliable.

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  Great Car - 2008 Nissan Maxima
  By lwash1212 - May 16 - 9:24 am

  I bought a 08 Maxima about 4 months ago. Driving this car is a blast it has plenty of power and the lack of road noise is incredible. After reading reviews on how horrible this car is on hitting bumps in the road. I came to the conclusion that as long as your not hitting bumps at excessive speeds just like any car its perfect. The design of the exterior is real classy with a sports car feel. The interior is comfortable and there is a few pieces that I think could be made alot better but that comes along with any car. I love the car and the only complaint from me is the turning radius but if youve ever owned a sports car they all are.

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  Great Vehicle - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Jeff - May 15 - 10:56 pm

  The power and luxury combination of the Titan is unparallaled. The other major brands can not compete. The motor is solid. The frame is rigid, still handles great and is quiet in the cab. I like the sprayed in bed liner and the utility tie down tracks and the tailgate damper. The power outlet in the bed is also a great idea. The downfalls to this truck are the undersized brakes. It tends to warp rotors in about 20000 miles. I am also less than impressed with the tires and rims. The alloy rims have been a constant problem as of late due to the fact that the air is slowly leaking out around the bead of the tire. They should offer steel rims.

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  A really nice car that no one knows about - 2017 Nissan Maxima
  By Mitch - May 15 - 8:19 pm

  First, Id like to address the one "problem" that all gear heads harp about - the CVT transmission. Its Excellent! No issues whatsoever in driveability or performance. Instant acceleration, no droning, no problems. Very comfortable seats, beautiful interior. The exterior styling is very cool and distinctive, although it may not be to everyones taste. I had a 2015 Acura TLX, 4 cylinder base model before this car. Since I didnt opt for the 6 cylinder TLX, it would unfair to compare acceleration. Could never warm up to the TLX because of the bland exterior and cost cutting. I am most pleasantly surprised by this car. The SV trim has everything you need, except that the standard radio in the SV isnt that good, so if I had to do it again I probably would have gone to the SL which has a better Bose unit (although with the price difference I could go aftermarket with the audio and end up better than the Bose). There are crazy deals going on until the end of February 2017, so hurry up and get one! Leased 36 months, $399/month including tax, no money down except for first month and title transfer, $1,995 cash back to pay off lease on Acura.

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  Best suv I have ever owned! - 2016 Nissan Murano
  By kathyn69@icloud.com - May 15 - 4:57 pm

  This suv looks so stylish and drives like a dream. My husband I recently took a 6 hour trip. I drove the entire way (my suv). Usually I ach when getting out of a auto on that long of a trip. This time I felt great!

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  Great Vehicle! Read my review! - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By WAZ - May 15 - 12:13 pm

  Waited awhile to write in review but first to clarify a couple things from others reviews... memory seats are available(LE model) & you dont have to use premium gas. I definitely agree with the folks that say this is a poor mans Lexus RX! What sold me: It is super quiet inside, very comfortable (Im 62"), roomy front & back, all the goodies like intelligent key, backup camera, etc. I actually did little research on this vehicle before testing it out but once I drove it, it had my attention. I bought SL and added Leather, Tech, Performance Pkgs (& moonroof)... it saved me $3-$4k from buying LE and only diff is nav system, memory seats, rear-heated seats, ipod hookup... not worth 3k to me!