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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  my friend the nissan - 1999 Nissan Frontier
  By jjracer - July 10 - 10:00 am

  i have driven this "super" truck over 150,000 miles. i have had no,no no! problems at all!!! i will buy a new one in o4.

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  Just keeps getting better - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Coldfusion - July 10 - 10:00 am

  Very happy thus far.

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  Kays - 2004 Nissan Altima
  By kdk - July 10 - 10:00 am

  Mine is a 2002 Altma with everything on it. The car is great and alot of fun to drive. I wish Nissan had put more into the inside of the car. It is not as comfortable on long trips as my Jeep is.

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  Murano falls short on handling - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Steven Pollock - July 10 - 10:00 am

  The Nissan Murano, mine now with 7,000 miles. Great highway mieage 25mpg, terrible in the city 14-15 mpg, slugish ingine for a dead stop. Poor handling especially from my last SUV the BMW X-5. Very comfortable for long ride with pleanty of interior room if you dont need a third road. For the money, you get what you paid for and more.

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  2003 Murano SL - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Dshark - July 10 - 10:00 am

  I like the handling, comfort, speed, roominess, vision and intimidation factor. It gets RESPECT. Also, I feel safe driving it.

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  Overpriced, but good SUV - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Sean - July 10 - 4:33 am

  My friends have a Pathfinder and I still wonder why they paid what they did for it considering the other options out there at the same price at the time. This is a nice SUV, dont get me wrong, but the interior is not spacious, especially the back seat... I sat in a Hyundai Tuscon once and the rear seat was roomier. I know Nissan has since redesigned the Pathfinder, so these issues are probably moot. The engine is powerful and the cabin controls arent bad. For the price I would have considered a Durango, Pilot, or Explorer though. And now theyre even more money!

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  Super Reliable Small Truck - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By Mark - July 9 - 6:56 am

  I have 210,000 miles on it. I changed the brakes and clutch at 180,000 - thats it. The A/C failed at 190,000. The A/C compressor works, but I couldnt find the leak, so I decided not to repair it. Ive never had any vehicle run this well.

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  Would you believe...? - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Agent 86 - July 8 - 1:40 pm

  This is an excellent upgrade from 98 4runner. I love the power and features. Fuel economy is about what youd expect from an SUV, and the safety features are good (side curtain airbags). I just wish the interior did not have so much plastic. I got the grey interior so I think the plastic is a little more obvious than the beige or brown shade. MY 4 runner has more leather on the inside, and so should this. One other little annoyance...there should be a mute button on the steering wheel. Does anyone know how the speed sensitive volume is suppose to work? the manual says very little about it so I am not sure if mine is not working or not.

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  OK for a town car, getting costly - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By OK town car - July 8 - 10:00 am

  We bought this car new and had the power windows go out while sitting in Yuma,AZ in 110 degree weather..after having the dealer replace two and a recall was issued and all were replaced by Nissan. We have 95,000 on it and have replaced the defective intake manifold gasket twice..replaced the radiator, cv boots and axles..and it eats brake shoes quite regularly. Just had the check engine soon..now the catalytic converter is shot, $700 or so. Noisy hubcaps are a tradition with this model.

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  Good on gas - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By Dave - July 8 - 10:00 am

  Bought vehicle new based on price and estimated mileage. So far, has been extremely reliable, comfortable for a small car and actually somewhat fun to drive. For a small car, it actually is quite large and has an underpowered engine. But thats where the fun comes in. Keeping the engine in the optimum rpm range for performance and economy is a game I play. If you really know how to drive a manual its a kick. The biggest benefit of all is the gas mileage. Ive kept track since new and Im averaging over 35 mpg. Thats combined driving not highway. The only negative thing I have to say about this car is that the air conditioning is not cold enough for my liking.