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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  Love my Nissan - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By Nissanmotorhead - July 8 - 10:00 am

  This is my second Altima. My first was a 2007 2.5S. I currently have a 2010 3.5SR. Love this car from to end to end. Great car for entry level performance combined with enough space for friends and family.

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  One Year In - 2008 Nissan Quest
  By Tony - July 7 - 6:43 am

  Lots of space. Got a good deal on it, so it was a great value. Drives very much like a big car. Good power and pretty decent gas mileage (18 city - 24 to 25 highway). Agree with others that the body structure is a little loose.

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  Great car. - 1999 Nissan Sentra
  By Sean - July 6 - 4:43 am

  My wife bought her Sentra Sedan SE brand new in 1999 and outside of two major trips to the shop since the purchase, this car has been a workhorse. Weve driven it up and down the eastern seaboard with nary a problem. The engine is quick and quiet, steering is a little tight, but meaty which is good. The car did have some kind of degenerative wheel problem that almost ruined the car, but it has since been fixed and is as good as new. Problems are trite: the trunk wont open with a key, only the latch will open it. The car lacks headroom for taller drivers, and the cupholders are downright putrid. The car also needs a better center console and glove box. But other than that, great car!

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  New Maxima SE - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By rmf - July 5 - 6:10 am

  My new Maxima SE is a great car. The new engine offers tons of power, the ride on the SE was a little harsher than I had expected. In all this is a great car, if you are looking for a comfortable ride try the GLE. If sporty handling with great acceleration is what you need try the SE.

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  Wife and 2 Kids to go - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By GrC - July 4 - 2:00 am

  Reliable, good looking 4 dr small p-up. For those that dont want one of the mammoth full size p-ups that wont fit in the garage ! Excellent for the wife, 2 kids and a bit of gear. 4WD great in NE snow. Very Quiet inside, great handling and very smooth ride. Nice for weekend projects or just to haul the groceries.

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  The X-terrible - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By negative slope - July 4 - 2:00 am

  I mean X-terrible in a good way like not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good (Run DMC). This is a fun to drive great to look at vehicle. Forget going over $30K for a few meaningless bells and whistles, this truck has and does all that those trucks do. Plus it looks tough, this is no Estrogen-UV like some of the other, wimpier looking new entries into the market. Keep those jacked up mini-vans and give me a truck with raised white lettered tires and aggresive styling. The dirtier it gets, the better it looks. Rock on in your X- terrible.

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  no title - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By ponderosa - July 4 - 2:00 am

  great vehicle. fun to drive, handles great, terrible on fuel. need to pull a gas station behind you when you go on trip.

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  A fun little truck - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By willy - July 3 - 11:43 pm

  A neat small truck with great mileage and pretty good performance even with the small engine. It has been trouble free and is really fun to drive.

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  Nice car for the money! - 2007 Nissan Murano
  By chivazo - July 3 - 10:16 pm

  For the money you get a hell of an SUV. I wish they made it stick shift. Still dont like the CVT tranni.

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  Reliable Ride - 1995 Nissan Pathfinder
  By extreme_rnd - July 2 - 10:00 am

  This is the 4th new vehicle Ive had, and it has been the best! I agree that you can get a lemon from any make, I have leased a Nissan Quest which turned out to be a lemon (promptly returned). This car has seen a wrench only once in 7 years (brake pads), and has aged gracefully despite my harsh pounding.