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:

• 

  Expected more punch - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By crepit - April 6 - 10:00 am

  From a styling point of view the car is very appealing {to most people).You get alot of positive comments from passers by and freinds.Very comfortable and roomy. Very well put together with few quality flaws.I am somewhat dissappointed with the responsiveness of the engine\transmission combo.For 265 horses I thought the car would pull stronger.I am very demanding and critical with respect to acceleration and would have expected more out of this engine.As well the tipronic upshifts to soon for my liking,shifting well above redline.The ride is firm,and the car handles very well for its size.Overall good value for your dollar

• 

  Couldnt ask for more! - 1996 Nissan Altima
  By Noprob96 - April 5 - 3:50 pm

  Our Altima now has 241,000 KMS on it - about 145,000 miles - and it is as solid as the day we bought it. Yes we have the little oil leak problem, but hands down this is the best, toughest most reliable car we have ever owned! We recently bought a new vehicle, but we would not part with our Altima, as I think at 12 years old it still has years of life in it!

• 

  Great looking car... thats all - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By mcitv08 - April 5 - 2:36 pm

  My "used to have" 2002 Nissan Altima was a great looking car, even up to the end when I traded it in last week. The comfort and ride quality is excellent. Amenities with the vehicle are to a minimum but overall the car is very nice. However this car does have many issues. The car at 97k miles had been burning oil (a qt a week) thus flooding the motor to where it cant start. 02 sensors were bad, fuel pump went out twice, recalled gas tank, very cheap interior materials. However when the car did run, of which it did very well 90% of the times, it drove smoothly and quietly.

• 

  Constant Transmission problems - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By SD - April 5 - 1:46 pm

  Bought a new 2008 Sentra S back in Feb and have had an ongoing issue with the transmission. Any time I ease off the accelerator in 4th, 5th and 6th gear, I can hear a high pitched whining sound. Started noticing it before 1,000 miles and brought it to the dealership. They test drove the car and told me it was normal. The sound kept getting louder and the dealership agreed to replace the transmission at 2,500 miles. The sound was still their after the swap, just not as loud. 6,500 miles on the car now and whine is back. Nissan says it is normal once again and refuses requests for additional work on car.

• 

  Loved it... Until the dreaded radiator leak/transmission failure - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By kaja91 - April 5 - 11:35 am

  I bought it used @ a dealer & immediately was planning my next purchase of a NEW X-Terra (in several years). Spent $2k in repairs, then @ 95k miles the tranny failed due to the now well-known radiator leak into the transmission. Nissan wont help & Nissan dealers (who all know of this NISSAN design flaw/defect) cut the trade value in 1/2, which leaves the once loyal consumer stuck with a car they cant afford to fix, but are too upside down to trade in affordably. Boo on Nissan for its lack of remediation on a defect which statistically fails well after their 80k mile warranty. Lost a loyal customer. These should not be allowed for resale w/out a documented fix preventing fail. BEWARE LEMON!

• 

  Great looks, not so smooth ride - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By MTCS - April 5 - 10:53 am

  I have already traded the car in for an Infiniti M45X. The car is a head turner. It really is a good looking car. The fuel economy was great for a V-6. This car has all the toys you want, rear view camera, iPod, and something really cool was the compact flash drive. 8.3G hard drive. You can play music for hours. Now for the bad part. The passenger side seat shook when I got over about 50 mph. Got the tires balanced at my expense and then took it to the dealership as the problem persists and they told me that is just the way they are. The car drives decently on a good road but on a rough road this car shakes badly. For $32k I was expecting more, so now I drive an 2008 Infiniti M45X.

• 

  My Murrano - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By Mya - April 5 - 10:00 am

  My husband and I researched multiple different SUVs as well as test drove all competiters in the same size and price range as the Murrano. I as well as my husband felt as far as comfort, ease of handling, safety, price, and just overall options offerd on this model, as well as fuel economy non of the competiters could compare to the Murrano. I felt very safe in it during the winter driving, it was able to go places most others couldnt. I have to say I would diffenitly recomend this vechile to anyone and I would buy it again if I had to do it all over.

• 

  It just keeps on running - 1997 Nissan Maxima
  By JHR - April 4 - 10:03 pm

  I have had my Maxima for 11 years. During that time I have only had minor repairs even after 187K miles. What a great car! This is the second of two Maximas and the 4th Nissan/Datsun product I have owned. Great vehicles. Too bad the newer model Maximas turning radius was so short. I would never own one due to that.

• 

  Great car! - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By smgon99 - April 4 - 5:56 pm

  I went from an older Maxima to the Altima. I realized quickly how much car I was getting for the price. The drive is smooth and fun. The interior is super comfortable. I do have two complaints, however: The drive is loud, especially with the larger engine. In addition, I have already managed to lock myself out of the car twice! The interior lock is right above the door handle and very easy to accidently push while opening the door. Otherwise, I would recommend this car to anyone!

• 

  Sad Its Time To Let Go - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By apapple - April 4 - 3:38 pm

  I purchased my Maxima off a 2 yr lease with 35k miles on it. This week, after 7 years of ownership, it rolled past 190k and I can honestly say, hands down, this is the best car I have EVER HAD. Aside from normal maintenace wear and tear, I cant make any complaints. The most major thing ever replaced on this was the alternator, about 3 years ago. I am hard on cars and this Maxima has defintely been through the ringer. The two issues I can note would be the check engine light coming on for a bad oxygen sensor and the 6-disc player jamming up. Other than that, no complaints here. It has been reliable in all weather and the only reason it is time to go is because we need a larger vehicle.