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:

• 

  36000 mile ownership experience - 2006 Nissan Armada
  By rmf - May 7 - 7:20 am

  Interior room is excellent. Engine handles all loads, tows boat like its not even there. Great comfort for trips. Design/functionality issues - seat belt retraction system barely works, constantly asking passengers to make sure belts/buckles are not slammed in doors. Steering wheel controls need lighting. Seat belt latch, front seats are way down between seat and console under armrests, difficult to buckle. Stereo is poor for a $38k vehicle! Quality issues - hatch window leaking, replaced. Power mirrors stopped working, replaced twice. Front seat came unstitched 6k mi., replaced. Front windows rattle, could not solve! Exhaust replaced 35k, rotted out. Air leaks front windows, new gaskets.

• 

  Love it! - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By MjWel - May 7 - 4:20 am

  My favorite part is that its a definite head turner. I had never seen one until I saw it on the show room floor. I fell in love, so did my husband. This car has great handling and awesome horsepower. The body is sleek, nothing like the regular Nissan Altima.

• 

  Would buy another - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Skeete G - May 7 - 2:43 am

  The Nissan Maxima is has power beyond power. Unless you are going on a real racing track you are supplied with all the power you need out the gate. Its handling is decent and its pick up is phenominal. I would recommend this vehicle for anyone on an average middle income budget. Performance, realiabilty and looks.

• 

  Surprised to love this so much! - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By Mrs Bessey - May 7 - 12:23 am

  I had a 1998 Nissan sentra as my first car and have had it until this year. When looking for a new car I adamantly refused a new sentra because mine was small and had always only mildly pleased me...Well, that was until I looked at the new Sentras up close. WAY bigger, WAY nicer, and a BLAST to drive. This car doesnt even -feel- like a sentra after driving my 98 for so long. I am completely in love with it. The fuel efficiency is amazing and the cars sleek design combined with size inside make this car a wonderful one for me, hubby, and the someday babies. :)

• 

  Great Truck - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By Al - May 7 - 12:20 am

  This one great truck! Previous Ford owner, and this truck will out perform the Ranger hands down. The the power is incredible. The six speed tranny boosts the fuel economy to 21-23. the other manufacturers better get it together if they are going to keep up with Nissan on this one!

• 

  Disappointed - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Jason - May 6 - 11:06 pm

  The vehicle is noisy and the ride is rough. I have been back to the dealership and they told me that tire complaints are common. Nissan is using sub-standard tires trying to keep costs down!

• 

  My Biggest Nissan Ever! - 2008 Nissan Armada
  By Jim - May 6 - 11:00 am

  We have purchased Nissans exclusively since the 1980s. Always reliable and sporty. Now that we have three young children, we found are 7 passenger 2005 Pathfinder to be too small for our needs. With gas at the time of purchase hovering around $2.80 a gallon, I was concerned about making the move to the Armada. Well, after a year, we couldnt be happier with our Armada. I was always drawn to the muscular exterior styling, but was never keen on the interior. Nissan did a great job with the interior makeover of the 2008 Armada. The quality of the leather seats is improved, the layout is logical, and all of the buttons feel solid. The information screen is really helpful. And we average 15mpg!

• 

  Sudden loss of power = new cvt for me - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By radkarendog - May 6 - 2:13 am

  Have read the posts here and was told my sudden loss of power was the TPS. When it was being replace, tech noticed metal pieces in the tranny pan = new cvt. The failure code did not indicate a tranny problem but evidently there is one. The loss of power happened 4 times over the past 2 years, each time I took it directly to dealership and it would run fine. This time after the stalling I started it the next day to be greeted with a very ugly grinding sound. Turned it off and waited another day and it started fine, but lost ability to accelerate about 1/2 way to dealership. Engine light was not on for this episode, but has lit up with previous loss of power issues.

• 

  At 58,000 miles it started to go... - 2012 Nissan Rogue
  By David Santaniello - May 5 - 11:54 pm

  Bought this 2012 Nissan Rogue SL AWD new in 2012. It is fully loaded, so the leather seats and 8 speaker Bose Stereo are really nice. Rear view is obstructed, but has nice cameras all around. Fun to drive. I dont notice the drone of the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) that Ive read about. Mileage over the three years Ive owned it so far has been OK; 26 combined, high of 30, low of about 20 mpg. At 58,000 miles - with attention to scheduled maintenance - rust started to form on the hatchback door. Dealership is fixing it for free. Also at 58,000 miles I pulled the keyless entry drivers door handle OFF while trying to open it! Expensive to fix and I was disappointed with the quality of the handle itself.

• 

  Mixed Feelings - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By kevymckev - May 5 - 8:31 pm

  I have been the sole owner of my 06 SE Frontier since it rolled off the lot in July of 06. The truck had a great V6 power & solid comfort and excellent affordability.My opinion changes after a serious accident with this truck. The key benefit was how well this truck absorbed a major collision. The truck immediatly lowered and reduced the impact i felt..preventing serious injury on my part. I love this truck for that.I have lost 100 miles to the tank of gas. Pre-Accident i was getting 350 miles per tank. Now i only get a meager 250. The power of my V6 has been reduced drastically.I have also replaced the battery 4 times with this truck. Only 100,000 miles on it.This truck had potential