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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  Dim Headlights - 2012 Nissan Altima
  By tsgttony - January 3 - 6:44 pm

  I have bought this car back in September, I discovered that the headlights are quite dim. no where bright as my old 2009 Subaru. I returned to the dealer 2x in 2wks each time I was told there was nothing wrong. Complained to nissan headquarters they politely listened to my problem. I have offered to pay for a portion of the enhanced bulbs, but was told by the service manager that this model can not be upgraded. I considered purchasing brighter bulbs from Napa. Was told by Service manager that this would void the warranty, I am now awaiting a call from the GM, had I knowen how dim these lights were I would have never purchased this car, furthmore turn on the high beams is not much of an impro

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  Not as good as youd think - 2008 Nissan Maxima
  By Tombo123 - January 3 - 3:13 pm

  Wind noise, streaking wipers, creaking/binding sounds, headlight misalignment, right rear seat continually falls forward even though its locked, air entering passenger compartment from somewhere up front, left front door handle had to be replaced as FOB signal failed, poor AM radio reception. Only item dealership repaired satisfactorily was the door handle. Averaging 14 mpg yet I travel on hwys 80% of the time. Our Altima was far superior MPG wise. CVT grinds between 30 & 40 mph.

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  Fantastic Truck - 1998 Nissan Frontier
  By John Lee - January 3 - 6:53 am

  This truck has never let me down in the 6 years i have owned it. No mechanical problems and has been comfortable on long trips. The Nissan frontier is the best truck in its class and is fantastically reliable.

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  Additional report - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By bo Slendak - January 2 - 9:33 pm

  This is the second time writing on this truck. Still truly awesome. This truck surpasses anything I ever dreamed about. Fun to drive, fast, dependable and looks great. Ill consider another one if I decide to get one, love this one too much, but leasing it and may consider another lease for business.

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  1st Time Nissan Titan Owner - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By Ed Knight - January 2 - 5:10 am

  My toy was a 2002 Ford F-350 7.3 Diesel, straight cab and long bed 4x4 Black and chrome, had it for 6 1/2 yrs. Had a chance to get this Nissan Titan Se KC 5.6 V/8 for a good price so I tried it. So far plenty of power to pull my 25 Travel trailer. A nice ride that my wife likes better than my Ford. I have owned a lot of Toyota trucks and all were awesome. Hoping this truck will be just as good or better.

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  Solid - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By kdawg - January 2 - 3:23 am

  Ordered this 2dr Nismo after reading Edmunds 2006 review...rated Frontier as #1 and again in 2007. Super solid, crisp handling, fantastic acceleration, impossible to get stuck, comfortable ride...just one tough truck. This will be a keeper for a long,long time.

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  Id get better mileage with a Hummer!!! - 2015 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Lisa Colache - January 1 - 10:52 pm

  I have never owned a Nissan and decided to try one out and the 22 miles to the gallon, I figured I had nothing to lose. Boy was I wrong!! This is the biggest gas guzzler I have EVER owned!! 22 miles to the gallon?? Who rigged this thing. I get 13 / 14 city possibly 15 on a good day, and 18/ 19 on highway. What a joke this thing is!! CVT is designed to give me better gas mileage, pffffttt. I questioned the dealership and their response was" Well, it has to go through its break-in period" I have never in my life heard of this so I went home and googled it. Well, some people believe this to be true, I still think its BS, as I have passed the so called " Break - In period of 1,000 miles and the sucks ass gas mileage continues. Anyone else have this problem????

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  Loving every minute of every drive.... - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Joe Williams - January 1 - 7:13 pm

  I dont get to drive my SE-R much, but every time I do, I love it! Im gonna have to get a radar detector cuz it BEGS to be driven well in excess of 60mph. I had a 2003 Altima SE that was great, but this one is a very significant improvement over that one. The road noise issue has been addressed and the interior is much improved from the cheap-feeling plastic stuff that was in the old one. I havent seen a car in the class that could hope to compete with the thrill factor available here. As good as the car looks parked, it has to be driven to be appreciated. Do NOT get the automatic (though I test drove one and it handles itself well, too!) - youll be robbing yourself of a lot of joy.

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  worth it - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By happyrogueowner - January 1 - 6:50 pm

  The rogue brings a nicer design than the RAV4 and CRV for a better price and mpg consumption. The driving is super nice and the engine responds better than the other V4 of the same category.

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  great car bad paint - 2014 Nissan Altima
  By mike b - January 1 - 12:27 pm

  We love this car. have bought 4 new Nissans over the years. Thought I finally found the maker to make me happy. Have had great luck but hear it comes dont know if it happens down south but I have 20,000 miles on it and its rusting around the crome strip on trunk. Coworker has the same problem on his 13 with 40,000 on it dealer said to bad that it would only be covered if under 36,000 miles. I will get it fixed under warranty when I take it in but it will come but in a year. Dealer knows about all of it for its happening to all of them. Nissan needs to step up but we know it will not happen. oh well Ill try a Toy or Acura next time. Not a good way to retain new car buyers.