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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  Real Time - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By Ken - December 28 - 10:00 am

  I love it. 31K miles and still love it! It does move in windy conditions at high speeds or is pushed by trucks on interstate. One push on the gas and I am passed that though. Gas is always 28-29 mpg highway or city. I am big and my son is 67" and we both have plenty of spare room front or back. I am totally satisfied.

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  My 2011 Nissan Rogue SV - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By Gary Byars - December 28 - 10:00 am

  This is the second Rogue that I have purchased. Traded my 2009 Rogue S for the 2011 Rogue SV. The SV comes really loaded up and the Premium Package really gives you so great options for a really reasonable Price.

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  Great car, but only the LE - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By Suraj D - December 28 - 8:06 am

  I am about to buy the LE model. I read other reviews about the slight bouncy quality on the Murano while driving city streets and am happy to say I experienced this myself when driving the SL but not the LE. This is due to the 20inch tires on the LE I believe. The ride on the LE is posh, luxurious and the car handles and drives very nicely and smoothly. I am excited to pick up the car tomorrow. I compared this to the Acura RDX and MDX, the Audi Q5 and the Volkswagen TIguan and Touareg, but found the Murano to the best in terms of ride comfort and lowest road/wind noise. Very happy buyer. I came from a Mercedes ML 350, so its not as luxurious as the ML, but best offers value for money!

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  Best Frontier yet! - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By Asantoni - December 28 - 1:46 am

  Having owned a 1998 Frontier, words cannot describe what an improvement over the old model the 2005 Frontier is. There is plenty of low end Torque from the V6 engine and its a pleasure to rev. 5 speed auto transmission is extremely smooth (same is in the Titan I believe) and it helps deliver respectable gas mileage. So far Im getting about 18 mpg in mixed driving and 21-22 mpg hwy. Handling is also a strong suit. Only complaints I have about the truck is the small nearly vertical rear seats and the General Grabber tires. These tires will break loose in even the slightest rain and just dont belong in a truck with this much power.

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  Awkward Altima - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Taylor - December 27 - 8:52 pm

  This is the worse waste of money! This car has a lot of recalls and should be taken off the road! The brakes freeze and you could die! Nissan should be ashamed!

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  Great Used Car Value - 1998 Nissan Altima
  By troyx - December 27 - 10:43 am

  I brought this car a little over half a year ago with under 25K mi. to replace a totalled 99 Elantra. The jump in quality blew me away, after the last car, this one feels like a luxury car. The car I got had low mileage and almost no interior or exterior wear to speak of. It feels like a new car, even with it being over 7 years old. Handling it tight and firm, acceleration is smooth and the engine sounds quiet and refined. This car is a used car best buy, IMO. Resale value was lower than Camrys and Accords, but specs and build quality is on the same level. I havent heard of any recalls for this generation Altima.

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  Good car - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By ben0123 - December 26 - 9:43 pm

  This is my first new car and I really like it. I was testing 2008 altima coupe 2.5s and Honda accord coupe exl. Even though I like the long term reliability of Honda but I like the style and performance of altima coupe. It is much quite than the Honda accord. I would recommend this car to anyone who likes the sport car. Accord coupe is also a beautiful car but I think it is still like a family car.

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  littlesentra - 1996 Nissan Sentra
  By daves baby - December 26 - 10:20 am

  this has been a great little car.It took my daughter thru college and has been an intermediate car for my husband. It has been very reliable and has over 100,000 miles and still going strong.

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  Front End Driving Stability - 2007 Nissan Armada
  By blb - December 26 - 10:06 am

  Overall Im pretty satisfied. I love the power!! Not real crazy about the gas mileage...but its hard to have both. Great interior features and love the Bose sound. The one thing my wife wasnt going to compromise on was the "butt warmers!" A must for her...gotta admit...I like em too.

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  My SL is sure luxery - 2016 Nissan Altima
  By Tom Brown - December 26 - 9:32 am

  After owning 5 Camrys decided to jump ship based upon the appearance as well lack of comparable features of the 2013 model year. This of course carries over to the 2016 as well. We liked our 2013 Altima and now own a 2016 Altima, which we like even better if thats possible. Our concerns about the 2013 have all been addressed with this model years refresh. Way to go Nissan you listened to your customers and made the necessary changes. We really hadnt intended on buying another Altima due to the fact it basically looks like our 2013, but after checking out the competition and being able to get the features that we wanted at a price we could afford, the refreshed Altima made it an easy choice.