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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  My Sentra Rules! - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By Poonhead - December 14 - 10:26 pm

  Ive had my Sentra for three weeks and have already put 1,500 miles on it. What a car! Its fuel efficiency overdelivers, if anything. I got 42 all the way to work today. It tends to perform best fuel-wise when youre going about 50-55 mph. I got the souped up version: sunroof, saddle colored leather seats, convenience package with bluetooth, trunk divider, CVT, etc. Its a pleasure to drive. I had a Saab 9-3 that was 7 year old and just completely falling apart with just 85,000 miles on it. I didnt even think Id be interested in a Sentra - went in to look at the hybrid Altima. But this car gets BETTER mileage than that hybrid, so whats the point? Buy a Sentra!

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  Great small car - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By Jake - December 14 - 9:30 pm

  I just bought the 2006 Special Edition model for my daughter who is 19. I drove it home and that was the last Ive seen of it. The car is great to drive, the gas mileage is awesome and the SE package makes a big difference in looks. We compared it to several other cars and while a few others were just as good, no others could not even get close to the price.

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  Love the Armada! - 2006 Nissan Armada
  By Becca - December 14 - 9:13 pm

  We took a trip to CA over Memorial Weekend and was surprised we got 17.6 mpg driving on Interstate 40. We avg. around 14.5 mpg in our small town.

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  Absolutely hated it! - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By Twinmom143 - December 14 - 3:30 pm

  I owned a 2001 Quest for years and drove it to over 130,000 mi before trading it in for this. Biggest mistake I ever made! I loved the old Quest. The newer one is spacious, but the blind spots when driving it were terrible. It didnt matter where I moved to, I just couldnt see well at all. Almost immediate muffler noises and front end noise. The front brakes go often in these vehicles because they are SO heavy and the brakes cant handle the size of the vehicle. Terrible gas mileage. Nice options, but not worth it. I didnt keep it 6 months! I started looking for something else 2 weeks after getting home with this one!

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  Great Vehicle - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By MontanaMan - December 14 - 2:56 pm

  I have been looking for a nicer SUV that can handle all of the weather variations that Montana has to offer. I found it in a used Murano and purchased it a few hours later. I know that there are alot of people that wish to get better gas mileage with this vehicle. Given the size, I think that it gets as good of mileage as one can expect. I have family members with a toureg and they only get 15mpg in town. I am averaging 19 mpg. Great ride, sound accel. and no lurching during shifting. It is not a vehicle that I would take bajaing but it will take us to the ski mountains and almost anywhere else we need to go. In all it is everything that I could expect from an SUV but even more.

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  Transmission Problem - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By jesus - December 14 - 4:03 am

  I see there are a few bad reviews for transmission problems. Unfortunately I have the same problem with my Maxima. At about 60k it started having problems with tranny slipping. I believe Nissan should own up to their faulty transmission. I have lost faith in Nissan now. Good luck Nissan cause youll need it.

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  Underwhelming vehicle - 2016 Nissan Murano
  By MT - December 13 - 5:44 pm

  This vehicle is underwhelming and gets terrible mpg

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  Nissan Has Nailed It! - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By racuda - December 13 - 10:36 am

  This is my third Nissan truck in 12 years. It is light years ahead of the other two, like the difference between a Pinto and a Porche. The raw power is the first thing I noticed. Its a good thing I got the limited slip differential - it is necessary to keep the wheels from spinning at full throttle. Of course, this comes at a cost - Im only getting 18.5 MPG on the highway. The reason I picked Nissan over Toyota is because I wanted power leather seats (heated), and a sunroof. Also the Nissan uses regular gas compared to the premium that Toyota recommends. I recommend getting the rubber all-weather floor mats. They are much easier to maintain that the carpeted ones.

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  Loved it, but time to move on? - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By cfowler - December 13 - 10:23 am

  I bought this car used from a rental company about 5 years ago. It had 37,000 miles and I am very near 110,000 now. Most expensive repair was window switch which was less than $100.00. Just had to replace the sending unit to the transmission yesterday and my mechanic said not to expect more than 25,000 - 30,000 more miles before needing a new transmission. Now trying to decide if I should sell it or spend the $2500 - $3000 on the transmission and hope it lasts me a few more years. Overall this car has been very reliable and I love it. Hope I can find a reliable newer one as my next car!

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  Like my Sentra - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By mchown - December 13 - 10:00 am

  This has been a reliable vehicle. I havent decided whether I will keep it when the lease is up or not. Have had 3 recalls, and the only other maintenance besides normal checkups, is getting front brakes replaced after 3 years. The tires are crummy, they definitely wont last another year, even with changing them over every Canadian winter! The fuel mileage is excellent, and its a safe and reliable touring car.