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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  Awesome - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By William - November 24 - 8:43 pm

  I traded in my 2005 Toyota camry because I got a better deal and I must say WOW. This car is a blast to drive. I really opened it up the other day and that 2.5 liter engine really packs some power. It performs just like a v6. Im getting 26mpg right now with everyday driving. The Altima is bigger and faster then my camry was and still has a good reliability record. Reliability is the key point I look for when purchasing a car. Now I have a sports sedan with the reliability of a Honda or Toyota.

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  A fine, reliable car - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By dinoman - November 24 - 7:33 pm

  Bought the car new for its huge interior and exciting acceleration. It won out over the current Accord (much smaller interior, bland) and Camry (boring, slow, awful brake feel). Have had to replace the hood prop rod catch and took it to dealer for drive belt squeal when started cold. That is it. Pretty good for 92,000 miles and eight years!

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  Just a fun car - 2010 Nissan 370Z
  By Peter - November 24 - 4:40 pm

  I grew up in Germany, last car I had there was a 325i Coupe, manual, and loved it, but have stopped searching for the bang for the buck that BMW used to have in the 80s. Reliability has been questionable - my mechanic loves the 2000+ 3 series. :-) I was going to buy a 2003Z new when they came out, but due to kids almost got me an Infiniti G35 6MT, drove home with a 2003 M45, which I love and still have. Kids are grown up, and the 2010 Z 6speed with performance package in black/black is in the garage. I love this car. I looked at a 335i Coupe 6sp manual as well, very nice, but wasnt that impressed, especially when considering the price differential...

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  FIrst time Nissan owner - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Jozeph1074 - November 24 - 1:56 pm

  Being my first time as with a Nissan, I have been brand loyal to Toyota for over 15 yrs. But comparing what the 04 Maxima had to offer over the Camry at what I consider equal build quality, it was no comparison. The six speed transmission mated with the smooth 265HP V6 is just a example of how Nissan is listening to the market. Horsepower wars are back with all brands and Nissan has shown they are not going to be left behind.

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  first opinion - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By wrench1 - November 24 - 6:50 am

  Car drove terrific, was hard to keep it at 70 MPH. 2.5 Engine also got 30 mpg during break-in. This is my 5th Nissan product, first car. Had 1 pathfinder, 1 frontier, 2 xterras. I purchased the vehicle with the replaced engine and extended warranty.more rebate. This car is fun to drive everyday to work and pleasant to look at. I have a lot of options that enhance the appaerance like woodgrain interior, rear spoiler,Billet grille,Spec Edition pkg etc.

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  Third Times the Charm - 2007 Nissan Maxima
  By shk1123 - November 23 - 9:00 pm

  This is my third Maxima, and the 2007 model is by far the nicest, most exciting model ever produced. The CVT (whose effect does not change even when using the manual option of the automatic transmission) is a great option, and I think provides more consistent power. It looks quite a bit like the Lexus on the outside, but not close on the inside, and performance is not markedly different from what I could tell. Price is. A great car, as Maximas have long tended to be.

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  Great SUV! - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Eyo - November 23 - 9:46 am

  I love the car. really reliable. Great design, nice interior, and fun to drive.

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  Nissan Altima 2015 s - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By dougman33 - November 23 - 4:34 am

  Id like to start out saying that I love the style and looks of this car. The handling performance matches the looks. We bought this car for the gas mileage. My wife drives it more than I do but when I do drive it I love the overdrive feature. when you take it off the RPMs go up and it drives like a sports car really cool. Heater issue, When I put the heater in the foot selection it automatically turns on the defroster instead of the feet, ( only in really cold weather). This is a function of nissan which is not very cool. I froze my feet off. I think I know when to turn my defroster on. I may consider a trade to something that lets me control where to put the heat.

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  Loving it even more than I thought! - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By FireFish - November 23 - 4:06 am

  In a nutshell - if youre even looking at this car, youre probably looking for the same thing I was. I loved the look of the 2007 Infinity G35 coupe and swore Id do anything to get it after test driving it. Aside from the compact factor, everything else I liked was tech related or cosmetic. I didnt get it b/c it was way over my budget at the time and once the new Maxima came out, it was literally love at first sight. My Maxine (you heard right) has Premium + Technology packages, ultimately containing everything that the G37 Coupe currently has in its interior aside from the 2-hand Infinity clock. Many reviews I read call the Maxima more of an Infinity than an Infinity itself. CAR IS FUN!

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  Great vehicle, Best value in class - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By RedStripe - November 22 - 1:16 pm

  I was very impressed with the Nissan Sentra. I was looking for an economical compact sedan that is reliable and safe. I was very pleasantly surprised about how much interior space and passenger room the Sentra has and how smooth, refined and responsive the CVT and engine were, particularly its power and acceleration for a car of this class even when carrying 4 full-sized adults and a trunk full of stuff. The Sentra has the most incentives at this time compared to the competition, and you can get bluetooth and keyless remote entry for not much more. I saved at least $2,000 by choosing this car over the Honda Civic LX. Great value, very versatile and fuel efficient daily commuter vehicle.