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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  I LOVE IT!!! - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Nissan Enthusiast - April 23 - 10:00 am

  The new Quest is awesome. It whoops the Oddyssey and Sienna by a mile. It looks awesome and is as fast as a 350Z. Smooth ride and good gas mileage make it my favorite.

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  NICE CAR - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By wayne - April 23 - 10:00 am

  VERY HANDSOME AUTOMOBILE. VERY ROOMY INTERIOR AND VERY COMFORTABLE. THE 2.5 LITER ENGINE HAS MORE THAN ENOUGH POWER. THE RIDE IS VERY SMOOTH AND QUIET.HAS MANY NICE ELECTRICAL FEATURES. I RECOMMEND IT.

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  My Wife wants to drive my Maxima, I dont want to driver her Lexus ES 350! :-) - 2012 Nissan Maxima
  By sunsonshaan07 - April 23 - 4:53 am

  So I just traded up for the 2012 Nissan Maxima here recently at the end of October. I went with a Black/Black 3.5 SV w/. Premium, Premium Tech and Cold Pkgs as well as the Spoiler, Window Tints, Pin Striping, Wheel Locks and Nitrogen filled Tires (Im in the Dallas, TX area). I traded in my previous car, a 2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited V6 w/. about 75k miles (got around $8k back for it) and let me tell you Im not regretting it one bit. I regretted getting a Korean Car more as with the age, the ESC light started to periodically light up and everytime it did, the evergreen Microsoft methodology came to the rescue (i.e, LOL, Shutdown and reboot). I got sick of it after a while.

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  Not Comfortable - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By JoeFrank - April 23 - 2:00 am

  One of least comfortable cars I have ever driven. Every bump, every hole, every paint line is felt. Even my old 96 Camry and 2001 Regal are much more comfortable. I wanted a car to take on trips, but this is not the car.

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  Gas Mileage lagging... - 2014 Nissan Rogue
  By franky9 - April 22 - 5:03 am

  I have opened a case with Nissan of No. America, due to the fact that I drove away from dealership with new 2014 Rogue, and was getting 15 MPG. They told me to wait till car reaches 1,000 for accurate gas mileage. Now at 2,000 miles and I am averaging 23 mpg. Not what they are advertising. I am NOT getting anywhere near 30, 32, 33 mpg highway, no way. Sucks and I am not a happy camper.

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  Great daily driver with an appetite for fun - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Irvin Pinto - April 21 - 8:04 pm

  I bought the Altima as a daily commute to school. The car does extremely great in daily driving situations and manages to please out on the highway and on twisty county roads. The car handles great and has a comfortable ride at the same time. Has given me zero problems so far, Ive owned it for 7K miles. The interiors are good quality and the seats are really comfy

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  2006 Nissan Frontier SE 4WD Crew Cab - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By P-W-R - April 21 - 6:53 pm

  Attractive exterior styling. Compact size makes it very easy for person of limited height to access bed. Very nice sprayed in bedliner with innovative load locking system. All controls are within easy reach inside. Drivers seat could, however, have more adjustments. Very responsive 4.0 litre engine. Truck towed my camper up some very steep hills with ease, particularly after downshifting, it took off like I had nothing in tow when I had just over 2,000 pounds! Very impressive. For the money and when compared with its Toyota counterpart, seems to me to have "more bang for the buck." In other words, I belive I was able to obtain more optional equipment for the price I paid

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  Big, powerful, looks great; nav. is junk - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By mm99 - April 21 - 1:53 pm

  This is my 3rd Altima and by far the best. Crashed my old one in part due to lack of VDC, so it was a must for me. Nissan offers it only on 3.5, and if you cant stand rear spoilers, a loaded 3.5SL is the only option. The car looks great and feels very powerful, all that 3.5-l torque is made instantly available by the very responsive CVT. Lots of front legroom; the interior feels plush. Dont care about push-button ignition, but unlocking doors/trunk by buttons on handles is nice. Nav system is a remarkably useless eye-candy though: street/highway names are missing from the map just when you need them; menus are extremely non-intuitive. NavTraffic is just a toy, doesnt have enough detail.

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  Hands Down Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By mjg - April 21 - 10:00 am

  I have owned three Maximas prior to the 2010 and this is by far my favorite. The features are comparable to that of a $50,000 luxury sedan. If you are on the fence, go with the Nissan. Best buy for the money!

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  Good car still going strong - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Phred - April 21 - 10:00 am

  Bought the car new; no problems in 60,000 miles. Just had brakes replaced for first time at 60k miles - dealer said he never heard of them lasting that long (I dont race to red lights and stop signs). Speedometer has always read 3 MPH higher than actual. Nice highway cruiser. Drives well with all season tires in Rochester, NY winter snows.