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:

• 

  Its all true, the good and the bad - 2009 Nissan 370Z
  By JR - April 21 - 7:36 am

  First the bad news. The tire noise in this car (touring with sport package)is unacceptable. I drive 60 miles to work each day and the noise is terrible. Nissan really dropped the ball with nvh. The good news is, the fix for tis pretty cheap and easy. Buy some sound deadener for about $150, then spend an afternoon installing it and all of a sudden you have a fun to drive, world class sports car that will run with anything on the road and get attention everywhere you take it. Acceleration and handling are great. Bose system is pretty good and interior quality is significantly better than the 350Z.

• 

  Nissan Hybrid - 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid
  By greenauto - April 20 - 10:53 pm

  Beautiful car that is fun to drive. Lots of interior room and high quality finish outside and inside. Love the keyless function. Never have to take keys out of pocket. The trunk is, however, 1/3 smaller than the non- hybrid model. Great acceleration with the combined almost 200 hp. Also a very quiet and smooth ride with the CVT transmission. Fuel economy a little less than I had hoped for, 31 mpg combined driving in sunny San Diego.

• 

  maxed out - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By meka - April 20 - 10:20 pm

  I bought my car 4/06. since then i have replaced struts, ac compressor, tie rods, head lights. knocking sound on right and the service men at nissan cant figure out what it is. constantly being aligned. front grill chipped up. it is very sporty and fun to drive but cant enjoy the drive for having to replace tires so often which are way to expensive. a headlamp cost me $186. oh not to mention the motor mounts keep breaking. guess you can say i got a lemon too. will never ever buy another one. im maxed out on funds keeping this junk running!

• 

  Reliable So far, Easy to work on. - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By Pat Masole - April 20 - 8:56 pm

  I have the Sporty version and its not bad at all. Its easy to work on and reliable so far. It runs good, and cruses pretty solid at 80-90mph on the Interstate. Its a decent, solid, and sound lil car. I would be afraid to take off anywhere in it. Mine has 167k, and I feel 200k+ is very do- able. The have a that strong little 2.4 dohc that come in the legendary hardbody pick up.

• 

  Car totally died at 16000 miles - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By NOnissan - April 20 - 9:56 am

  I leased this car brand new, at 16k it cost $1500+ to fix SLUDGE in the engine--warrantee did not cover. Then ALTERNATOR died, had to have the car towed TWICE, once i had to pay for a new battery because Nissan refused to look beyond a dead batter as cause for car dying on highway-- after SECOND tow, they replaced alternator which was covered by warantee. Battery, tows, were NOT covered. I will NEVER buy another Nissan!! Company has poor product, even worse customer service.

• 

  NOISE IN THE FRONT END AT LOW SPEEDS - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By ginanurse - April 20 - 6:33 am

  I love this car, but it has been in the shop 6 times for this nosie in the left front end. They have replaced something different every time, but still no luck fixing it. The floor mat area where you are to put your left foot, the little plastic thing keeps falling off. Noise inside is the sunglass holder and the glove box. I have 62000 miles on mine.

• 

  Hot Tamale - 2006 Nissan 350Z
  By R.E.T. - April 20 - 5:56 am

  Test drove every Roadster under $60K before buying; narrowed field to Boxster, Z4, 350Z. Though Ive always driven German, found myself returning again & again to the Nissan. Quicker (no turbo lag!) & more powerful than my 04 250HP Audi TT Roadster, handles/corners better, too. However, TT had better quality materials (interior dash & console, exterior paint, etc.). TTs (Bose) sound system far superior to 350Zs (also Bose). Z system surprisingly tinny & weak. 350Z top drops & stows quickly and effortlessly -- action is smooth as silk. Looks, performance, power, price, fun-factor combined; 350Z cant be beat. Seriously fun to drive & a real head-turner (especially in red!)

• 

  terrible car - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By sean - April 20 - 5:43 am

  DO NOT BUY NISSAN. This car has been a nightmare for me. I have had countless problems with the car. Manifold had to be replaced twice, O2 sensors replaced numerous times, fuel injector is faulty, spark plugs need constant attention, car shakes uncontrollably, nissan refuses to pay for any of this even though it is supposed to be covered under a parts warranty. car is around 94000 miles now and Im surprised its lasted even this long. Maximum speed on the highway is around 40 mph.

• 

  Comfortable car - 2010 Nissan Versa
  By Mark Schofield - April 20 - 4:46 am

  I was looking to replace the wifes Scion xA. The car is a bit larger and MUCH more comfortable. Quieter, more legroom. Sound system is good. Visibility is very good. I tried the Yaris, xD, and Fit and got this one for the quieter more comfortable ride. The others were more like sports cars (to me). After 3000 miles, so far so good. Gas mileage is a bit lower (averaging 30 mpg mixed driving) than the Scion.Got the drop-in rear storage compartment for $120 and a $50 armrest/console from eBay. A nice little car. Im 66" and fit quite well.

• 

  Can you be in love with your car? YES! - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By sw21669 - April 19 - 10:26 am

  I purchased in 02 a 4cyl. Altima - I moved out of my poor Accord sporting 250k miles I kept waiting on Honda to change the Accord but noooo they had to wait one more year. Lucky me! My husband is a Honda Mechanic - he has been for 17 years. We both own Nissans. Go figure. Honda makes great cars but they didnt make what we required at the time we required it. I had several warranty issues with the Altima and 300 mile beyond my warranty I got nervous so I moved into the 05 Maxima Black w/the Elite package fully loaded I LOVE IT.. it will fly! I have the 4 seater with the tangerine color leather. I get more looks with that color scheme! Great for the money and the performance..Im sold!!