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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  Problem with CVT - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Jim DiRosa - September 26 - 3:13 am

  I purchased the car in march of 2013. It is 2 years old, it has 66,000 miles & the dealer tells me it needs a new transmission. Nissan has refused to offer any financial assistance, because the car is 6000 miles out of warranty. I will never recommend Nissan to anybody. I definitely never purchase another Nissan!

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  Not the best experience - 2000 Nissan Altima
  By Mark - September 25 - 7:43 pm

  I bought this car used with 84,000 miles. At 125,000 miles the power steering pump went out, the radiator was cracked and needed to be replaced, and I was getting a low oil pressure light going off. After a week in the shop they discovered little pieces of metal in my oil pump and in my oil pan. Apparently something came loose and essential ruined the motor. Prior to this slew of issues I never had a problem and enjoyed the car as a simple point A to point B type of vehicle. Maybe I was just unlucky, dont know. You can get these cars pretty cheap compared to the competition, and its probably worth the gamble, but I had a bad experience.

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  The NEW POOR MANs Sports Car - 2008 Nissan 350Z
  By Memo Z To - September 25 - 6:53 pm

  I have had my Z for 2 months and so far its been a complete thrill to drive. Its fast, yet refined! It turns heads and gets attention. The powerful V6 really kicks and the baritone exhaust sounds melodious especially in higher RPMs. If you drive it smooth (which is VERY hard to do) you can get good mpg, but driving it like a true sports car can cause some frequent trips to the pump. The 6-speed transmission has great response on all 6 gears. All this for under 30K! Best deal out there!

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  2005 LE CREW CAB - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By JIM LAPSLEY - September 25 - 2:43 pm

  Ive had the vehicle for 1 month and just got through Nissans 1200 mile break-in, I had a chance to put it to the floor, after 4000 rpm a huge surge in power and goes to red line quickly. Overall truck is very tight, rides nice and is a joy to drive. It has loads of power and alot of interior room. Im extremely please with this vehicle and would recommend to anyone.

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  Awsome SUV - 2008 Nissan Armada
  By peppershaker - September 24 - 3:00 pm

  I bought this used with the intention to buy a new Chevy SUV, but after owning an Altima for 8 years and putting 175000 miles with no problems. I had to test drive the Armada so we did and liked it much better than the Chevy Tahoe. I have three kids and they have all the room in the world to move around and we are getting ready to buy a new camper so the towing cap. was very important to us. We get about 15 miles to a gal in the city with the k&n filter in it . We love this SUV. If youre looking for a dependable truck this is it. We will drive this one for ten years and put 200000 miles before we need to buy another.

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  Not confident with Nissan reliability - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By mred72 - September 24 - 1:01 pm

  Had a review I previously submitted and Edmunds never posted. My SL now has close to 18,000 miles on it. Within the first 500 miles the Fuel sending Unit failed. I had to wait 2 months to get the part and I had to get Nissan Consumer Affairs involved. Good style inside and out, but poorly executed. Quality control is all over the place with Nissan; no consistency with different loaners I was given to fix other issues. CVT transmission among the worst built CVTs in the industry. Now having trouble with rear drum brakes.

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  Wow this is a great car! - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By RichL - September 24 - 6:00 am

  Traded my 08 Accord EX in on 09 Max SV and have had it for about three weeks and 1000 miles and wow what and upgrade, I cannot believe how nice this car is, the Accord isnt even in the same league. The performance is unbelievable, this thing is a rocket, ride is very quite, interior materials are very classy, seats are comfortable, good handling with the 18in wheels, and I am averaging 23.5 in mixed driving which I considering pretty good. I have gotten tons of compliments on the looks from neighbors to complete strangers. I still havent figured out all of the gadgets but this thing has lots of goodies. I would highly recommend buying one. You wont be disappointed.

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  Satisfied Owner - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By sapulpabaptist - September 24 - 3:30 am

  I have put nearly 27K miles on my Versa since July 06. I average 27 mpg in town and 33 on the highway. This is a great little car for the money.

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  Original Owner - 1996 Nissan Sentra
  By proud nissan owner - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car eight years... I have replaced the tires, 2 shocks, alternator, battery, and catalytic converter (the O2 sensor rusted off). Not bad at all for 8 years use. The belts are not toothed and tend to squeek unless you tighten them often or replace them every couple of years. I believe this car will go another 100k miles and still look good.

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  more motor please - 2000 Nissan Pathfinder
  By suasma - September 24 - 2:00 am

  very well build automobile. not a problem worth telling, but needs either more power or better fuel economy. if its going to be slow it shouldnt get this bad of gas economy.