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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  Best Truck Ever Made - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By robert - September 21 - 3:20 am

  The drive is solid. The power is excellent and it is very quiet and comfortable inside. I compared it to the Toyota tacoma and the Ford ranger. It was obvious to me that there were very large quality differences. The Frontier was a much nicer vehicle then the other two makes that I compared it with. Also the value of the dollar for similar features beat the Toyota. Buy this truck if you want to be completely satisfied with your decision.

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  Just got an Altima - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By stevengreen - September 21 - 3:20 am

  Worst car Ive had. Road noise is terrible, whistle in transmission, drivers seat is worse than a park bench, low beams are ok up to 50-feet, useless further than that, high beams are not even. Dark and light spots, just a horrible car. Check this out carefully before thinking of buying one. Better yet, buy a Toyota.

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  FUN! - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By Karen - September 20 - 9:56 pm

  After driving a minivan for 10 years, I was ready for something different and the Murano is it. It is truly fun to drive, very maneuverable, has quick acceleration, and did I say fun to drive? The Bose sound system is excellent and the sunroof is a pleasure. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for something besides the Lexus/Infiniti/Volvo pack of mid- size SUVs.

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  2006 titan - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Bjp - September 20 - 5:10 pm

  2006 titan 4wd/LE. have truck for 1 month and 1000 miles. Love performance. Gas mileage on first tank was 13.5mpg mostly city. 16.5 on hwy at 75 mph with only 700 miles on engine. Will use the bed extender on next trip and see gas milage with tailgate down. So far, the EPA estimate is fairly accurate. Ill see what the truck gets when I get the engine broken in and some miles on it. If one has ideas for increased mpg. Let me know. Did alot of research and I think the Titan is the best truck on market. Will reevaluate at 10,000 miles.

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  Excellent car, 144,000 miles - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Andrew - September 20 - 7:40 am

  Bought this car in Dec 01 when new styling came out. 3.5 engine very powerful. Only had minor issues (light bulb for miles display went out early on) some recalls initially. Again nothing major. At 144K, windshield wipers stopped working and I spent $200 to get fixed. Now it is leaking antifreeze and given I need new tires and new battery I decided to trade it in. Definitely worked out well for me though.

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  Expensive Rattle Trap - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Big Mistake - September 20 - 6:40 am

  If you want to pay top dollar for a car that sounds like it is falling apart almost as soon as you drive it off of the lot then, by all means, buy a Nissan Altima. Dealing with Nissans inept and rude service network is a free bonus. Otherwise youre much better off buying a Honda or a Toyota. The Altima is a really nice car that is hampered by bad engineering and shoddy workmanship. Purchased 7/09 and Ive had to take it in for warranty service way too many times for a car that has only 7500 miles. The cars misc. annoying problems are too numerous to list here.

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  Its...decent? - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By rhiamichelle - September 20 - 3:53 am

  I bought this car used with 70,000 miles on it. About 2 weeks after I got it, my service engine light came on. Nothing happened for months. Around month 5 the CD player wont spit my CD out, & wont suck them in. After about 6 months, my car started randomly dying while I was doing 70 on freeways, which was a big inconvenience since I drive around 60 miles on the highway a day. Changed the crankshaft position sensor, which was relatively cheap, I guess. This car doesnt stand well in wrecks. I hit a light pole going about 5mph & the back bumper just fell off. I feel that Im paying far too much for far too little. Not worth it, cant wait to get a new car.

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  Good car! - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Garnermike - September 19 - 8:43 pm

  So roomy for a "sub-compact" car! Very smooth quiet drive. Lots of get-up-and go off the line, but the engine and CVT tell you they are exerting themselves (a little too much growl). MPG hwy has not topped 32; but the city mpg (28) is better than the EPA estimate for the car. For an entry-level car with a relatively tall profile, body roll on turns is not objectionable.

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  some issues with 2003 model - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By Andrew Lustig - September 19 - 2:40 pm

  I had this car for 3-1/2 years - just sold it today. Loved it for the first two years, but the following bothered me: 1. airbag light kept malfunctioning. 2. front tire problems, which the dealership was supposed to inform me of, but didnt. 3. tires kept losing pressure for no apparent reason (separate from #2). 4. fuel line/filter recall. 5. No Visibility to sides and back of vehicle.

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  24000 miles on mine - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By Tbob007 - September 19 - 10:00 am

  I love this car like a child but like any child it has its problems. Front tires replaced under warranty TWICE for the alignment/tire wear problem. New tranny at 21,000 miles, dealership said it was preventative. Okey dokey. Brake squeek (they might have finally fixed it after 3rd try). Power window switch broken. AC compressor busted. etc. . .etc. Trying to sell it. Low, low resale value (all these problems maybe?)