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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  Maxima Minima - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By 90max - September 13 - 12:53 pm

  The 2002 Maxima is an extraordinarily frustrating car. Power and handling are terrific, and superior to anything in its class. Nissan should have hit a homerun with this car, but failed to touch the bases. While the drivetrain merits superlatives, the drivers seat/ seating position warrants expletives. The seat is TERRIBLE (to put it mildly), and the seating position is a mess. The Maxima is a confused amalgamation of world class engineering and inept design.

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  96 Maxima still runs great - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By munsoor - September 13 - 10:00 am

  Never had any major problem, except with the O2 Sensor, which I later found was being recalled, so I got that replaced for free. I find this vehicle fun to drive. It is low maintenance and reliable, which is the way I like my cars. After 130k miles, it feels like I may have to replace the shocks. The audio knob doesnt respond sometimes. But engine is trouble-free.

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  You get more than you pay for! - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By taohk - September 13 - 10:00 am

  Purchase this car new at $14000 with auto-trans, spoiler, alloy wheel, cruise control, fog lights, 180w + 7 speakers stereo, leather wheel. So far, I never had any problems until the ECU recall. Nissan dealer did the recall service, after that I had replace the Oxygen senser under warranty. Later Nissan replace the entire on-board computer. I think they short-out my chip while they fix the ECU recall. The car runs great. After 40k, the car still run like a new car. The paint still shine even I park the car outside all the time. I am 6-3 still fit into the driver seat nicely. I gived this car to my girlfriend. She really like the shape and the handling.

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  2004 LE Armada Loaded - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By bsmooth32 - September 13 - 10:00 am

  A serious SUV to travel in. Have had it only for a weekend but so far I am very happy. NO problems with it so far.

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  2004 Nissan Sentra SE-R - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Sabbi127 - September 13 - 10:00 am

  The SE-R is the best Sentra ever, the powerful engine + the small size of the car = fun to drive

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  Quest - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Kbarn - September 13 - 10:00 am

  This van has plenty of power up hills and in town on freeways I drive alot of miles a year and I am on LA freeways on a daily basis and climb the hills it is wonderful.

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  LOVE my new Murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By kidDkat - September 13 - 10:00 am

  I traded in a Sport Trac (my first SUV) for my fun Murano. The features are cool, with detail to the creature comforts. The car drives like a sports car, hugging the road, not feeling top heavy on turns. The continuosly variable transmission feels different at first, but becomes natural after driving it a few times. This car truly is a match between sporty and practicle. I highly recommend it!

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  titan - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By jfsrjfhsej - September 13 - 10:00 am

  The only problems were a squeaky passenger seat and faulty front brake rotors.

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  Big Truck - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By bobby jackson - September 13 - 10:00 am

  When shopping for a new truck, I only looked at the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan. Thought that the Japanese makers would have higher quality. But after only 4 months of ownership thing are already going wrong. The brakes stared to shimmy after only 2 months and the interior is already starting to fall apart. Buttons on knobs are falling off. The rubber around the door is also falling off. For a full- size pick-up truck, this thing is a little too refined and fragile on the inside. This makes me wish I had looked at the more traditional U.S. makers such as Dodge, Ford, and GMC, or went with the Toyota.

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  New to the Nissan product........... - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By lizandmark - September 13 - 10:00 am

  We just bought this vehicle, but so far we are quite pleased. We had also looked at the Tundra, but for the $, the Titan was a better buy. So far, so good.