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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  Sleeper Sport Sedan - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Andy - July 18 - 9:43 pm

  I sold my 2001 Maxima for this car. The 2007 Altima SE V6 6-spd manual is an incredible sport sedan. Its slightly bigger than my 01 Maxima, has 50+ more horsepower than the 01 Maxima, was thousands cheaper, and gets better mileage. Its basically the fastest front wheel drive car you can buy. There are two exceptions... the Mazdaspeed 3 and the Acura TL Type S. The Mazda 3 is almost the same price and is smaller than a Civic. The Acura TL Spec B is a 38k machine and is only 0.1sec fast in the 0-60. The 6speed manual is taken right from the 350Z and is a dream. Motor Trend specs the 0-60 in 5.9 seconds... in a front wheel drive car! I get ~24mpg average and ~27-28 highway.

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  Sharp car, but mileage stinks - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By danny zee - July 18 - 6:13 pm

  Fell in love with the car at first sight. Liked the features in the SL and was sold on the CVT tranny. Have 770 miles on the car. Just returned from a trip -27.6 on the road (on cruise) 22 around town - VERY disappointed. Had Maxima before and got better mileage. Also own a 03 Accord (4 cyl) and get 32.8 on cruise doing 75 mph. Maybe with break-in the mileage will improve a bit, but not that much. Nice car, but they should be more truthful about the mileage.

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  Good and can be better! - 2007 Nissan Murano
  By E. Pete - July 18 - 12:46 pm

  Ive had my Murano for about a month, and so far so good. The ride (long and short distance) is extremely comfortable. Lots of power, and the CVT is really great. I also love the backup camera (which I initially thought was just a gimmick). The car feels solid from top to bottom. I previously owned a BMW, and the Muranos overall quality is at least as good (and many ways better).

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  Unreliable vehicle for the high price - 2007 Nissan Murano
  By pukark - July 18 - 6:46 am

  My powertrain warranty expired on March 13. I went to dealership on Jan/Feb 13 & till then I did not have any problem. I went again on 07/13 just after my warranty expired & now dealer says I have following issues and the price for it. Nissan Dealership is not telling me issues with cars until warranty runs out so that they can get money out of me. I have 5 year around 3 month and 49900 mileage on my 2007 Nissan murano SL. •right front lower control arm($445.99) & left front lower control arm($445.99) •Reseal transfer case ($1,871.37) •Replace rack & pinion assembly ($1,441.19) •Replace oil pan gasket($141.99) Hall nissan virginia beach suks .transfer case problem is wide spread.

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  Not so excited about this car anymore - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By TZ - July 18 - 6:30 am

  I bought this car brand new thinking that like my last vehicle it would less me at least 140,000 miles without fixing anything major, so in 2 years my air condition went down, following winter something happened with my unt brakes, and now my transmission start acting up dont know whats the problem, i hope this car will get a recall it seems a lot of people have the same problem and after spending a good buck for this car i expect also a better performance I would never buy Nissan again unless there is a 100,000 warrant since i dont trust them anymore,

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  Cant wait for the new model - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By TITIAN LOVER - July 18 - 1:16 am

  Great truck, lots of power, best space for a crew cab. No other crew cab truck came close to the interior space the titian has. I had a few problems with the truck, but all new vehicles have a few bugs when they first come out. The dealership has replaced all my rotors and brake pads, my center rear seat belt, differential cover because the 2004 models have the steal covers not the aluminum, (the aluminum one is on the 2005 and present models, slotted, so better for heat, and comes with synthetic differential oil) and my rear tweeters. Overall great truck

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  Great crossover - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By driver - July 17 - 6:53 pm

  I bought this to replace an unreliable minivan. Knew this was the one for me at first drive (drove highlander, RAV4, enclave, pilot). Great interior, unbelievably comfortable leather seats and driving position, great a/c, roomy interior, and nice Bose sound system. The ride is smooth, quiet, firm and responsive. There is mild body lean on turns.The power lift gate is on the slow side.Some blind spots, but fine. My kids love it because they dont get car sick in it! I only have 400 miles on it running about 20 mpg. The vehicle recommends premium fuel (the manual says 87 octane min) which can be costly with todays gas prices. The fuel tank is large though, maybe longer time between fill-ups.

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  Not bad for the money - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Fla Mada - July 17 - 5:03 pm

  I now have 55,000 miles on my 04. Overall I have been happy with it. There is absolutely no other sport ute that has the space, power and value for the money today. I usually change my vehicles every 2 years but I will admit I am spoiled with the attributes this vehicle has and I simply cannot see paying over $50k for trucks with fewer features. It does rattle a bit, my seat squeaks at turns, have had 3 brake jobs but you know we also had an 06 ML500 @ $60,000 and it had just as many problems. We got rid of the ML and believe it or not kept the Armada.

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  dealing with brakes - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By greg taylor - July 17 - 6:26 am

  About every 6,000 miles expect front brake work. The first time, new pads, resurface rotors. Second time,new pads,new rotors, with explaination that all parts are not avail. Third time new pads, resurface rotors. Still no "parts" to correctlly fix. I suspect that in about 2,000 miles Ill be back again. Only this time I am going to make the dealer replace this vehicle under Floridas Lemon Law. Other than that it is a great truck

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  nissan 2000 - 2000 Nissan Pathfinder
  By jt - July 16 - 10:43 pm

  Ours is a plain Jane XE. Bought it new - now has 144,000 miles. Timing chain and waterpump@105k new struts@130k. Some brake work - forgot just what. Transmission serviced, oil changed each 3000 mi til 99k. Now using Mobil one 15,000 mile oil -changed each 10k - doesnt seem to burn any. Id drive it across country tomorrow.