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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  A great car - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Dave Voss - November 3 - 10:00 am

  The car is solid. The transmission is superb and I like the styling. I have 8200 miles on the car and had a few rattles in the interior, but the power train is the best I have ever driven. I didnt know that Renault is the primary owner of Nissan when I bought this car!! After 4 months, I have only seen 2 or 3 more of these on the road!

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  What a Great Car - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By rebskipper - November 3 - 10:00 am

  Super Car; 1000% better than the 97 we traded; quiet ride; great pickup; tremendous looks; comfortable; super nav and sound systems; great air bag protection; rear bucket heated seats are roomy; big trunk.....and a really great price in comparison to the competition...

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  Great Car All Around! - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By josh_scow - November 3 - 7:00 am

  I love the design and features of this car. After doing over a month on research and price comparisons to the civic and corolla I found you get SO MUCH more with the sentra than any other car. I paid 15,000 for my SL while a similarly equipped civic would have been over 20K.

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  great buy - 2006 Nissan Armada
  By jerry - November 3 - 3:23 am

  So far its been a super buy,no problems what so ever. The horsepower is awsome, lots of get up and go when you need it.The interior space is more than enough and lends to a very smooth and comfortable ride. Gas mileage is great for such a large suv, 300-400 miles per tank. We have driven 5000 miles so far and everything remains tight. Its a great buy

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  Rogue Review - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By ILRogue - November 2 - 3:36 pm

  So far, the Rogue ownership experience has been positive. Comfortable ride, ample space for 2 adults and 3 kids. Good room in the back. Nice features and price points, which allows you to select how high or low you want to go in the features vs. price debate. The i-AWD feature is great for wet pavement - one can only hope for the same in the snow. Reliability is yet to be determined (too new).

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  Maxima continues to rule - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By John - November 1 - 11:33 am

  The 18 inch low profile tires look nice, but are very expensive to replace after hitting potholes. The vehicle has a lot of top end speed but take a little time to accelerate from 60 - 100+. The interior is stylish and controls are easily accessible. The large display screen makes setting radio, clock, maintenace, etc. easy. Would buy it again....

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  10 370 Z best sports car for the money - 2010 Nissan 370Z
  By carla - November 1 - 10:00 am

  This is my first Z. It reminds me of an earlier generation Porsche 911. Its a Touring coupe with Sports Package and Nav package. Tremendous roadability and handling with wonderful manual 6-speed tranny, decent power and beautiful dynamics, +++ fun factor. Its more of an eye-turner than my Porsche Turbo S cab. Only dislike is the exhaust note and slow initial climb to higher RPM.

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  Great Car - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By swatson - October 30 - 6:16 pm

  I bought my nissan in 04, having owned a nissan before knew it would be a great buy with 68000 miles on it. Have had to replace starter front cvc joints and front brake pads twice. I am on second battery. This car is wonderful - looks good runs great. But I do not put premium gas in it, just regular and have had no problems and get 27 miles city 30 on highway.

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  Overall Great Package and Value - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By Brian - October 30 - 7:56 am

  I got a 3.5SE with leather package, sunroof and spoiler in that killer looking cherry red! Shes absolutely beautiful after a wash and a wax and looks just as pretty as some luxury cars on the road. Having driven american for the last 6 years, it feels great to be in something new, something fun, and RELIABLE!! (Knock on wood - only have 2500 miles. Wifes 97 Maxima has 150K though and still running great.) This car might have 4 doors, but it drives like a coupe. Great handling and awesome acceleration, especially in autostick mode. Design just blows the doors off of American cars and the value is beyond compare as well.

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  Stirred Not Shaken - 2010 Nissan Cube
  By Rick - October 29 - 9:36 pm

  So far its been a love affair. I like being 64" and not knocking my hat off getting into the drivers seat. In fact, the car is very comfortable for four large adults. The ride is nice and supple. I like the cabin layout and the clear all around visibility. The first tank of gas netted me an averaged 33mpg. The Cube is well thought out and an exceptional value.