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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  Happy after three years - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Bambam - June 12 - 7:46 pm

  I have had my 2001 Nissan Sentra SE for 50,000 miles and only the brakes have cost me a fortune to fix. It starts in cold winters and never has let me down. It has excellent reliability, is fun to drive and is a good car to get around in with enough options. My only complaint are the Firestone tires... I went through the original pair way to quickly and had to replace them 30,000 miles in.

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  My favorite car ever! - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By prideinlife - June 11 - 5:25 pm

  Ive had my 2011 Juke SL for a little while now and its without a doubt my favorite car Ive ever owned! I cant agree with all of the reviews saying the gas mileage is bad; I drive city and highway and my average is about 27 MPG. Thats pretty good considering I use regular unleaded, like to hit the gas and zoom and dont drive to intentionally raise my MPG. This car is pure fun to drive! Zippy, comfortable on the inside (even with a bulky toddler seat in the back), loaded with features (mine came with the color changing lights inside) and super attractive. I have people stop me and ask me about it all of the time. :) Dont think Ill be trading this one in any time soon!

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  Transmission shifting - 2008 Nissan Pathfinder
  By buyingdummy - June 11 - 4:10 pm

  Bought the Pathfinder. It shifts on time, but is rough between 37 and 42 mph. Not everytime. Ive had the SUV for about 2 weeks and like it otherwise. Dont consider this problem enough to reconsider.

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  Love my Armada - 2005 Nissan Armada
  By 92TripleBlack - June 11 - 1:40 am

  Only problem was fixed under warranty. Nissan redesigned brake rotors and replaced mine free. Very fast, reliable, all the bugs have been worked out. After owning it for 2 years, its still my favorite car to drive. I also own a vette convertible and G35. It is more quiet than the G35 and better for long road trips. I drove it to VT and drove in 6" of snow without problems. Great truck that I recommend to everyone. Get an 06 leftover if you can. The "improvements" for 07 arent worth the extra money.

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  Bring it Back - 1998 Nissan Sentra
  By edwphx1 - June 10 - 10:13 pm

  you need to bring this one back it has great gas milage great car to get around in. I have 84,0000 miles on my vehicle and the only things I have had done to it is changing the tires and a 1 brake job. Not too shabby.

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  Large limo - 2017 Nissan Armada
  By Dale Katko - June 10 - 7:41 pm

  Quiet and comfortable. Big and you will use the running boards.

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  It fits our life - 2011 Nissan Versa
  By niall1 - June 10 - 11:25 am

  When we were shopping we also looked at a Honda Fit. The thing is that a requirement for us was that anything we bought had to be able to take our bicycle in the back, ideally without having to take off the front wheels. The Fit would not even accept one bicycle even with a wheel removed while the Versa would take one ready to ride and two with the front wheels removed . So much for the Fits superior cargo versatility touted by the Edmunds writer. This car really fits our lifestyle and who we are. Handling is perfectly adequate for the way we drive. So is performance. Yes, we give up a bit for the extra size. Every time we gas up it comes out to 30 mpg, not terrible but not great.

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  We love this car - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Chris - June 10 - 5:50 am

  Have owned this since March 2005. After doing a lot of research and test driving various SUVs, we settled on the Pathfinder. The new model of the pathfinder is fantastic. It has so much more room and power than my wifes 93 and her brothers 98! Recalls/Problems: so far have had 2 recalls: Tow hitch electrical something or other, and the vehicle stability control chip. Also have had a malfunctioning left rear passenger window switch and a persistent squeaking in the brakes. Dealer has replaced front and rear brake pads under warranty with no issues--except my time being wasted- and problem now appears to be fixed.

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  Still very happy one year later - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By psl - June 10 - 5:43 am

  I realize one year is hardly a long-term test (even though the magazines call it long-term). Still, its long enough to shake out the bugs and recover from any love-at-first-drive infatuation. I still love driving this truck! The handling beats any 4WD vehicle Ive tried, and it has so much power and torque it still sometimes surprises me. The 6- spd gives me the best of both worlds: a very low 1st gear for the steep terrain I live in and for towing, and an overdrive 6th for high-speed rural interstate driving without killing the gas mpg. Besides, the stick is just a blast to control; Ill never buy an automatic unless there is no other choice. No regrets about my purchase!

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  Nissan Keeps Shifting Forward - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By NismoMan - June 10 - 3:13 am

  Ive had the car for 2 weeks and I love it, traded in my "98 Nissan 200SX SE-R very happy with the new car it looks like it cost a lot more than it did, its eye catching I love the way I see people breaking their neck looking at it and its just all around comfortable to drive