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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  nissan sentra - 2000 Nissan Sentra
  By Peter Kahora - December 7 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle served its purpose, it proveded transportation. The interior noise was quite high at highway speed. The seats were very hard and uncomfortable. The motor provided plenty of pickup and the transmission shifted smoothly. The car is gone now after being hit head on by a DUI driver. The car provided much protection to the driver. Significant front end damage with little interior distortion.

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  Horrible!! - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By chernobl008 - December 4 - 6:41 am

  All i have to say is when i bought the car at 70,000 miles right away my transmission started slipping, kicking, jerking. my a/c compressor went out. my Stock chrome rims started to peel. my suspension in the rear is starting to sag.. Please do not buy this car. unless you really like it and have lots of money for repair.

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  Nice Looking but Poor Quality - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By bdunk - December 3 - 4:03 pm

  The quality of this car is horrible. Sliding doors rattle constantly. The car has been to the dealership for numerous recalls and fixes (at least 2 weeks). The dealer offered a "Spam Can" (Nissan Sentra)as lender while car was being fixed and this is unacceptable. I will never buy a Nissan again. The extended warranty that was recently appended to this lemon of a car was nice but I would rather buy a Honda Odysey or Toyota Sienna and I would suggest you test drive each before making a final decision. In addition, dont be fooled by the posted Fuel Economy Rating (20+). Im averaging 15mpg.

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  Poor quality Nissan Quest - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By taglarry - December 3 - 2:55 am

  I bought this van brand new in 2007. The factory tires were bald at 25,000 miles and the brakes were worn to nothing at 27,000 miles. Just after the 36,000 mile warranty expired both front armrests fell off, the front cup holder broke, both sun visor light covers broke off, and an exterior trim piece fell off while driving. At about 50,000 miles the drivers side sun visor completely broke and two of the TPMS sensors had to be replaced. I just hit 80,000 miles and both front struts and the rear shocks had to be replaced. When compared to my other cars, this Nissan Quest is a constant problem.

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  Lemon car - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By skwon - December 1 - 10:40 am

  After one day of ownership of brand new Altima SV, a leak was found and a part (valve assembly solenoid) was replaced twice under factory warranty. My Altima was considered as defective under lemon law, and Nissan and I have been trying to get a replacement since December 2014. It is March 2015 and I do not have the replacement yet. It is unclear at this point when I would receive the replacement. Such delay is due to my relocation, misleading Nissan dealership, and long processes in Nissan corporate. To Nissan’ credit, I was offered a “loaner” car (S trim, not SV). However, the driver side door of this loaner does not close when the temperature drops below 0.

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  decent - 2007 Nissan Maxima
  By atorreon - November 24 - 12:59 am

  decent car....got one with all the toys. the oem tires suck in the winter and the car never got better than 17mpg. options and car build were great though. lots of comfor and decent performance

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  Not happy with Nissan - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By ch - November 23 - 11:56 am

  This Nissan will probably be our last. We have had 4 sensors go out, the shifter assembly went out and needed to be replaced, the brake rotors were warped when we picked the car up new from the dealer. This car has been nothing but problems.

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  Poor quality - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By MMBUZZ - November 20 - 2:00 am

  The poor quality has me looking to dump it. With 35k family / street miles and keep in a garage, the transmission is already slipping in all gears, the rear hatch rattles and has rubbed the paint off, oxygen sensor has been replaces 3 times and the side molding is coming off. This vehicle will be nothing but problem into the future.

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  Poor Quality - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Jason R. - November 13 - 7:16 pm

  I bought this car brand new and from the start it was full of problems. Aside from the 5 recalls that were all handled by Nissan (one of them without paying my tow bill) here is a list of many problems that my vehicle had. 1. Check engine light started to come on after the warranty expired and continued to do so very 6 months for no reason ($180 repair each time). 2. Cranckshaft sensor went out at 48K 3. Battery went out at 37K 4. Front rotors and paads needed to be replaced at 50K. 6. Rear bumper paint started to peel at 50K. 7. Power windows (front) went out About the only positive thing it had was the gas mileage and the exterior look. Very poor quality and reliability.

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  Versa is okay but... - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Andy - November 13 - 6:30 pm

  Ive had the vehicle for 4 months and these are the things Ive found: The vehicle gets no where near the mpg advertised, Im averaging 22 mpg. I was also told that the back seat folds flat and it does fold down but leaves a hump so large that most of the useful storage space in the rear is taken up with it. Ive also found that the vehicle is underpowered, but then it is a 1.8 L engine so I can accept that. Im hoping that my choice of a Nissan will turn out that Ive purchased a reliable car. We bought this vehicle to keep for the 3 years in the hope that in that time the fuel saving technology will have improved