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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  Great SUV - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Great SUV - October 29 - 9:33 am

  I have taken this car to sand/dirt roads were there was many pot holes, ruts, and 1-2 ft tall long bumps and it handles very well when rallying! In the rain it handles great with good tires. Handles well at 108 mph. I strongly recommend this SUV. Now for gas mileage I get about 16-18 mpg. Fun car to drive especially on long drives. If you by this car dont be afraid to give it gas!!!

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  Epic car - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By Sharat ganta - October 29 - 7:00 am

  First in Dallas Fort Worth to buy and loving it. Fast acceleration 300 hp and still gives great mpg. Cool styling and great comfort with a lot of leg room. So many features you wont know till you buy and theres a sports mode too! Cool led daytime running lights and spacious inside with huge panoramic roof! Awesome car period.

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  83,000 and no probles at all! - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Ray - October 28 - 5:37 am

  83,000 miles and no problmes. Im going to flush the cvt trans before I hit 90,000 miles. I have changed the oil every 7,500 miles. I love the car.

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  Excellent value - 2003 Nissan Maxima
  By milehidweller - October 28 - 2:00 am

  I am driving this car for 10 month now and have 14kmi on it. Here are my minor complaints. Lousy tires. You buy a car like this for performance and the stock tires are a real spoiler. $500+ wasted. Ride and handling on SE are sporty, but not excellent, ride is a bit harsh, and cornering a bit sloppy. Some of the ergonomics could be better. Heater controls are hard to fine tune without looking. Two more rotary dials: for zone selection and for temp setting would be better. Power mirror control is too touchy and hidden under the steering wheel. Gas pedal is too far to the right and too close to the brake pedal. Seats are just okay, not really great.

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  2004 Armada - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By hhlewis - October 28 - 2:00 am

  The new armada will be a front runner in the full size SUV market. With the most horse power in its class.And the interior room. Its also a good value for the money.

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  Really fun to drive - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By MO Digger - October 28 - 2:00 am

  Having looked at several SUVs (both actual SUVs and crossovers) including the Toyota 4 Runner, Highlander, Lexus RX330, and Infiniti FX35 I found the Murano the absolute best bang for the buck. It offers more cool features (power adjustable seats, memory seating, Homelink systsem, Tire presuure monitors and on and on...) for the money than any of the other cars and it is extremely fun to drive. For an SUV this car handles like a sports car... tight steering and enough get up and go to keep you smiling through the turns.

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  Nice Truck - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By blaker427 - October 28 - 2:00 am

  I think the Nissan Frontier is a great truck for the money! I have had a 2002 Ford Ranger 3.0L V6 Ranger Auto and the frontier outperforms the ranger 10 to 1. I looked at the tacoma and for the exact equiped model it was going to be $5,800 more dollars when comparing sticker to sticker.

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  Fun Car - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By frank - October 27 - 11:03 am

  A little pricey I guess because its new but so fur it has been a great little fun car.

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  Drives like a wagon, roomy as a minivan - 2008 Nissan Quest
  By AlphaForceX - October 27 - 5:13 am

  This is our 1st mini-van and we had our eyes set on Odyssey and Sienna. After testing driving them all (Quest twice), we decided on the Quest due to the incentive and designs. It drives and looks like a wagon but is roomy as a minivan. The other cars especially the Sienna are very boring but Quest still looks fresh after 4 years (since 2004). The fuel economy is awesome for a 4000+ lbs vehicle. I could easily get 26+ MPG on the highway. Doesnt feel like driving a mini-van at all.

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  Best car in my life - 1999 Nissan Altima
  By Tom from Tulsa - October 26 - 12:03 pm

  Best car I ever owned. Bought it used in 2000 with 23,000 miles on it. Now I have 142,000 on it and it is still going strong. Showing few signs of age. Unsurpassed reliability. Fun. Classy. Peppy, most powerful 4 cylinder Ive ever experienced. Have never felt the need for more power, even driving the Colorado mountains. Easily passed most cars if necessary. Front wheel drive made driving in snow a breeze. Even now, Sep 2006, it looks good. Not that out of style really. Rear spoiler helps the looks. Still get compliments on it now. Would that I could find another car to match this one. A hard act to follow. Dont think a better car has ever been built for the money. Cant stop raving.