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:

• 

  Love my Versa - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By Love my Versa - May 29 - 10:00 am

  First time ever buying a car and a new driver. I love the way my versa rides. It is comfortable. I can see everything around me and I only have to fill my tank I also look good in it. Good Job Nissan!

• 

  Vice versa - 2011 Nissan Versa
  By Versa lover - May 29 - 10:00 am

  I recently wrote a review on my purple disaster of a chevy equinox and not long after It gave out completely at 40,759 miles. So I finally got it started and drove it to clay cooley nissan in duncanville Texas and I absolutely fell in love with this versa! Its huge inside! It absolutely blew my mind how large it was and the gas mileage is unbelievable! I love everything right down to the little meep horn! Its practical, affordable, the insurance is cheap and its easy on the pump as well as the eyes, legs, and back. However this is not the car for speed, the sentra has way more power but it can hold its own, bottom line, perfect car for me

• 

  A Disappointment - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By csaltzman - May 29 - 10:00 am

  I made the mistake of trading a 2007 Avalon for the 2010 Altima for better gas mileage and on the basis of a favorable rating from Consumer Reports. The Altimas "premium" Bose sound system has only a single-disk CD player, but worse than that, the car suffers from engine noise and rattles. It goes over bumps like a tank. The various electronic displays for temperature, mileage, and so on are widely inaccurate. In short, the car is a major disappointment, and I shall unload it as soon as I can.

• 

  Fun to Drive! - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Alison - May 28 - 9:00 pm

  I loved the styling and performance of my 2005 Altima. Nissan didnt needed to make that many changes. Some how they managed to improve on perfection. The new styling is better than any car on the road, luxury cars included! The car handles well and is fun to drive. The car comes loaded with standard features, including side airbags.

• 

  Great sheer performance - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Go Blue - May 28 - 3:30 pm

  Pros: Superior 255 HP engine. You canÂ’t beat this in the family sedan market. This car flies- great acceleration. Standard Xenon Headlamps. Very cool feature- gives your car luxury status. Great safety feature. Cons: Some people donÂ’t like clear tailights. Paint quality not that great- chips easily. Premium Bose stereo not worth the high price. Overall, more exciting than Accord or Camry. Not as pretty as the Passat, but much faster.

• 

  car is great! - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By yeah - May 28 - 6:46 am

  this car is fun to drive, fuel mileage is pretty good, lots of power, handling is near perfection. inside is luxurious, seats are comfy, gauges are great.. i love it

• 

  Tacoma vs Frontier - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By Mike - May 28 - 6:03 am

  After 3 months of comparing these two vehicles, the Frontier won! It cost much less than the Tacoma, it has more "git up and go", and has a more solid ride verses the bouncy feel I sensed in the Tacoma. I figured that the Frontier has far more horsepower and torque per pound in comparison to the other trucks. As an added bonus, my first round trip in the Bay Area freeways resulted an average 24.6 mpg on regular gas! City driving cuts into it at about 18.5 mpg. Though I miss the compass/temp read-out feature, the balance of the dashboard is laid out very thoughtfully. Some say that theres too much plastic in it but its my work truck, who cares!

• 

  problems at first minor things happening - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By rick d - May 27 - 7:20 pm

  PURCHASED VEHICLE FROM LOT NO TEST DRIVE.1ST PROBLEM TIRES(BF GOODRICH TA) TIRES SHIMMY REPLACED ALL FOUR WITH NEW. 2ND,RADIO STATIC REPLACED BY DEALER. 3RD SKID PLATE SCREWS FOR OIL FILTER STRIPPED WAITING FOR NEW ONES STILL.TITAN IS A STRONG BEEFY TRUCK THAT THE COMPETITION CANT TOUCH FOR POWER OR COMFORT.I JUST WISH NISSAN WOULD MAKE STANDARD OPTION OF POWER MIRRORS FOR THIS TRUCK XE MODEL.

• 

  Love the car - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By cj - May 27 - 6:23 pm

  I got the car to replace a minivan. I found that the room inside the car makes this easy. The car is small but the passenger space inside made moving from a minivan to a car very very easy, everything fits. I dive several hundred miles a day, and the car is a joy climate controls work great and the smart key is a wonder. I had a problem with the bluetooth but nissan helped. But I find the people in the phone too polite and thick Brithish/Indian accents.

• 

  absolutely awesome! - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By parker - May 27 - 11:10 am

  I was originally very hesitant to spend this much on a nissan, but the car is worth every penny. Ive had an Acura TL and lexus RX, this car blows both away--and costs way less. Build quality is top notch -- no creaks no noises. Fuel economy is excellent considering how powerful this car is. Tech package rocks. I cant believe editors dont rate this car higher. def recommend to anyone.