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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  overrated - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Scarleg - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Everything started great, the Titan was smooth and has plenty of power. after a month on the road the brakes started to shimmy and the service department cant seem to figure out the problem. Also, on four separated occasions the truck would not start. The service department is having problems finding this one as well. Some sort of intermittant problem. Based on my first two months I would not recommend the Titan.

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  initial impressions - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By stude - April 6 - 2:00 am

  when i opened the door of the titan, i was immediatly impressed by the two tone leather interior & the colors chosen to blend together. on examining the exterior, i was impressed with the spray on bedliner & the plastic rub strips in the floor of the bed. very practical & useful. a minor note that i saw, was the crush zones on the front frame extentions. these appear to be serviceable, & if they are, then will be very useful in collision repairs. other trucks either fail to offer this feature, or only offer the entire front frame section, still requiring removal of the entire cab assembly for proper access for welding.

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  LOVE IT!!! - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By diana23496 - April 6 - 2:00 am

  I absolutely love my Z roadster. The handling is fantastic and the get up and go is amazing. There is never a time I go anywhere that heads dont turn and people ask "what are you driving? Man, that is nice!!"

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  Great car with one problem. - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By P Tyler - April 6 - 2:00 am

  ive always been a fan of the maxima, and the 04 is no exception. It has plenty of power, and the Bose stero is terrific. While not thr best in its class, its pretty competative. My main problem and only is the annoying torque steer. Nissan keeps uping the power of the car each year, and its pass its limit. Infinity cars have rear wheel, why not Nissan?

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  evs and kevs max - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By kman - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Love everything about our new max except we have been having problem starting car in very cold temps(0-20 degrees).Dealer gave us a cold weather starting tips bulletin(they couldnt correct problem).Is anybody else having same problem?LOVE THIS CAR ANYWAY!

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  love the little black sr so far. - 2016 Nissan Sentra
  By Fred - April 5 - 11:46 pm

  I bought the car in September. I have around 2500 miles on it so far...Love it...it look luxury with all the features and leather. Runs like an Infinity or a Maxima....It looks great...of course it is not a Mustang 5.0 but for a nice cute mini luxury car, it does the work....

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  Just a Few Minor Setbacks - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By James - April 5 - 11:06 pm

  Bout my Altima brand new in Jan.06, my first brand new car purchase. Since purhasing this car, Ive truly understood why indiviuduals are loyal to their brands. I was a previous Honda Civic owner (1997 & 2002, both coupes) and I was looking for more when switching to Nissan. Not excited about the drive at all. The peppy 4cyl engine has great power but is pulled back significantly when running A/C. Ive had mine in for service numerous times. A/C & radio stopped working after 3 months...still no diagnosis but repaired. Transmission light continues to come on occasionally while driving, and seems to jerk on a start up and go move.

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  Poor AC - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By blob1 - April 5 - 1:31 pm

  My Rogue has about 18K miles on it now and the worst thing about it is the AC.I live in Texas and its HOT in the summer and the AC in this Rogue has a hard time keeping up.Its been this way since the day I bought it. I bought a new 2009 Nissan Versa and gave it to my daughter and the AC in it worked great. The acceleration is poor but I like the CVT and the storage compartments in the doors and console are too small. I like the styling and other than the AC its been very reliable.Nissan needs to put a better battery and tires in/on their cars. Every time I buy a car the manufacture wants to know what I think about the dealer.They never ask me what I think about their car!?

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  Best vehicle weve owned - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By pathfinder - April 4 - 11:23 pm

  This has been the best vehicle we have ever purchased. We now have 55000 miles and it just keeps going without anything going wrong. Hall Nissan service guys make you feel like we bought a BMW--always helpful, never try to oversell anything you dont need--it is because of their service, We will buy another Nissan. My only complaint is the fold-down front passenger seat--it is uncomfortable after about an hour due to the removed area of lower lumber that allows it to fold flat--dont get that seat--shell hate it three weeks later and tell you! Xenon headlight option would be great-- they still dont offer it on the 2010-- or Id be trading in--Ill wait for 2011 and see--!

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  Wish i had anonter one!!!! - 1997 Nissan Altima
  By Nathan Oss - April 4 - 10:11 pm

  My 1997 just turned 260K miles with same tranny and engine. Best car I ever owned. Bought in 2003 and here we are in 2016.