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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  AWESOME CAR!!! - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By JIM696 - April 4 - 9:36 pm

  I went from 10.5 mpg SUV to the Murano (my 1st crossover) and I LOVE it. I have had it for 1 month and have just over 1000 miles on it and I know I made the right choice. I got it loaded and love all the gadgets it has. I seem to be getting about 22 mpg with a mix of city/highway driving. The Bose stereo is awesome and I love the navigation and back up camera. I am still getting used to not having to take my key out of my pocket to open the car or start it. I like the power rear hatch and the power return on the rear seats. I find the interior very plush and comfortable. The engine with the CVT is very quick. Great job on this one Nissan.

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  Armada lemon???? - 2006 Nissan Armada
  By Brian jones - April 4 - 4:50 pm

  The idea of owning an Armada is great, the power, comfort etc.... Its not until you own one and have to constantly take it back to the dealership for computer issues. Its like Christmas all year, your dash lights up like christmas tree. In additional to systems issues the brakes need lots of work. AS soon as you hit 10k you will feel a vibration like no other, and it has happen to two other that I know. They warned me and I snickered and now as you can tell I wish I would have went with Toyota.

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  2015 Not bad total but very poor interior desgin - 2015 Nissan Sentra
  By Hom Jar - April 4 - 10:59 am

  Pro: I put 6500 miles on my 2015 Sentra, I bought it new for $14K it has AC, AT, auto lock and auto window. Car runs good and (according to car computer at least) it does get good mileage (unless rigged to give favorable readings). it handles well with adequate power. One big con is the interior design: the center console between front seats serves no purpose, almost zero storage, no arm rest and very cheap cup holders; they did not spend a penny on this thing. The glove box is also useless without side walls every thing falls down when you open it. Almost no inside storage. Trunk is good and spacious, the inside (rear seats) seems to be better space than 2013 Corolla I had, if they had paid attention to interior design it would have been a better can than the Corolla. The car is worth 13 to Max $14K, it is not worth to spend more.

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  Very good buy - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By mike - April 4 - 10:50 am

  I really like this car. I would rather have had the 3.5L V6, but given the fact that it takes premium fuel, gas prices, blah blah blah you get the picture. Very good A to B car in style, and somewhat fun to drive. Creature comforts with the convenience package are very nice. Car is very sophisticated looking for the price. Its my first new car, and I will keep it for at least 5 years provided that no idiot(s) run into it and break it.

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  00 Maxima SE 5 Speed - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By jlaves - April 4 - 10:00 am

  Having driven a Jeep Grand Cherokee before, I was looking for a car that tracks well, has the same grunt the 5.2 ltr V8 in the Jeep had, and offers me a manual. Not wanting to spend more than $24k, the list became pretty short quickly. I was not disappointed by the engine. How sweet it is! Lots of grunt, lots of revability. I think teh car looks a little weird from the outside, but I dont have to look at it while I am driving. Build quality and reliability have been excellent, and I am getting about 24 mpg in mixed, somewhat aggressive driving. The tires are almost shot after only 22,000 miles

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  Blows V6 Passat, Accord and TL away!!!! - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By sergei91 - April 4 - 10:00 am

  Only options I didnt get were the heated seats and traction control - dealer did not have one in stock with the frost interior - black leather was WAY too hot! Tested Acura TL, V6 Passat and V6 Accord, not as smooth a ride but lot more fun and roomier. Sticker said $29,500, but actual price paid compared to V6 Accord and less than Passat, TL with same options. Love the 17 inch wheels, looks fast and sleek. Awesome interior - nothing cheap in there, gated shifter, locks and handles all look phenomenal. Awesome passing power on interstate. Worried service will not compare to Acura or even Honda and VW.

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  2008 Nissan Rogue - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By mike - April 4 - 6:03 am

  So far this has been a great vehicle in every way. Fuel economy has been right on and performance is also great.

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  Best value in its class - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By RalphO - April 3 - 8:46 pm

  Have owned it 4 months. Love its performance, comfort, conveniences. Need 6 cyl for tow capacity. Good handling is important to me. Muranos is much better than Lexus RX. I gave it a 9 for fuel mileage, rated relative to its competitive group. Of course Id like better. People rave about the Bose radio. I think its adequate. Overall, to me this is by far the best value in class.

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  Transmission Problems - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By kano1017 - April 3 - 5:58 pm

  After reading all this reviews I decided not to wait and / or pay a lot of $$ to get this fix, so what we came up with is totally different cost effective and it works great, I know that this is a problem with the Nissan design but I bought it so now is my problem here goes, we cancel the lines that go thru the radiator and put an independent oil cooler to the side of the radiator with this little gadget you can be sure that you will never ever have this problem again and the transmission oil will be more cooler with this modification so the tranny will work better, cost to do this = 60 buck for the oil cooler, 15 buck to add transmission oil to the oil cooler and thats it well + what you

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  Best SUV for the $ - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Hillcoach - April 3 - 5:50 pm

  Ive owned this 06 Pathfinder a little over a year now, 18,500 miles. Excellent vehicle. Lots of power allows it to pull a trailer and/or full load of stuff with ease. With kayaks and bikes on the roof it averages about 18 mpg at 65-70 mph. Mileage as high as 22 without gear on the roof. I would highly recommend this vehicle to anyone who tows and/or carries lots of toys on their roof. Lots of fun to drive daily and comfortable on long trips.