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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  Super Car - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By dpw - March 30 - 10:00 am

  Great car and fun to drive. Very sporty, handles great, yet very roomy and comfortable inside. Better features than Camry.

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  Finally a Pathfinder thats rides like an Acura and Benz - 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
  By roadtester1 - March 29 - 8:01 pm

  Why is 2013 Nissan Pathfinder a solid choice in my opinion vs. some of its peers. For starters Nissan finally moved away from an off road SUV (truck on frame) to one that mainstream families like myself will want and use. How many families do you know that go rock crawling or off roading vs. those who need space, comfort, handling like an Acura or Mercedes with virtually no tire and road noise? How many V6s can offer 19-26 MPGs when fully loaded with the AC blasting? For those who do not like or complain about the CVT transmission need to learn more about it. This is not new. All snow mobiles, wave runners, boats and heavy equipment use this type of transmission and its a solid choice.

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  Timing Chain - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By JAC - March 29 - 12:30 am

  This 04 nissan maxima 3.5 SE is a stick and is quick for a 4door sedan but unfortunately the car has been a big disappointment. The car has had a least two recalls and the rear panel always rattled. I finally got nissan to put in additional padding to get the rattling to stop. The oil has to be changed often or the engine will run very noisy. The sun roof leaks and now after 28000 miles the timing chain has to be changed which is costing me around 2k Im done with nissan never again JAC

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  Research - 2009 Nissan Frontier
  By Marty Rollinson - March 28 - 6:40 pm

  Edmunds:reviews this is a good truck, been Toyota man since 68 corona, glad I researched, this frontier has surprised me with ride, motor, tran.! 4wd but mpg is great, getting better mpg than Tacoma 4cy 4wd that I had !

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  The little car with a surprise - 1996 Nissan Altima
  By weazer6511 - March 28 - 6:36 pm

  At first getting this car, I had very few expectations. An inline-4 and a car I had not heard of. Nearly a year later my view of the car has totally changed. It handles beautifully around fast corners and at high speeds is quite steady. The only drawback is that it is an automatic, but other than that I really enjoy the car. It is quite realiable and no problems. The car has 45K miles and looks to last me until 200K. Ive put a new muffler and air intake and its 2.4L engine pulls amazingly. It is a quick car and fun to drive

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  Great Truck - 2010 Nissan Titan
  By WKDKC - March 28 - 3:56 pm

  I looked at Ford (a satisfied prior owner) Dodge and GMC. The SE Titan was the most for the money. I liked the new F150, but Ford wanted too much for a comparable model. I went on a trip to Florida with my Titan, pulled 2 big Harleys 2 people and a back seat full of “STUFF”. With the Trailer Pkg., it was hard to tell I was towing anything. I love the power and grunt, it gives you a feeling of being in a heavy duty truck with the performance and nimble feel of a sportier truck. It’s comfortable, roomy and well equipped. Its interior look is not as dramatic and appealing as a F150, but functional and well laid out. I have read the big 3 have caught up to Titan, but any of those = big $.

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  NEVER AGAIN. - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By hasman69 - March 28 - 1:53 pm

  From what I have been reading, I have been lucky cause I havent had this many problems but all in all if I had to do it again, I wouldnt. Bought it new in July of 2006, I wanted the Honda but wifey liked the Nissan and since its primarily her car I went with it, mistake right there. I do admit I like the roominess of it but thats where it stops. We have only had 49000 miles on it in 6 1/2 years but so far nothing major but its the little things. First of all, its not very quiet, its made cheap from the inside, yes our vents fall off too. The rear sliding door started making noise while driving and dealer kept lubricating but nothing.

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  Blows my mind, and my head gasket too - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By ChristaLynn11 - March 28 - 1:03 pm

  Original owner. Good commuter car for someone who does about 80 miles RT daily. Driver seat would benefit from lumbar support. Small back seats with little room and my goodness the cupholders. The two best parts about it are the gas mileage (average almost 30) and the stereo that comes with the Special Edition - it sounds amazing and is my favorite part of the car. I however, did have the blown head gasket issue yesterday, at 51000 miles. Although it was covered by warranty, I still found coming to a near stop with smoke blowing out of my car during rush hour which going 65 mph to be terrifying enough to warn others that this car DOES HAVE an issue with the headgasket going out.

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  Always Love Getting Into My Quest! - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By sue - March 27 - 10:36 pm

  After six months of trying to repair a rattling coming from wheel housing in rear seat, I am finally 100% thrilled with my Quest. The car was in the shop quite a few times to try to figure out how to repair my rattling problem. This is quite common in first year models, so Nissan went back to drawing board and found a way to fix the rattling noise coming from rear seat. Even though it took quit awhile to fix, the dealership did everything possible to keep me happy. They provided great timely service. They also provided a courtesy car for me to use. I would highly recommend Fred Martin Nissan in Green, Ohio.

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  Cant complain - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By Bruce Hornbeck - March 27 - 10:24 pm

  About to turn 50000 miles and it runs like brand new. I love my 2013 Sentra. This is my 2nd Sentra and Ive had 3 Quest vans. Great reliable car.