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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  Love MY Nissan - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By Denise - March 8 - 6:46 am

  Love my Nissan. No complaints whatsoever.Love the performance and I must say, its a very looking classy car.

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  Already in for service - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Dissapointed - March 8 - 4:26 am

  On its way in for service after a month. Bolts(3 so far) keep falling off from somewhere and sticking to the speaker magnets. The back tailight assembly is coming loose. And there is a banging coming from the front end. The gas gauge keeps jumping all over never know exactly how much gas is in the car. Gas mileage is way below my daughters 09 corolla. Contrary to what others say this is not a japaneese car read the windows. Looking to dump this garbage heap.

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  Better than Tacoma...... - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By Edmond - March 7 - 5:43 pm

  After researching all the medium and small size trucks my choice was the Nissan Frontier. All the nice features, style, design make it a better choice. The Toyota Tacoma would be my second choice but I paid $2,500 less for a Frontier with the same choices. Plus those sales guys at Toyota are really difficult, they want you to pay MSRP and dont like to deal. The new Long bed on the Frontier makes it an excellent choice, if you compare the size of the bed to the Titan there is not much difference... I love my truck!

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  2009 Rogue SL - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By brantw - March 7 - 1:44 pm

  Bought this car for my daughter 6 months ago. It was a one owner with 95,000 miles and a good service history. Have been very pleased with the car. No CVT issues that others have mentioned but it does seem to be an issue on some cars. Better value that the RAV 4 and CRV I looked at. The Rogue interior is considerably more classy and it is quieter inside. All routine maintenance was done before I bought the car (brakes, belts, fluids) so I didnt expect to have any issues and havent. I drove the car for a few weeks and averaged 27 mpg on back roads with a few stop lights and signs. Pretty good for an AWD SUV and 10 mpg better than my Mazda CX-9.

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  Incredible mileage and performance - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By russ - March 7 - 10:46 am

  We bought this vehicle for my wife to run around in. At the time, I wasnt in love with the Altima but she was, so she got it, of course. We added the spoiler and kept the rest pretty stock. It is clean enough with its factory lines. I know that they say this car gets about 26 mpg but I get avg. 29 city, and 34-37 hwy and have since we have owned it. I am tremendously impressed with it especially for the price we paid. I did replace the battery but that is common when you spend summers in Az. It is not the first Nissan that we have had and it probably will not be the last.

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  SENTRAS CAN TAKE A BEATING - 1998 Nissan Sentra
  By BETHANY - March 7 - 10:00 am

  I RECENTLY TRADED MY 98 SENTRA THAT I HAD FOR FIVE YEARS. IT WAS EXETREMELY RELIABLE. I SAY THIS BECAUSE THE CAR WAS SMACKED FROM ALL SIDES. THE LAST TIME I WAS REAR-ENDED BY A TRUCK AND PUSHED INTO ANOTHER TRUCK AND I NEVER GOT IT FIXED (THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO). AND THE CAR JUST KEPT ON CRUISING, IT NEVER BROKE DOWN, ALWAYS STARTED ON THE FIRST TRY. A SENTRA CAN DEFINELTY TAKE A BEATING AND KEEP ON MOVING FULL SPEED AHEAD.

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  I love my car made for me - 1997 Nissan Altima
  By Nmims - March 7 - 10:00 am

  I asked to have the car made for me so it is a limited special edition. I get wonderful mileage, have an oil change every 3 months and have recently driven it back and forth to NC twice a month. I average 3/4 tank of gas for 200 miles. Other than new tires, I have had no major problems. This is my 3rd Nissan and I will hate to part with it.

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  Best Car Ive ever owned - 1997 Nissan Maxima
  By Chelle415 - March 7 - 10:00 am

  I love this car because it was a good price for a well built car. It has all of the luxury ammenities of a larger car, without the cost, and also without the cheap feel of lower cost sedans. The car feels solid, runs strong, and responds well.

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  2000 Xterra - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By ranavy - March 7 - 10:00 am

  I love this vehicle. Great for the outdoor enthusiast. Excellent in the snow with the 4WD.

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  I love it! - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By waynoka - March 7 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car in April, and Ive loved every minute of it. Had already tested Mazdaspeed, Eclipse GT, Celica GT-S, Subaru WRX. Found this one more fun to drive than Mits or Toyota. WRX was really nice, but pricey. Mazda was closest, but the dealership sucked (Dobbs in Memphis). This car has great power in all gears, looks flashy in yellow, wont be confused with other Sentras, and is a joy to drive. Great craftsmanship, materials are very sturdy, everything feels very tight. I skipped the fosgate stereo. Also avoid the stripes down the sides, definitely dont pay for them. Floor mats look great but arent necessary.