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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  Great Value! - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By largo - February 17 - 2:00 am

  Purchased vehicle new. Outstanding value for the money. Standard features such as telescoping wheel not even available on Lexus ES300. Spacious, roomy interior. Stretch-out front legroom. Roomy rear legroom. Very powerful 4 cylinder. Test drove a Camry and Accord before purchase. The Altima is the right balance of style, performance and value.

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  zowie - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By alababa - February 17 - 2:00 am

  much improve quietness in the interior

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  Nice car - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Tisokka - February 17 - 2:00 am

  I love the car. My only concern is the gear shift. Third gear does not work as smooth as I would like. Perhaps it just needs to work its way out. So far I have 300 miles on it.

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  Great Car - 2006 Nissan 350Z
  By TMC - February 16 - 10:30 pm

  Surprising that this kind of performance could be so affordable. This car will keep up with almost anything. The seats get a little uncomfortable on long rides, but who buys this car to "cruise" in it? Aggressive sounding from ignition all the way to 130+ and will turn on a dime, I would recommend anyone looking to grab a true performance vehicle at a reasonable sticker price. Word to the wise however...dont buy this car to save $$$ on insurance and it would be almost criminal to put anything less than 93 octane gas in the tank.

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  why did i wait so long to buy a maxima - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By maxed out - February 16 - 10:00 am

  i have the se model and i can not pry this auto from my wife. she has already gotten one speeding ticket. before you know it, you are going 80 mph. the pickup is awesome. i have the 17" wheel upgrade and it handles like a slot car. i am seriously considering purchasing another one and selling my jaguar. thats right, giving up my xj8l jag for another se maxima. this car is well put together, and looks best in black.

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  Superb car - 1997 Nissan Maxima
  By jwaine - February 16 - 10:00 am

  Our 97 Maxima SE is one of the best, if the not be best, cars we have ever owned. Other than regularly scheduled maintenance, it has not required a single repair in over five years and 40,000 miles.

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  Just bought it - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By bfallingstar - February 16 - 10:00 am

  The interior options sold us. Excellent sound system and leather interior. Very well thought out displays. Very powerful 6 cylinder engine. Larger body than I expected, but still manageable. Not much price negotiation, (I guess its popular enough that the dealer doesnt have to negotiate much.)

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  what happened to the tail lights? - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By J G S - February 16 - 10:00 am

  this car is fun to drive and has more than enough power for a mid size sedan! Theres only two things i can say about the spec v that i dont like. One is the second power source next to the emergency brake cant be used at the same time as the other one or your turn signals and hazard lights will blink extremely fast. Nissan still hasnt come up with a solution. The second thing is I feel they gave up on designing new tail lights for the spec v. The new maximas and altimas have them why cant we. It seems that all models of the 2002 sentra have the same tail lights.

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  AWESOME CAR - 2003 Nissan Maxima
  By skillmyster - February 16 - 10:00 am

  BOUGHT MY 2003 SE A WEEK AGO. LOVE IT SO FAR. GOT THE BASE SE WITH SUNROOF, FLOOR MATS, CARGO MAT AND SPLASH GUARDS. HAD EVERYTHING ELSE THAT I WANTED STANDARD. THIS CAR IS THE BEST IN ITS CLASS FOR POWER AND OPTIONS. CONSIDERED THE 2003 ACCORD BUT THEN THE PICTURES CAME OUT. WHAT THE **** WAS HONDA THINKING???? I KNOW I MADE A GOOD CHOICE. LIKED THE MAXIMA OVER THE ACCORD, CAMRY, PASSAT.

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  Outstanding - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Tarzan - February 16 - 10:00 am

  This is the most wonderfull car i never had. Since 1 bought it may 2002, i had No problems. The car is very fast, lost of style and very well equiped for the price. Its is a sport sedan that beats up very easly, the Honda accord, pontiac Grand Am, Grand prix GT, toyota camry and others.