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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  Sporty and Fun - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By sw - December 15 - 10:20 am

  Bought this car used and have had problems with the rear latch on a continuous basis. Actuator and latch were replaced and is still a problem. Had transmission problems that involved the gas peddle to stick which was covered under warranty at 60K. Gas mileage averages 19 MPG using high test and goes down if using reg. unleaded.

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  The Did It Right - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By David - December 14 - 10:54 pm

  I have had the car for a month now. To sum into 2 categories: Simply Incredible: 1. The interior. Our other car is an Audi. This is just as nice, if not better. 2. Safety features. What can I say...WOW. They nailed this. The car has beeped at me 3 times now when the car in front of the car in front of me has hit their brakes hard. Once the car in front of me literally had to fully lock up to avoid an accident. Me? A little hard braking but no big deal...becuase the car warned me. They found that perfect sweet spot where the beeping is not annoying, but it always does it at just the right time. 3. Surround cameras...so easy to park! 4. The CVT. Just never think about it. I guess that means it is good! 5. Remote start. It was cold yesterday, finally. Remote started. When I got in the car I noticed it heated up the steering wheel for me, in addition to of course heating the cabin to the temp I left the car at. Really nice touch. 6. The headlights. Brightest and most precise I have ever seen in a car. Visibility is just great. Good but needs work 1. Nav and entertainment. Mostly nailed it. Little things I wish were better. You cannot see the song playing in the 7" screen for sat radio (does so with iPod and bluetooth)...takes a bit to find some things in the menu system. Blacks out options when driving for saftey which is fine but some I disagree shoudl be blacked out. Most useful 3d map I have seen in a car. Really Nissan, get with the program and allow Car Play and such...I do worry that this system will be "old" in 5 years, hope they have an ability and plan for software updates! The Nissan Apps are useless, but frankly I dont want Trip Advisor in my car. Would DIE to get a Spotify app though! 2. Intelligent cruise. Its pretty damn cool. I suppose I should not expect this to work like I assume a Tesla works! Only complain is when a car in front of me changes lanes it takes a while for the car the "let it go" and realize I have clear roads in front of me. Overall I love it though. 3. Zero G seats. OK it took a full 3 weeks to find an acceptable position (I am 6 2" with a bad back). Agreed, the center console can annoy the knee, I have to really set the seat back a little more than I like to so it does not happen. I worry that in a few years there will be a noticable wear spot there. At least it has some padding. Otherwise seats are really the best I have ever had in a car...ventilation works great, leg support extender great for someone my size. And as other reviews have noted, why was Nissan unwilling to make the passenger seat 6 or 8 way? Short people complain that they are really low, and really tall people JUST have enough head space. What else can I say? I feel like I dont deserve this car, the interior is so damn nice! Drives with that perfect balance of a really stiff frame, but forgiving at the same time. Issues I have with this car are pretty trivial. Everyone who has been in it or driven it is jsut floored...especially people who own luxury brands!

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  Wow - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By rentalnurse - December 14 - 1:56 pm

  Have looked for months for a new car,and as gas went up size went down, was waiting for this model to come out, test drove a scion and said well this isnt too sm so lets go see if the Nissan is out,, Stock was very limited but they had one that had most of what I wanted. Was impressed that with 4 in the car had no prob going 75 up hill, very roomy and take some getting used to not hearing shifting gears, fun on curvy roads and easy to park. drive over 300mi a week so shall see what milage will get. its very easy to speed as one person said.

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  My Murano is a Lemon - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By muranoNO - December 14 - 3:10 am

  Our 1 yr new Murano has broken down 4 times starting at 10K miles. The service engine light comes on & the car loses power while driving. We had the recall repaired on the car & still had more issues. Each time it stopped running our 1 yr old was in the car in a near accident situation. Our dealership was rude & unhelpful. The service dpt at Nissan said something different was wrong with it each time & ensure that it will never happen again. Not true, its happened 4 times. Totally unacceptable! I fear for the safety of my family in this car. Up until this happened we loved the car. So disappointed. Now we have claims filed with Nissan & the state.

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  TOW Vehicle - 2006 Nissan Titan
  By NYCrcPILOT - December 14 - 12:30 am

  mileage has been between 19 and 24 mpg on highways, city is low as expected. Very comfortable for long drives. Only 3000 miles on it.

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  Great SUV - 2008 Nissan Xterra
  By az_ryan - December 13 - 10:08 pm

  I got my Xterra S used and love it. The V6 engine is powerful and the ride is smooth and quite. The exterior styling is really nice looking. The interior is pleasant looking and roomy, but very minimal. There are lots of plastic panels and very few bells and whistles you would expect. It would be nice to have more features. The biggest disappointment was the terrible factory sound system. One of the first things I did was replace the radio and speakers with an aftermarket system. The rear cargo is very nicely thought out with adjustable tie downs on the floor and roof, storage under the floor, and rear seats that fold down flush making lots of room for dogs or hauling. Cleans up nice.

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  How Do You Spell Relief, Its Altima - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Max Walker - December 13 - 4:13 pm

  This is my 2nd Altima. I had an 02 model that I gave to a family member. I didnt really want to give it up, its such a great automobile. My other car was a Lincoln and the Altima rides just as good for a lot less money to purchase and maintain. After the Lincoln I had a Mercury SUV, which was expensive to operate, so I traded it for an 05 Altima. My eldest son has bought three (3) altimas in the last year. The bottom line for all of us is: its so much car for the price, plus the maintenance costs are reasonable.

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  Best SUV ever! - 2017 Nissan Rogue
  By Connor - December 12 - 10:52 pm

  Ive only had the vehicle about two weeks, but have driven it about 1000 miles. I commute very far to work, and being comfortable is very important to me.The Rouge provides it all, at a great price; Decent performance, havent had a problem passing at highway speeds although everyone else seems to. The interior is what I beleive a cut above the rest as well.

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  Sick of crap going wrong - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By sick - December 12 - 2:26 pm

  I used to have 3 B210s when I was in school. I thought these were reliable cars. I have been driving toyotas for the last 5 yrs. Well, Im going back to toyotas. This car has had more problems than I had pimples in high school. I would not tell anyone to buy this car. Ive had a new motor, computer, all wire-harness, sensors & a number of other things replaced on it. I think this car should be recalled. Maybe, I just got a Lemon.

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  A Good Value - 2005 Nissan Armada
  By Rigmaster - December 12 - 2:16 pm

  I looked at all the makes. Sequoia was just too pricey and the domestics have too many recall and other issues. Infinti version not worth the extra money - expensive cladding. The Armada rides well so far. Especially like the price-value for this size SUV. Nissan dealers arent very good though so be happy if you get a well- built vehicle that doesnt require their assistance. Anyone expecting great gas mileage in a 4x4 with this size and engine shouldnt have bought one in the first place. Compare this to others with similar features and this is a clear winner. Will do another update after some additional driving. Toyota should be worried that theres a new big SUV to take on the Sequoia.