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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  Titan doesnt live up to its name - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Adam - December 2 - 8:20 pm

  We purchased the truck new in 05. Currently we have 52,000 miles on it. The truck has plenty of power with the trade off being mileage. We see an average of just over twelve. We have gotten 18 on premium and 8 on E85. The truck has been plagued with both minor and major problems. Minor being tire pressure sensors leaking or needing recalibration and back up sensors. Major being brakes, replaced front differential which took Nissan 2weeks, Fuel tank pressure sensor, and a fuel mixture sensor. Overall it is an O.K. truck but for real work I would prefer a Ford or Chevy. It is a sweet ride coming off the lot and in town but that is as far as you can take it.

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  Thumbs Up to Nissan - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By texastruckgirl - December 2 - 5:00 pm

  First time Nissan owner. Love this truck. Roomy interior is user friendly. Tows like a champ. You get instance power when petal to the metal. Sharp looking truck all the way around.

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  Its About the Ride - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By TB - December 1 - 4:20 pm

  I bought my jet black Maxima Sport Edition on Xmas Eve 2008. I had narrowed it down to the Maxima, an Acura TL, or a BMW 128. The Maxima proved to be the best value, while probably not the top quality, but there is a lot to be said for value. If youre into Technology Packages, the Acura is the way to go as the Maxima Voice Recognition is nearly useless. It will turn things on and off, but not make adjustments, such as temperature control. The Acura excels here. But its about the ride and comfort! And the Maxima offeres gobs of both, along with exhilarating performance and great gas mileage (23 in town, 28+ on the road) The CVT is admirable and fun. And the Max has looks to die for

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  On the road in my 2013 Altima 3.5 SL - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By caliguy1 - December 1 - 1:28 pm

  I test drove a 2013 Altima 2.5 last fall and did not like the sound of the CVT transmission with the 4 cyl. engine. I drove a 3.5 SL with the V6 and loved it, but I put off getting one. I recently leased a 3.5 from Mossy Nissan in San Diego and the car is fully loaded!! Its great to drive, comfortable, quiet, smooth with plenty of power when its needed. Although I only have 550 miles on the car at the moment, I can say Im impressed with it and think I made a great choice. My first choice was a VW Passat, but the design was blan to me, especially the dashboard area, and VW just couldnt meet the lease terms Nissan offered.

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  Awesome - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By Martin Brumback - November 30 - 8:13 pm

  We have owned this car for about 6 months now and have no complaint excellent car would recommend to anyone the 4 cyl motor has endless power which you don,t see in many 4cyl engines

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  Loving our Altima at 5000 miles - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Gene Nagle - November 30 - 4:03 pm

  My wife and I are very pleased with our Altima, now almost 6 months old with 5000 miles. After looking at several cars of this type (Accord, Camry, Sonata), it seemed like the best value, and it has not disappointed. The responsive 4-cylinder combined with the CVT transmission makes for smooth driving both in town and on the highway -- and the best cruise control system Ive ever had. As noted by others, highway mileage is phenomenal at 40+ mpg, and we average close to 30 around town, about 32 or so overall. Its not the quietest car of this type, but certainly quiet enough. Both the suspension system and the seats are comfortable without being mushy, and cornering is excellent. My wife is just 5 feet and needs good, high seating for visibility, which the power seat in the Altima does better than any other car of this price that we looked at. (Most others at this price had to be jacked up to raise the seat.) The controls are pretty standard, nothing remarkable, but very functional; I really like having lighted controls on the steering wheel for electronics and cruise. We have the middle electronic system, with Bluetooth and a backup camera but no navigation. The backup camera is a bit blurry, but it has nice clear distance indicators to help with backing into a parking space. And the Bluetooth and USB systems work great for our smart phones and iPod. One small complaint on the heating and a/c: when I turn off the fan and then turn it on again, the a/c automatically comes on which seems odd. Both heat and air work fine, however, as do the defrosters. So far so good with our 2015 Altima; truly a good value.

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  The Little Car That Could - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By trewlove - November 30 - 3:56 pm

  This car is amazing for several reasons. The gas mileage is great, I average 30 in-town (as advertised). The CVT continues to get smoother with each mile. Compared to other cars in its class it has more horsepower so although this is no power machine, it will get up and go more than others like it. It handles well on the road, has excellent turn radius for curvy roads and city parking. You will notice immediately getting in this car that the head room is amazing which means it feels spacious and you have a great perspective on the road. This car does not look or feel like an economy car, inside or out, but could not be more economic for the price, emissions, gas mileage, and reliability!

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  Noisy: I want my money back - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By jtttmaag - November 30 - 12:46 pm

  I am a big person, 68", 265 pounds and the interior provides adequate room. The seats are extremely comfortable. I bought the Krom with Blue Tooth, however the interior noise at 60+ mph makes it difficult to hear and to be heard. The noise is so loud it sounds like my windows are down. I no longer use the Blue Tooth. Mileage has been around 30-31 on the highway, a little less around town. The car is gutless so do not expect it to be snappy.

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  Best Minivan - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By ab2150 - November 30 - 2:00 am

  Evaluated Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. Ended up buying an SL Quest (smoke). Honda was very outdated on the inside. Toyota was to stodgy inside and out. Quest has a very space age look inside and out. Rides great and all the power you would ever want. Many neat gadgets and fold down 2nd and 3rd row. Ergonomics are oustanding on this vehicle.

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  No complaints - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By Rick - November 30 - 1:03 am

  I thought Id write a review since I have been using Edmunds for some time now and I found the other reviews helpful. I have owned this truck for a month and have had nothing but fun driving it. I havent used it off road, but you can feel it wants to tear it up. It has good acceleration with the 6 speed and it cruises at 80m.p.h. on the highways without even trying, around 2500rpm. I would purchase this car again in a second. My other car is a BMW540i and Im driving this one more. I never thought Id ever say that about another car. So, I seriously have no complaints.