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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  Nissan Titan - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By skjdofjwiojriow - November 18 - 10:00 am

  This is a fine truck. I was hesitant to buy the first year production of a truck but it has worked out ok with one exception. The performance of this truck is great. It is fast. The drive is like a car. The exeption (this truck has 11k miles on it) the drivers electric window recently broke, wont role up. Other than that problem, Im extremely happy with the vehicle. The pricing on the Titan is very competetive. Though I was attracked to the Dodge truck, it was quite a bit more expensive. Im quite happy with my purchase.

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  I drove it once - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By platinum3 - November 18 - 10:00 am

  I test drove several cars before I finally test drove a Maxima SE, and I was ready to sign papers before I could get back to the showroom.

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  Gr8 Truck - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By RickP Casa Grande - November 18 - 1:56 am

  We went to the dealership to look at a used 2003 Frontier and liked what we saw. We test drove it and even though it rode good, the ride was a bit stiff it handled like a TRUCK and the rear passenger leg room was a bit skimpy. We then took a 2006 for a test drive and what a difference. It handles like a dream, feels like your sitting in an EZ chair and has great room in the cab for for both front and rear passengers. Needless to say the 2006 now sits in my driveway and I cant wait to get it into the desert.

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  Bought Juke 20165 w 19K miles for great price from - 2013 Nissan Juke
  By peter friedman - November 18 - 1:08 am

  Nizssan Deaker certtified, just what my girlfriend wanted, pleased her very much. She loves it, Red too !

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  solid truck that wont disappoint - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By NC Truckin - November 17 - 11:23 pm

  The 05 Titan is a fantastic truck that any full-size buyer should investigate. I was on the verge of buying an F-150 during the great summer deals (also a nice truck) but I decided to test drive the Titan before I bought. Boy am I glad I did! The Titan has a MUCH more impressive driveline than F-150, even with the bigger Ford V8. Torque and HP numbers dont mean much...its how the vehicle feels that matters, and Titan feels great. Ive had it 6 months, and there has only been one small problem; the dealership took care of it immediately. Yes it has poor gas mileage, but that shouldnt be a surprise to anybody (just look at the size of the thing!). You wont be disappointed w/ Titan.

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  Road Warrior - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Robert Carrell - November 17 - 9:46 pm

  This has been an excellent car for the $; I travel a lot for work; consistently drive 90 or more on Hwy; at that speed only get @ 21 or 22 mpg; at 70 get 26, at 60-65 @ 31;

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  No Longer Needed a Truck - 2006 Nissan 350Z
  By EJ - November 17 - 7:16 pm

  Great fun to drive! The car has super handling and accelerates better than expected. I use it as a daily driver to commute about 15 miles to work each way... never looked so forward to driving to work and going home before.

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  The finder of paths aka the pathfinder - 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Kevin - November 16 - 6:08 pm

  I bought a 98 pathfinder used in 2008 for $5000, I think to date it has been the absolute best, most reliable car I have ever purchased. only major issue it had in the 4 years I owned it (it got hit and totaled) was a failed distributor at nearly 175k miles and that was a 10 minute fix. it gets horrible mpg by todays standards but back then it was on par with the suvs of the day. so dont expect great mpg but consistent mpg I averaged either 14 or 15mpg a tank depending on the amount of freeway driving I did. When I bought the suv it still had the factory installed battery from 1998 in it, 10 years old! when it needed a replacement 6 months after purchase I took it out and saw the date code 6/98 and my truck was built 7/98(late 98 model) and this was in early 2009! it got 10.6 years out of the factory battery which is not necessarily saying anything either way about my truck just surprised me. no corrosion nothing terminals came off easy and clean and went back on the new one easy. lets call its engine a tank engine it wont get you there fast but IT WILL GET YOU THERE EVERY SINGLE TIME and this is true except that distributor failure I had it cranked first time every time and ran like a champ never broke down and never needed anything outside of routine upkeep like fluid changes and tires. the drivers seat did get a rip at the outer bolster seam but some needle and thread fixed that and a seat cover prevented new rips. (this seems to be common even on newer Nissan suvs, just like the foam is too plumped out and the fabric rubs and wears out eventually (had same thing happen on a 2000 xterra and I can see it happening on my current 2011 xterra) so seat covers are a must to keep the seat seams nice and wear free, plus it protects from stains. but outside of those minor things this truck is great, especially nowadays as a first car if you want your kid in something safe, reliable, easy to fix and cheap to fix a 98 pathfinder is a winner, yeah their fuel bill might be high but they make up for it in reliability. When mine got hit and totaled a lady ran a stop sign and hit the rear quarter panel of my suv she was in another suv and went all the way up the side at 35mph it was drivable so I drove home and due to its age and mileage the insurance company totaled it, and since I did not want to deal with selling a "salvage title" car later I let them instead of fixing it as they said to fix it, it would then be salvaged but after 4 years and 50k miles of ownership I only put maybe $1500 in repairs and basic upkeep like oil changes(all it ever really needed) and the insurance company valued it at $5200 4 years and 50k miles later then when I bought it for $200 less! these are great trucks and great picks for anyone looking for a reliable suv on a budget

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  Mini-muscle car - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By SER165 - November 16 - 10:00 am

  Fantastic deal for the price. 2.5 liter Altima engine in a car this size/weight makes it feel like a mini-muscle car; can burn rubber from a dead stop, acceleration from a stop is awesome and power going uphill and passing from speeds from 55-75 m.p.h. is amazing. Handling is excellent with sport-tuned McPherson struts and strut tower brace up front, improved torsional rigidity of the body due to 3rd member, large anti-sway bars front and rear and multi- link beam suspension in rear.

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  13K on the clock - 2008 Nissan Maxima
  By rj33 - November 16 - 6:43 am

  Spent a good month looking for a new car. Looked at various crossovers/SUVs/sedans and ended up on the Maxima due to the screaming deal offered because of the pending all new 09 model release. The premium optioned SE is the way to go, larger wheels, better ride, spoiler, yet still has all of the goodies (leather, heated seats, Bluetooth, XM, etc.). Gas mileage is 22-23 but I have gotten about 26-27 on a 250 mile stretch of highway.