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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  Best car ive owned so far - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Pukestorm82 - March 20 - 2:23 am

  I purchased my car exactly 1 year ago with 72k miles, now it has 90k and have had no problems at all besides general maintenance. After reading all the bad reviews about transmission problems I bought a 3 year extended warranty and have yet to use it.

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  Happy Owner !!! - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By sr_srikanth - March 20 - 1:36 am

  We traded in our 2005 Murano for this car since we wanted to get a small car thats good on gas. We liked the civic and mazda 3 but cannot get good trade in value for murano from them. So we ended up on this one since we got a good deal, but I am very happy so far. The car drives well, seems like well built, has a ton of features for a small car. When the dealers are ready to deal at the invoice prices, I think it will be a good buy.

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  Time for Nissan to take responsibility - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Homer - March 19 - 2:28 pm

  CVT has been a known problem yet Nissan doesnt stand up to their product. Just replaced the transmission with less then 80K miles on the car. After review, it appears this is a common problem. Cant wait to move on and get back in to a Chevy!

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  150,000 Miles with no major problems - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By Paul - March 19 - 7:00 am

  This truck has served me well. The only problem I had was the carpet coming loose on the drivers side floor Nissan fixed that. The gas mileage isnt great...maybe 17.5 or so on average. I cared for this truck with regular maintenance and drove it gently...synthetic oil around 70,000 miles, kept good tires on it, and did not abuse it. No trouble with the 4wd yet...knock on wood. Use the 4wd at least a few times every year in the snow for 9 years now, and occasionally on back roads. I am keeping this truck.

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  Nickel n dimer - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By wantastang302 - March 18 - 8:19 am

  After almost 6 years and 55k miles I have replaced almost everything on the vehicle except the engine. Not exaggerating. Wish I was. Purchased with 94k miles and just turned 150k. If I didnt love the car so much I would have sold it for a Mustang. Have a decent amount of mods and heavy suspension upgrades. Everything that broke on the car I replaced with high performance parts. I drive this car HARD Daily. Throw 6 inches of snow at this car and its useless although its dry weather fun makes up for it. This is NOT a reliable commuter. Missed more days of work than Id like to think about being stuck with this car. Will not buy another when I tire of this one.

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  Not bad for a last minute choice - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By golfprof76 - March 17 - 11:46 pm

  So, I like others got stuck with the cash for clunkers deal (traded in a Jeep Grand Cherokee) but I have to say that for a last minute choice, I think I did ok. For starters the engine is loud, really loud. Almost to the point that Im waiting for an explosion to happen when I hit 4000 rpm. Fuel economy is great (considering I went from 16 mpg to 23) and the ride is quite comfortable. The price, well I still think Nissan could have done better with the S type. $19000 is a bit much for just about the same stuff you could get in a Sentra.

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  Love it - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Tina - March 17 - 7:20 pm

  Love this car inside and out. Loaded with heated leather, bose stereo, bluetooth,push button start, sunroof etc....Was worried about having a 4 cylinder engine, but was amazed at the pick up it has. Has the CVT engine that runs very smoothly. Getting 29 mpg. I dont miss being at the gas station

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  NOT WORTH IT - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By palebeachbum - March 17 - 5:31 pm

  This was my first brand-new car and my first Nissan vehicle. I expected good overall long-term quality. I was severely let down. Within the first 1,000 miles of ownership, squeaks and rattles all around the interior began. Primarily at the passenger side of the dash, the headliner, and drivers door. Constant squeaks and chirps. Very annoying from a brand-new car! Next, the front suspension began squeaking badly. I had Nissan take a look. They found nothing wrong, so I had to live with it. Then, the paint began peeling in a couple of areas. At the A-pillar and also around the rear tail lights. Nissan repaired the paint under warranty. Then the car required replacement of the catalytic converter heat shield replaced twice within my ownership, under warranty. Its clearly a defective part. The transmission NEVER felt right from day one. It made creaking and whistling noises. It was very jerky in operation. It had a lot of behavioral problems. I hated the transmission. Luckily, I got rid of the car before it had a catastrophic failure. The windshield wiper linkage was loosening badly. The wiper arm movement became very disjointed and sloppy. Although the interior was cavernous for such a little car, the ergonomics were terrible. In 2yrs of ownerships, I never found a comfortable driving position. If I adjusted the seat to be a comfortable distance from the pedals, the steering wheel felt too far away. If I adjusted to be comfortable distance from the wheel, the pedals were too close. A telescopic steering wheel would have solved this. More reach is required. Ingress/egress was excellent! The option packaging on this car was comically bad. I owned the mid-spec SV trim. The car was missing some critical features some comparable cars offer in base trim. No split-folding rear seat? No variable intermittent wipers? Only 4 (crumby sounding) speakers for the stereo? Aside from the transmission issues above, other aspects of the engineering were quite poor as well. The steering was horrible. It was terribly light and offered no road feel at all. Trying to drive in a straight line on the interstate was pretty much impossible. The car liked to dart back and forth. Ride quality was very smooth...until you hit a bump, then it just hammered over it. The brakes were excellent. One bright spot to this cars driving dynamics. Acceleration was adequate, but the transmission made it a clumsy, miserable experience. Handling was pretty decent, but the skinny tires didnt have much grip. If you enjoy driving at all, this is not the car for you. It has no personality at all and drives like an appliance. I absolutely do not recommend this model of car new or used. Exceptionally poor quality overall. I was so disappointed in this car I traded it in after only 2yrs and 56k miles.

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  From 98 Corolla to 07 Versa - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Bill - March 17 - 2:03 pm

  Wanted to update my car into this decade before its too late...Didnt like the Corolla design this time and the Versa just felt right.

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  Failed Transmission - 1997 Nissan Sentra
  By Saqib - March 17 - 10:00 am

  Owned it since 1997. In 2001, automatic transmission started giving transmission problems. Car would jump into a higher gear with RPM screaming high.. and it just wouldnt go into overdrive. Had it repaired from St. Louis dealership after I moved to Missouri in 2001. Transmission worked fine for 1 year.. then same problem again. Had tramission repaired yet again (spent another $500+ including ordering cable wire), car has been fine since then (8 months ago).