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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  Love my Murano, BUT!!! - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Randy Selby - October 22 - 11:23 pm

  I love my Nissan Murano but we have been having some reliability issues. The car was shooting out smoke when I started it. I took it into my stone age dealer, terrible service, and they said it had a sludge problem. Of course they said it was my fault even though I change my oil all the time. Anyways I went to another dealer and they were great, they covered everything. The reason I took it to them was because the car would start making a funny noise when I let my foot off the gas, it sounded like a lawnmower. They said the transmission was going out. Anyways I love everything else about the SUV.

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  When you drive a box... - 2011 Nissan Cube
  By dashofpepper - October 22 - 9:57 pm

  I think that most people take aerodynamic vehicles for granted these days. With a Cube, youre driving a box. A square box. When highway driving, road debris doesnt bounce off a Cubes windshield, it impacts. On a windy day, your cube shakes around the road because its a box. Ive had my cube for three years now, ever since my wife insisted on buying it, then refusing to drive it anymore and bequeathing it on me. The interior is comfortable, the car is roomy, but the things that matter dont deliver. Gas mileage tops out at 29-30mpg on the highway, a stiff breeze will blow my cube off the road, and every tiny pebble kicked up from the road is a crack in my Cubes windshield.

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  05 Nissan Pathfinder - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Texas nissan owner - October 22 - 7:03 pm

  I purchased my 05 pathfinder new this spring. I have had it into the shop for a squeek that is been in the left dash from day one. This is reported fixed each time but as of today still squeeking away. The fit and finish on this SUV is more like a chevrolet low end car. There are rattle from time to time and the SUV just seems to be put together kinda shotty. I also have never gotten over 21.5 miles to the gallon on the hwy and I baby it.

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  Its ok but will not buy nissan again - 2008 Nissan Maxima
  By eg7737 - October 22 - 10:30 am

  I had a 2006 Nissan altima before this maxima and it was the worst car ever. I had all sorts of problems the dealer had to put a brand new engine when I had 8000k miles anyways I decided to buy a maxima because it looked Nice. Ive had this 2008 maxima for a little over a year and Im actually writing this review from the service waiting area at the dealership apparently my battery is dead.. Mind u its practically a new car and Ive only had it for a little over a year. I am the first owner and already having problems. Also all the cheap plastic parts they use on this car are breaking. Both charging ports are broken the visors are breaking apart the ac vent doesnt work, the shifter broke off

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  100,000 miles and 0 (zero) problems! - 2008 Nissan Pathfinder
  By v880118 - October 22 - 10:00 am

  This has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. My wife uses it to commute between Denver and Grand Is. Nebraska and she puts about 1,000 a week on it. We have towed over 5,000 lbs for 2,000 miles; excellent, it averages 17.8 mpg, has had no mechanical failures, and is still on the original brake pads and rotors with no warpage! I dont baby it, and I have to floor it often for that happy feeling. It rips in a straight line!. Seriously folks, this has been a great ride and will be for the next 100,000, I have no doubt of that.

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  Fun to drive - 2010 Nissan Murano
  By lou - October 22 - 10:00 am

  so far enjoying this crossover. just wish the gas mileage was a little better. also the le comes standard with 20" tires. would rather have had the 19" tires that come on the other models. the tire life is short and this tire is very expensive to replace. the gps is excellent and easy to operate. the car is expensive looking without the price. i am hoping it handles as well during the winter as it does during the summer. i have never had all wheel drive, but will probably give it a good test this winter

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  Thumbs up! - 2010 Nissan Murano
  By RUBEN HERNANDEZ - October 22 - 10:00 am

  I drove many popular luxury vehicles and this car finished number one on my list. Great choice among any luxury vehicle.

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  A few surprises - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By mbeach321 - October 22 - 10:00 am

  I am basically happy with the car but there were a few basic features I was shocked to find were not included in this model (2.5S w/convenience pkg): folding side view mirrors; adjustable lumbar support (even with power seat); and ability to play MP3 file CDs in the standard radio. After driving the car for 3 months now I can say that I really dislike the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and hate the droning noise the engine makes on hard acceleration. Lesson learned: spend A LOT more time driving the vehicle before purchasing.

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  100k+ after - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By Kinetic - October 21 - 1:46 pm

  Ive purchased this car about 2 years ago with 100k miles on it. So far Ive had to replace: Timing belt (wore out) Fog lights (burned out) A/C fan (Burned out) Leaf springs (1 snapped) Head gasket (coolant leak) Front grill (plastic pins holding it broke off) 4 small suspension parts, forgot what they were called I maintain the vehicle regularly, but a lot of parts appear to be cheap and fall apart. Especially the plastics, plenty of rattles and squeaks on every bump. Bumpers are also poorly built and fading. In the 2 years Ive had the vehicle it has cost me about $3000 in repairs on top of the regular maintenance. Great off road, but poor quality parts make it less appealing.

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  A perfect car for me! - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By jaybird311 - October 21 - 1:16 pm

  What most of the other reviewers said is true without a doubt. I have had my SR for about 4 months and 4500 miles now. You get your best bang for the buck here. My SR drives like a car twice as expensive if not better. I truly enjoy cruising around in this car. It has a very high build quality feel to it . Yes it handles very well and even in snowy conditions. The SR body kit make this car really stand out from other sentras. It Looks almost exactly like the SE-R. However, I wanted a dependable commuter car that was good on gas with a sporty flair. This is just what I got. :)