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:

• 

  Sadly Mistaken - 2006 Nissan Xterra
  By Purtysouthern - October 21 - 6:33 am

  Thought I wanted this vehicle. Exterior plastics faded and look old, interior plastics are cheap. Rear end noises that dealership cant fix even after a complete replacement of the entire rear axle. It is a fight to get any type of warranty work done. This veh. only has 35,000mi on it and I am about to trade it in for a Toyota.

• 

  Slot Car Racer - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By zman - October 21 - 5:23 am

  The handling with this car is absolutely amazing. It drives like the car is connected to the road similar to the slot cars one had as a child. It rides a little hard but that is expected and desired from the Track model. If you want great performance you cant go wrong.

• 

  Striking vehicle - 2010 Nissan Xterra
  By WranglerDriver - October 21 - 12:36 am

  Driven my Terra for several months now. Great acceleration and fairly smooth compared to my Durango and of course, Jeep Wrangler. Have not taken it off-road but great on heavy snow with 4x4 enabled. It is a truck so not as smooth as a crossover, but I prefer the toughness of the build and the Off-road version gives extra protection underneath and better tires.

• 

  Sentras - See for Yourself - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Mama L - October 20 - 10:16 am

  I bought a 2001 GXE Sentra in 2001 and paid it off last year (a little early). There was one recall issue that caused the car to die, but it was fixed under warranty. Its not the quickest thing on the takeoff, but does fine on the highway and has a heavy, secure feel -- to me. I had a Corolla before that and its steering touch was so light you could run off the road in the blink of an eye. Its not the most fuel efficient car on the road, but its also one of the cheaper.

• 

  Horrible - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By evangelista09 - October 20 - 2:53 am

  Initially I was excited about this vehicle. After 4 months I was in the shop to get the car fixed and tuned up more than any other vehicle Ive owned in my life. then I get a recall notice from the govt. The car is at risk for losing control and crashing. I cant believe the money I spend for this vehicle. Gladly trading it in tomorrow! ]

• 

  i think it will compete the prodo - 2008 Nissan Pathfinder
  By joe - October 19 - 10:30 pm

  after taking it for off road for the first time even it was smooth ride on sand the steering axcel became noisy, they fixed it, now it came again, i think it is a week point in it. other than that every thing looks good. performace is good, it was stable even on 200 km/h i dont regret having it

• 

  Recent owner - Still breaking it in - 2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid
  By Eric - October 19 - 11:43 am

  I am 65", and it was very hard to find a non-SUV hybrid that fits me. This one did. In fact this is the only one that did. The result is that I needed to drive ~120 miles to NJ to get one since they are not available in my home state of Maryland.

• 

  Fun to Drive and Affordable - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By welshy3575 - October 18 - 9:21 pm

  The JUKE is lets say unique looking and I thought it was a joke of a car until I drove it. It brought a smile to my face. It is a very engaging car to drive, very spirited, and the seats are extremely comfortable, and definitely not found in cars at this price point. We now have just over 20,000 miles on our Juke and to date it has been very reliable. Inteior pluses are comforatbe seats, easy to read gauges, large rearview side mirrors. wish there was a center armrest, window and door lock switches should light up, and wish there was ambient lighting. Rear seat room should be increased a couple inches both in leg room and head room. ^th gear needs to be more fuel econmy minded.

• 

  Just Bought an Xterra - Happy to say - 2006 Nissan Xterra
  By DrBIGHead - October 18 - 2:56 pm

  An SUV was not the first on my list of new cars options. I really wanted a sports car but my budget would not comply. Looked around - for under $25K there are not too many cars I would want to own 3-4 years from now. With all that said - If I was going to buy an SUV I wanted a "Real" SUV. The car is incredible - tons of power, comfort and room. I paid $24K out-the-door for the SE - good price. The fuel economy is not great but it is an SUV. I cannot say enough things about the power of the engine. Like other reviewers I wish it had a better exaust - though this may be purchased later. Stereo is good though sub could be bigger. If you need an SUV I would seriously consider the Xterra.

• 

  CVT transmission failure - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By montigirlmn - October 18 - 2:54 pm

  I am writing a follow up to my initial review, left by montigirlmn. My CVT transmission failed at 21000 miles, 10 months into owning a new car.