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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  ? - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By pathon24 - January 4 - 12:36 am

  I have a 2005 pathfinder and everything squeaks no major motor problems at 60 k I have 24 inch rims and tires on back rear out of line will eat up tires and the truck makes a million noises and eats gas but very reliable....

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  Rav4 or Ford Escape are better options than Rogue - 2016 Nissan Rogue
  By BalaChander Nalamothu - January 3 - 4:27 pm

  Interior Color is Bright Red, which is bad. Door buttons dont have any light to look up in Dark/nights. Gear nob is not comfortable. 1 USB is not sufficient. Makes Lot of noise while accelerating and driving, even cant hear audio/music inside while accelerating. Poor Materials inside.

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  Read here for performace upgrade - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By bgbg - January 3 - 10:00 am

  Bought new. AT leaked back of tranny, dealer fixed on third try, tech from Japan looked at it. Front sway bar endlinks nuts,washer breaks. Replaced with plyurethane bushing with hardware included from Baxter Auto. Shocks: Monroe reflex all 4. Mileage now 58k. No major problem, I do my own oil chg and maintenace.

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  2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8s - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Fuzzy1 - January 3 - 10:00 am

  Just purchased. Enjoy the peppy engine. There is more engine noise than I would expect for a new car, even a small car. The ride is a bit more stiff than I had anticpated. On the highway it sails along effortlessly (except for the engine noise) Has pretty good low end torque, for fast starts. All in all it is a good value for the money

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  9 Years and Still Reliable - 2000 Nissan Altima
  By Mad Hungarian - January 3 - 1:30 am

  I purchased my Altima new and after more than 9 years, it has been the most reliable vehicle that I have owned. It had over 100,000 miles before it needed a repair that was not a routine maintenance item. It currently has close to 150,000 miles and I plan to get one more year out of it. Nearly everything on the car still works as well as it did when new. Quality is even better than my Toyota Camry which I had for 7 years. I would definitely buy another Nissan.

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  2008 Nissan Versa - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By bomart - January 2 - 7:50 pm

  I test drove the Yaris, Fit, Focus, and the Scion xD. The Versa was not the best driving car, too much oversteer on turns, felt top heavy, and uneven braking, but I felt it was the best value. My 2002 Focus SE handles much better, and gets about the same 30-34 MPG. The 1.8L CVT has better acceleration than my 2.2L Focus, but is noisy at higher RPMs. What sold me on the Versa was its upscale stock interior styling and the roomy back seat. I found only 2 manufacturing defects, a squeak coming from the dash, and the chrome plating on the front Nissan emblem peeling (dealer replaced). Not bad compared to the many defects I found in my Ford Focus when purchased new.

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  One of the Best SUV I had - 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
  By steel11 - January 2 - 8:29 am

  We just got 2013 Pathfinder SL with Premium Package and we love it. It drives like car and room inside is great. We test dove the JX, MDX, Highlander and Pilot at the end we went with Nissan I dont regreted one bit. SUV is comfy and fuel economy is best. We keep it on 2WD all the time and we are getting combine 22.5 miles per gallon. If you drive on AUTO mode gas miles is around 21 combine so we keep it on 2WD unless we needed. We had 2010 Pilot leased for 3 years Pathfinder drives better and more rommer inside. Also it is much easy to get to the 3rd row

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  So far so good - bought used - owned it for 6000 miles and 6 months now - 2011 Nissan Versa
  By casinnova - January 1 - 12:19 pm

  I am definitely a skeptic and buying a new car is so hard to do. I settled on the Versa for 2 reasons: Leg room and fuel economy. Both are absolutely acceptable. The car is spacious. Compared to any other hatchback or sedan that I have ever been inside of, this thing feels huge. It fits 4 adults very comfortably. Since keeping track of mileage I have averaged 29.35 MPG mostly city driving. If I drive carefully I can get 32 MPG in the city but most of the time I am late for work and have to drive crazy. I have no complaints really. The car is solid. I will update my review after another 6 months.

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  Love My Nissan - 2003 Nissan Frontier
  By ams27587 - December 30 - 5:30 am

  Great truck. Bought 1 year old with 9800 miles. Better styling and performance than the Toyota costing about $3K more. 3 years and 64K miles later, still enjoy this truck. Some minor problems encountered, including A/C high pressure hose replaced twice, power steering pump leak and some unexplained rattling underneath the driver. Dealer has been generally cooperative. The supercharged engine delivers great torque but at a cost of barely 14 mpg around town. I now drive my wifes car during the week due to having to fill up every 4-5 days. All in all, a great truck and very reliable and still looks great for a 4 year old.

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  Kudos to Edmunds - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By new_style - December 29 - 1:21 pm

  Using the pricing information and buying advice on Edmunds.com I purchased a 2013 Altima SV with the convenience package/wheel locks/lojack/floor mats for the crazy low price of $23,967 out the door (included taxes and all fees). True Value Price was $24,251 before taxes, Dealer fees, and DMV fees. If there was a photo option I would post it because I couldnt believe it either. I did have to walk out on one of the dealerships that said they could match the price but they dinked around for an hour offering me less equipped cars...so I left. Dont hesitate to leave...stick to your guns. If I had given in on that they would have back peddled on everything else.