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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  Happy with my choice - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By LCB - September 23 - 6:30 pm

  One month into the purchase and I am very satisfied. Ride is good, view through rear window is limited, but workable given the other windows in the back of vehicle. Seats are comfortable for longer rides and there is enough room to pack my family of four for a week at the beach. Have not experienced the transmission "shifting" mentioned on hwys. Use the cruise control and all is well. For the money I am very satisfied with the performance, comfort and look of the vehicle.

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  Impressed - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By JohnE - September 23 - 9:26 am

  Ive had this truck for 3 months and I love it! I bought it so I could do some beach driving in NC. This truck went through 8" of sand without any trouble at all. Good to know I can get to where the fish are. Find it to be a solid, well built vehicle. Am getting decent gas mileage

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  POS Lemon - 1995 Nissan Pathfinder
  By wjamyers - September 23 - 7:40 am

  POS Lemon. I made a mistake buying a rental car, maybe, but it is supposed to be reliable (Consumer Reports). It cost me $700 every three months in repairs like clockwork. Ill never buy another Nissan again after this. SUVs suck in general anyway.

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  brickley - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By brick - September 23 - 4:00 am

  Just bout the van last week. We took 2 other couples to a Packer game. All were impressed. We are takin our 2 children on a 240 mile trip this weekend and looking forward to it.

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  Great Full Size SUV - 2017 Nissan Armada
  By Ben - September 23 - 12:29 am

  Very spacious interior, seats 8, powerful engine and great towing capacity in its class.

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  THE BEST - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By Tru - September 22 - 10:30 pm

  A 4 DOOR SLEEPER

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  Very Satisfied with My Truck! - 2016 Nissan Frontier
  By Charles Craig - September 22 - 10:05 pm

  Recently I purchased a new Nissan Frontier SV King Cab with the 4.0 V6 automatic, and I really like it. For about two years prior to my purchase, I considered the Frontier as well as the Toyota Tacoma and to a lesser extent the Chevy Colorado. There are several reasons why I chose the Frontier over the Tacoma or Colorado. Among those reasons is way it drives; the Frontier handles very well and feels very solid on the road. The interior and seating position felt more "right" to me than its competitors. In my opinion, the Frontiers exterior looks much better than the Tacoma and even the Colorado. Finally, for the money, I believe I got a much better deal with the Frontier, paying thousands of dollars less for what I would have paid for similar features in its competitors. I have owned other pickups in the past, including a Mazda pickup, an older Toyota pickup, and a Ford Ranger, and in my opinion the Nissan Frontier is clearly the best of them all, even though it is really not fair to compare this Frontier to the older trucks. While this particular version of the Frontier has been around for more than a decade, it is still very up-to-date. My truck has Bluetooth, XM Radio, a USB jack, and apps available in the entertainment system. So far, I have hauled several loads and towed a small utility trailer with no problems at all. I am very satisfied with the Frontier and would without hesitation recommend it to others.

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  two tons of fun - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By terry - September 22 - 6:33 pm

  I test drove infiniti, Lexus, Toyota. I kept looking at murano and for some reason moved on. But after going thru all the rest I came back. The exterior styling had been my initial attraction but the cft transmission had been the putoff. Boy was I wrong. This murano drives like an infiniti/Lexus. Soft ride with lots of pep and no hesitation. Flying on the interstate it glided effortlessly thru rush hour, dead quiet to wind & traffic noise. I hated to park it it was such fun.

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  Best car Ive driven - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By LNY - September 22 - 9:33 am

  I recently purchsed an altima special edition and can say this is one of the best cars Ive driven. I went from an elantra to this car..this is a real car!! The exterior and interior are beautiful. Love the chrome on the steeing wheel, storage compartments and gears. The music controls on the steering wheel are great too. The seats are by far the most comfortable Ive been in. Great gas milage so far and the pick up is great too. My only problem is they need to add an armrest, a bigger one that is and the car jerks when accelerating in low speeds..say from 15 to 20 miles. Other then that this car is a gem!!

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  MURANO - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By SKUBO3 - September 22 - 2:00 am

  VERY SMOOTH POWERFUL, GOOD GAS MILAGE ROOMY.