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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  Great Commuter Car, not for long haul - 2000 Nissan Sentra
  By rbb1010 - March 4 - 10:00 am

  This car is great for a daily commute in city traffic. The CD stereo (180w 7- speakers) is great to help pass the time, and the gearing is VERY forgiving in stop and go. The gas mileage for a small car leaves much to be desired. I average WELL under the suggested mpg, and I am sure that I am driving just like the average driver. In bad weather this car is VERY dangerous...handled great in snow, but in snow, rain, anything wet...when you try to stop, make sure you have a LOT of distance, or a shoulder!

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  This car is excellent!!! - 2000 Nissan Sentra
  By ANIMEGEE - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for about 21 months now & its been a very fun car. No reliability issues yet, thanks to the mighty reliable SR20DE engine which is also found on the Infiniti G20. Ive been up & down the twisty roads of the Angeles National forest in CA several times & I havent broken anything yet!! I love this car.

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  Drives like a car,tough as a truck.... - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Simpson - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Recently purchased the Pathfinder and love it.We looked at the Bravado (Olds) and was also a very nice SUV but very pricey. What I like about the Pathfinder is it basically has everything you need in the luxury department.It has everything but leather ,which doesnt bother me to have.Lots of power but as you know these vehicals dont mind stopping at the gas station. Oh well Ive been the van route for the last 6yrs and will not go back to a van,basically sick of them. All in all the 02 Pathfinder is a great SUV.Period.

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  Questionable - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By chrisbe - March 4 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my Nissan SEV6 a year ago. Overall a nice vehicle, but has been in the shop more often for sqeaks & rattles and oil consuption. The power is great! its about time. On quality, as you know Nissan has been in debt for several years now and they have worked hard on the engineering side to make it a better/less costly vehicle to manufactur. Quality difinatly went down-hill. Did you know that Nissan has the fastest assembly-line in the world! It was in USA Today. The total manufacturing process is less than a day per car/truck. The number of consumer complaints hit an all time high for Nissan, especially on the Extera.

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  Great Truck for a small Family - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By frontiernc - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Great Medium Sized Truck. Great for small jobs to medium jobs for around the house. Can get up to 2 cube yards of mulch. Good in Traffic, good for long trips. Some bugs with the truck at First, Rear Main Seal(fixed), Wiper Motors(fixed), couple of rattles(fixed). Get 16-20 MPG. 4WD great in Snow. Tire Wear Great. Routine maintenance Costs are middle of road with Nissan. 4 door option is good for Groceries. Very Simple but Functional interior design.Solid outside Design, best Paint job, no chips in front. No so great Dealerships with Nissan if you have a problem.

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  Maxima SE - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Although I wanted a GLE with the navigation sytem, the dealer was only able to find a SE with the navigation system. I was somewhat disappointed until I realized that the SE had an upgraded suspension. The car goes like greased owl----, although you have to watch quick get aways because of the torque. Its fast, stable in turns and the build quality is excellent. The seats are confortable and mold to the body. A very nice car. Get about 26 mpg combined city/highway driving. Have gotten as high as 31 mpg highway.

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  Loaded 2002 Altima 2.5SL - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By aljr - March 4 - 10:00 am

  With the 2.5SL Altima loaded, I felt I made the best purchase of my life. No Regrets at all. Compared to Honda and Toyota, its was a quick decision. And specially, compared to the Euro-cars, its a no brainer. This is not what we call "you get what youve paid for", but more of "you get a lot more that what youve paid for" situation. More power and better looking styling than most car in its class. I had the sporty-looking sheer silver color with all black interior dash and black leather seats....and just imagine.......what a classy sport sedan. I feel this car can stand right beside the best of them, BMW 3series, Audi and VW, when it comes to overall VALUE.

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  Just bought my new Altima... - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By CamryConvert - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Ive driven Toyotas exclusively since the age of 16, but instead of another Camry, I bought the Altima this time, and FOR LESS MONEY. I have to say, originally, I wanted it because of the way this car looks. It is super- super. You know? But as far as the nuts and bolts, I find the 4 cyl to be PLENTY zippy, especially over 3500 RPMs when it really kicks in. Im not wild about the placement of the air vents in the severely slanted dash - too far from my face. But other than that, the interior and exterior of this car are wonderful. That BOSE stereo also makes my rearview mirror vibrate some, but who can really complain about that?

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  Love it other than the Front Brakes - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Chris - March 3 - 11:50 am

  At only 2,700 miles the Front Brakes need an overhaul. It is sad that this is such a common problem for such an awesome SUV. Tons of power and very smooth Trany. Consumer Reports complained about Engine and exhaust noise, get a clue, its a V8 SUV. It happens to be one of my favorite things about the Armada, the deep exhaust and powerful sounding engine. We have four boys, and they love the room and especially the BOSE DVD system, it ROCKS!!! Almost bought a Toyota Sequoia based on their their awesome track record. They were more $ and under-powered. Nissan has built a great SUV other than a few little rattles and their one big problem, the brakes.

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  Reliable truck - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By Tom tulenko - March 3 - 9:12 am

  Very reliable truck. I have 120k miles on the truck and the only serious malfunction Ive had is the a.c. compressor failed prematurely. I have also replaced the knock sensor and have done a preventative timing belt change. Starts every time and does everything your ask from a small truck including towing without incident. Truck isnt particularly fast and it gets 17 mpg mixed driving but its a truck so thats ok. Bought this instead of a Tacoma and Ive had no regrets.