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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  I want my 95 back - 1997 Nissan Maxima
  By Sam - November 10 - 5:56 am

  I totaled a 1995 Maxima GLE, so I decided to step up to a 97 SE. Over the last 6 months I have had over $1500 in repairs, granted it has never left me stranded, but that is what I spent on my 95 over the course of 1.5 years and it had 70,000 more miles on it. Also since my 95 was much less expensive, plenty of money was left over for aftermarket performance parts. Do yourself a favor and find a higher mileage that has had all the common problems fixed and use the money saved to increase performance.

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  Great car for tall men - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By John - November 9 - 3:23 pm

  I am 63" tall. I was looking for a small, fuel efficient, reliable car that was as comfortable as possible. I tried Hondas, Toyotas, Hyundais, Fords, Cheveys, Susukis and Nissans. Of all, the Nissan Versa was by far the most comfortable-lots of legroom, headroom, backseat room, a quiet interior and comfortable front and back seats. It also sits higher off the ground so when you get out of the car you dont have to hold onto the edges of the door frame to pull yourself up and out of the car - something that gets real old after a few days. And Consumer Reports gave most of the cars components a "Well Above Average" rating for durability. Plus the most inexpensive and great mileage!

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  Great for the price! - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By maja0128 - November 8 - 10:13 am

  I am enjoying my Sentra. For the price with the fuel ecomony you cant go wrong. I only wish the updated design was available when I bought it but thats ok. I am very happy with it.

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  Has some issues but not too bad - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By ed - November 7 - 9:40 pm

  Very common problems that will cost you a lot of dough...crank sensor problem, evaporation valve problems... Those are the main 2 I know. other than that I like my sentra, but dont know if id buy another nissan based on the massive number of Nissan owners complaining of these two problems, which I call defects.

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  not bad, definite room for improvement - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By cxk - November 6 - 2:00 am

  Very reliable and awesome engine, now for the negatives. I know Nissan was having financial problems in the mid to late 90s and it showed in its cars. Very dissapointing handling. The car sits up way to high and whats with the solid beam rear axle(you generally find that in entry level cheap cars).The only other negative is the very cheap looking cloth seats.

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  Great Lil Truck - 2001 Nissan Frontier
  By ATG - November 6 - 2:00 am

  Has been a great little work horse. Have hauled "lots of materials in it. Really fun to drive! Get a lot of comments about its looks!

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  Road Noise-Help Me!! - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By Peter Jagodzinski - November 5 - 4:50 pm

  I love looking at my Altima, and I love sitting in it but I hate driving it. Is that a problem? The road noise is so evident especially on a wet surface but also on a dry surface. I only have 1200 miles on the car. When I am on a concrete highway doing 70 mph the noise is deafening. And when it is wet outside it sounds like I am in the rinse cycle of a carwash. This is my first Nissan.

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  Suprised - 2006 Nissan Murano
  By curious - November 4 - 11:40 am

  First I got this for $26,800 w/o license and fees. Its a 2wd SL with only standard options. It is an easy vehicle to drive. Lots of standard features youd expect to pay for like back up camera and dual zone heating etc. It came with a 7" LCD screen too! I am very suprised about all the technical stuff you get standard. It is a very smooth ride compared to like a 4Runner which was my previous car. As you accelerate, the powerful V6 gets you going and then smoothly settles into a lower RPM I cant wait until this CVT gets into other models. Its quite phenominal. I am also getting over 20 mpg in this SUV. The rear seats fold down much easier than a 4Runner and way easier than my Benz ML320

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  Want to buy a slightly used Quest? - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By fedupwithnissan - November 4 - 3:20 am

  Lets see, where do I begin...oh yea, every week for the first two months after I bought it, I spent at the dealership fixing problems. Heres a list of the issues: sunroof stopped working (twice), side molding came off (on both sides), roof molding came off (finally glued it myself with crazy glue after taking it to the dealership twice and them not fixing it), side doors dont close when its cold out (no one contacted me about any recalls), engine noise, running board lights stopped working (after two months), poor customer service. Every time Ive taken a car in to get worked on, my wife had to wait all day for it. The van is poor quality and the customer service is worse.

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  Take the leap, you will love it! - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By Brady - November 1 - 10:26 pm

  I was looking for a car that would be economical, yet something that had personality...boy did I find it! Some will laugh, some will stare, and others will beg you for a peek inside. I love every square inch of this cube.