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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  An amazing, reliable, and fun car - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By collmurphy - November 1 - 9:59 pm

  All around, the best car Ive ever owned. I got this car my senior year of high school, with 135,000 miles on it. As you would think, I was scared to death that with all the miles, the car would always be in the shop. I was wrong. This car never had ONE problem with it. Took it back and forth to college for a year as well (140 miles one way). Car is so fun to drive, accelerates fast, and isnt a bad car to drive on long trips. Only downside is the lack of room, but if youre buying a convertible, you would expect that. Had to take the time to write a review on this car, because it never let me down, and was the best car ever. You WILL NOT regret buying this car. Loved my z!

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  Love this car - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By pk509 - November 1 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car brand spankin new in December 1995 and have been madly in love ever since. Great performance, excellent road manners, and a fantastic Bose sound system all contribute to how much I love driving this car. At 96000 miles, Ive finally had to have the brakes done, it needs a new clutch, CV boots, and some other maintenance, but this car is still running strong and has never, ever let me down. Great fuel economy compared to many cars on the road today.

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  I love my car...BUT! - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By nesspoopy81 - October 31 - 2:48 am

  This is the 3rd Sentra I have owned and by far my favorite! I had a 2002, 2008 & now 2013 and never had a problem with any of them until now. On my first drive in the 2013 the car turned off while I was driving. No lights nothing, just off. It turned right back on and I took it in and Nissan was great! 2 transmission updates and I was on the road again. I just hit 30,000 miles and coasted into the dealership. I need a new transmission. I dont know how long they are going to have my car but I miss it already.

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  Murano - 2006 Nissan Murano
  By Santiago Dominguez E - October 30 - 10:36 pm

  Ive had a good experience although I thought the materials used in the interior were of much better quality...

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  My Altima - 1999 Nissan Altima
  By autotech - October 30 - 7:36 am

  My 10 yr old Nissan Altima is one of the best cars that I have ever owned, and Ive had quite a few over the years before I bought this. This car has been really good to me and the repairs have been very minor and only in the last couple of years...things do wear out after all. The body has held up really well too; no signs of rust and it still looks nice. If I were to replace it, that would be because Im bored and want something new (this is the longest Ive ever kept a car. I used to get a new one every 4-6 yrs).

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  Really enjoying our rogue - 2015 Nissan Rogue
  By njackson3148 - October 29 - 8:14 am

  we have had our rogue for abour 10 weeks now. We traded in our 2013 mazda CX-5 for our new rogue. was happy with the cx-5 minus the very hard seats. on a long trip I would start to get very sore in as little as an hour. The seats in the Rogue are amazingly comfortable. As soon as you sit in them you can feel the quality and comfort of the NASA designed seats. The quality of the interior fell well above average and I love all the high end features (LED headlights, Panoramic sunroof, etc)

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  Good for what it is - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By rizzo - October 28 - 10:43 pm

  I replace my VW Passat with this vehicle, and based on my experiences with nissan, I am expecting better reliability. First of all, this is a truck, if you want a car, or an SUV that drives like a car -- dont but this vehicle. Utility is great, with little storage spaces everywhere. It drives alright for a truck, and seems pretty stable. Im 64", nad have a enough legroom - something that set it apart from others in its class. Im getting about 18 MPG, which is ~ok~, but certainly not good The only real negative is he stock setero -its gotta go - terrible brakes are a little soft for my liking, but I am comparing it to a BMW 325 and VW Passat.

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  Nice car- Maxima SL - 2008 Nissan Maxima
  By JTC - October 28 - 5:40 pm

  I have had my Maxima since Jan. and I am very pleased. Seemed to be the best value I could find in its class. Got it maxed out with all the toys. I got the SL because it had more of a luxury ride than the SE, coming out of a Lexus it suited me better. It is more sporty to drive but not as smooth (boring) as the Lexus. This is a lot of car for the money and man does it move!

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  Disappointed, though not giving up on it - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By heidi.alt - October 28 - 3:43 pm

  Bought coupe in August; have now had it 4 months. Ordered it in early Aug. & waited 7 weeks to take delivery. Unfortunately, it seems in their haste to meet early demand, production lines may not have been as fine-tuned as they should have been. In addition to various rattles & exterior seams that do not line up well, including the hood & trunk, Ive already replaced the oil pan after an oil leak at the 3-month mark. As of the 4-mo mark, only 1300 miles on the car. Positives: beautiful interior, including intuitive instrument cluster, radio, climate control and comfortable seats; 6 airbags std; decent value for the $. Negatives: worse-than-anticipated fuel economy, big blind spot, tiny trunk.

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  Not an everyday car - 2006 Nissan 350Z
  By john - October 28 - 12:50 am

  I inherited this car as my daily company car. Under normal circumstance I would have been ecstatic, but I commute 90 minutes one way to work 5 days a week. Im a little bigger then average person, so I am very uncomfortable the majority of the time. With all that being said...It is a great looking car and a head turner, but itÂ’s not an every day car by any means. Im sure most would be saying that I shouldnÂ’t be complaining about such a nice company car, but I went from a 4 door to a 2 door convertible with no room for storage. I have to go home everyday and pick up my personal car so that I can get my son from daycare. ItÂ’s just an add inconvenience all the way around.