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 Car - 1998 Nissan Altima
  By Driv3r - March 7 - 2:00 am

  Great Car i Strongly Recommand It

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  It is LOVELY - 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
  By TommeeNguyen - March 7 - 2:00 am

  I have had several SUV in the past, and this is the niciest one ever, the carlike hanndling, smooth drive everywhere you go, powerful engine and the features are easy to operated...

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  No Comparison - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Kelly Shaw - March 7 - 2:00 am

  This SUV is wonderful. Very quiet ride with great horsepower. Lots of space for all passengers. Fantastic BOSE stereo system. The Expedition, Tahoe, Suburban, or Navigator dont come even close to value or performance.

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  88 suburban replacement - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By guylcolo - March 7 - 2:00 am

  A kick to drive, blows the hemi Durango away. Towed 3500 lbs at 80 mph up and down rolling hills and got 13 mpg in 200 mile trip. Runs like a scalded dog.

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  good truck except - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By johnc766@comcast.net - March 7 - 2:00 am

  good truck but theree should be an option for a quieter exhaust system the stock system is neat sounding but I dont want to hear it all the time especially in a LE edition

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  awesome - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By pimpbotz - March 7 - 2:00 am

  The new maxima sl with the driver preferred package is a great car. Its very fast and comfortable.

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  Middle aged Xterra owner. - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By ROADING - March 6 - 4:00 am

  I really love driving this vehicle! Love the stiff suspension, quick tight responsive steering and the added horse power.

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  Great Car - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By T.Husted - March 6 - 3:03 am

  2nd owner since 7/09 with 68K miles. Great Car. Power is smooth, the dynamics are great for a 14 year old car. Torque is much better compared to my Honda and it gets around 21 mpg mixed. Interior is great with the black leather. Trunk is large too for a car this size. Friends cant believe its a 96! I replaced all the entire Bose System. Now with bluetooth, HD radio, and MB Quart components, I couldnt be happier.

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  a good car - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By shannon smith - March 6 - 12:03 am

  You know somthing the Nissan quest is superb because its great for holding chidren and my mother is very thankful for all wheel drive.One thing the toyota sienna stinks! the nissan quest won most compatible.

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  My 2015 Juke SV - 2015 Nissan Juke
  By rjfinva - March 5 - 10:13 pm

  800 miles so far. The manual shift mode is great allows you to downshift without hitting the gas and run thru the simulated gears. I have run sport mode briefly, basically it kicks up the CVT 1,000 RPMs and you get a lot more torque, but the gas bill will skyrocket! I am getting somewhere around 30 mpg which is great. The seats are firm as is the ride, the tires are great. Im single and not concerned the back seat is cramped (so is the new Jeep Renegades, I picked to Juke over that for performance reasons). All in all I am happy. Waiting on y new K&N air filter to further enhance performance. I run premium gas, it does a better job and I am not concerend about the extra expense at 30 mpg.