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:

• 

  Best car so far - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By ecollazo - February 18 - 12:10 am

  This car rocks! As a student, this cars trunk is roomy!, fits 3 very comfortably in rear seats. The fuel economy is the best! The design could of been better...and needs something to make it stronger for hiway takeoff. Other than that..I love this car and recommend it to anyone. B+ for nissan.

• 

  general perspective - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By ramsin - February 17 - 10:10 pm

  i am still breaking this vehicle in, i beleive its style and comfort is a plus, the performance level is great and its handling surpasses other cars i have driven! i give nissan two thumbs up. only flaw i dont like is ABS isnt a standard, its an option and the transmission has problems shifting smoothly into third gear, it has a grind feel, but not a grind noise. otherwise the car is a perfect contender! lots of torqueeeeeeeeee!!!!

• 

  good one - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By king - February 17 - 4:40 pm

  so far so good

• 

  Horrible Navigation - 2010 Nissan Versa
  By cmeyers - February 17 - 8:16 am

  I bought this car just for the navigation and it was a horrible idea. The navigation system gets me lost all the time. I spoke to Nissan corporate about the issue they said that they cut back on the navigation on this car. They use a completely different company for all their cars except on the Versa. Please do not buy this car with the navigation save your money and buy an external GPS navigation.

• 

  Dual Sun Roof Disaster - 2011 Nissan Maxima
  By sbottari - February 17 - 6:01 am

  Nothing but problems with my 2011 dual sun (or moon) roof. Last summer car was brand new and in the shop of a month. Well summer is here again and the car is back in the shop. Im not sure if its the tracks that have a problem when they get heated by the sun but I feel like I got a real lemon. Everything including the roof lining interior has already been replaced once. Here we go again ;-(

• 

  Fronty drives fine - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By DGrenier - February 17 - 5:03 am

  Plenty of power. Drives very smooth. Wife loves the truck (its her driver). Does a very comfortable 80 mph. Quiet inside. Stereo rocks (RockyFos). Leather interior seats.

• 

  Perfect Size, Great MPG, Great price - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By EricS - February 17 - 1:16 am

  Had the car for two months now with 4000 miles on it. I am getting 27-28 mpg with 50% stop and go, 50% highway. Still cannot wait each time to get in and drive it. The engine is quite peppy for a 4 cylinder. The center console and glove box are cavernous. Sound system is adequate but dont get the premium package just for the Bose sound. Not worth it. Love the steering wheel controls and 6 CD changer and AUX audio jack. Styling is much better than a CRV or RAV4. Nissan engineers did great with the fit and finish of the car as well as user errors such as turning off all int./ext. lights after 5 minutes if accidentally left on.

• 

  Mixed reviews - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By Harley - February 16 - 10:43 pm

  Had the car for 1 month catalyst backed up into engine. Nissan replaced engine. Torque steer very pronounced, makes handling a 2 hand job. The car is fast and handles nice, but needs some refinement.

• 

  Inexpensive but built cheaply... - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By Mark Davis - February 16 - 1:50 pm

  I own a 2006 Nissan Sentra 1.8 S Special Edition Pkg. I bought this car for $13,500 and there are obvious reasons why this car is priced under its competition. Although there are many features, build quality is suspect, the 1.8L engine is anemic and the suspension archaic. The seats are poorly designed and very uncomfortable if driving in excess of one-hour. The car does acheive respectable mileage and has a Rockford Fosgate 6 CD changer w/ 9 speakers. Power windows, power mirrors and an alarm system are included. This is an ideal car for a college student or someone on an extremely limited income. I would recommend driving a Honda Civic, Mazda 3 or Toyota Corolla before deciding.

• 

  Solar Flare - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By limee - February 16 - 11:16 am

  Decided on the Sentra after having compared it against the Honda Civic Si. Liked the Sentra better as it was quieter with a more compliant ride and had more torque. The Honda was a lot more fun in the twisties and the gear box was great, but the noise of the engine would be very tiring over a long haul along with the wind noise and the suspension was a lot less compliant. I figured unfortunately I dont live in an area with plenty of open road and uninhabited mountain passes so the Sentra seemed more civilized in that respect. Seems well put together with no rattles or sqeaks as of 1000 miles so far. Averaging 26 mpg which I suppose is average for this group of car