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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  A whole new Quest - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By spl311 - December 17 - 2:00 am

  We traded in our 1999 Nissan Quest GLE for a 2004 Quest SL. We gave up a few features but got what we wanted - a couple of power doors (would be nice if drivers side was power too, but didnt want to pay for SE), DVD, gobs more power, more room, and absolutely NO Ford components! Things started rattling and a few things broke on the old Quest, but Im a Nissan guy going way back and love the exterior style compared to the aging Odyssey, our other serious contender for replacement van.

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  Underestimated the Murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By DaCh26 - December 17 - 2:00 am

  Initially when the Murano came out, I didnt think much of it, I thought it looked like a spaceship. Then I started to shop around for an SUV, wanted to stay below $40k. My choices were down to Pilot and Murano after test driving these vehicles. I liked the Murano and Nissan was mroe flexible with the pricing then Honda. Honda werent budging with the price on the Pilot, and plus I dont have a family, so I have no need for the third row seat. I love the Murano SE AWD, esp the 18 inch wheels & the bright HID lights

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  Good Car - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By KRomine - December 17 - 1:53 am

  I bought this car when I was in college because it was fairly inexpensive, and I thought it would be reliable. The car now has nearly 120,000 miles on it and still performs well. The gas mileage is goood, not great - I average around 30-33 depending on the season. The car has had very little maintenance problems. Early on, it had to be in the shop a few times for recalls, but other than replacing brake pads and tires, it has been really cheap to maintain. Performance is what one would expect from a small 4-Cyl. - it does just enough to not get run over by bigger cars. It does suffer from windy days, and it could be bigger, but really, it is a pretty good car.

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  Welcome back Maxima, I missed you! - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By J T - December 16 - 2:20 pm

  My 3rd maxima, and by far the best. I am glad maxima is back with much more personality than last two generations. This car is almost a infiniti. I red most of the reviews here and I see some owners rated the fuel economy at 5 to 8. NONSENSE. I rated at 10 because this is a powerful V6 engine car and for what it does gas mileage is fantastic. If you want to complain and cry about gas mileage, please do not buy this car, go buy a boring hybrid and yawn while you drive around. I love everything about this car. Its hot.

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  My 4th Nissan and favorite - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Eric_in_VA - December 16 - 10:00 am

  I traded in my 95 Pathfinder when I saw the commercials in the Summer of 2000 for the new 01 Pathfinder advertising 240 hp. I couldnt be happier. Ive got a lead foot, and the Pathfinder easily accomodates. I can easily hang with the V8 Explorers. The in-dash 6 CD changer is great. Ive already got 34,000 miles on my truck and my one and only problem with it is the poor choice of tires from the factory - Bridestones. Already replaced them with Michelins due to poor tread life. I regularly take trips of 800+ miles and drive it daily to work 25 miles each way - comfortable no matter what.

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  New Car Adventure - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Dave Kiger - December 16 - 10:00 am

  It is a good looking car. We get many good compliments about it. Rides very smooth. Back seat is like riding on air. Front seat equally smooth. Lots of room front and back. Power to excel in passing, when needed. Gas milage is ok, but we might have done a little better had we opt to go with the 2.5 4 cycl, which would have taken the lower grade or gas consistently without a reduction in MPG. With the 3.5, 6 sycl, higher grade is recommended for better overall performance and MPG, but you can get by with a lower grade and use high grade every 3-4 fillups.

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  Disappointed overall - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Sad in KC - December 15 - 8:16 am

  Bought brand new 2004 was a great car until it needed tires rotated from that point on we had a shimmy in the front end. Steering wheel vibration very bad on highway at 50+. Dealer changed struts, we changed tires with good year, then GY took back and made allowance on new tires still had vibration. No matter what it had to have tires balanced every 1000, 1500 miles to not vibrate. Also breaks make noise all the time even after have them changed at dealer. Turning radius is awful, dont try to park the car without backing up and pulling in again every time. Love the car, hate the problems, traded for a Toyota Avalon 2008

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  Second Titan - 2010 Nissan Titan
  By Truck4ever - December 15 - 4:56 am

  I bought this one after my 2005 Titan XE hit 135000, justified by the sale tax credit and an upgrade to luxury. The Titan drives better than any truck on the market right now, including the new Ram. Power is phenomenon, with about $1500 aftermarket upgrade youd have a monster in your hands to play with. I chose the 4X2 model for performance reason. My last Titan gave me 19-20 MPG at 70-75 MPH. This one so far yielded 17 due to the 20" wheels/tires. If you are looking for a personal carrier to cruise the freeway with authority, and can haul five in comfort plus 1000 lbs in cargo, this is it. One 2000-mile trip and you will understand. Thanks God, America still build full size truck.

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  Not bad, but not my favorite - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By JacobPlano - December 15 - 2:26 am

  I have owned many cars, M3, G35, and a CLK430, all of which were 2 door sport cars, but this time around I decided to go with something more logical for college. This car is a love hate relationship, I love that I can tote around 5 friends comfortably with a truck full of junk. But I hate the way it drives when I am alone, its quick for its size, but tire spin, turning radius, and handling are lacking majorly. Also is lacking with the toys, all my last cars have little nooks and crannys with something cool, this car is plain jane. Though, it is a great car for a family, or if you need something for easy city driving. But for fun, its not so great.

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  Best of the 2003s - 2003 Nissan Frontier
  By love my Nissan - December 15 - 1:10 am

  I looked at all the 03 mid-size crew-cabs before buying. The Nissan was the obvious choice. It had the most powerful engine (super-charged V6), the longest bed, quietest interior, and was thousands less than a comparably equipped Toyota. I have a fully loaded top of the line truck with every option and a few aftermarket add-ons. This truck has proved to be religiously dependable and an excellent buy. I get 17 mpg in the city and close to 22 on the highway. I dont like the fact that it needs premium gas and the Firestones that come on the S/C 2x2 are JUNK (I got less than 20k miles from the first set, and I am a very conservative driver. The second set isnt fairing any better).