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 Impressive Car - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Samlong - November 16 - 10:00 am

  The 04 Maxima is an incredible car. Ive only had it for a few months and cannot even count how many heads Ive turned driving this vechile on the street. The unbelievable part is when I have BMWs, and Lexus driving staring at my Maxima. Wow . . . if that doesnt say anything, nothing well. Performance great as always, confortable, and the Boss system is awesome. All around a car thats fun to drive and stylish enough to turn heads on the road.

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  A car like a bat out of hell - 1999 Nissan Maxima
  By Alex - November 16 - 9:00 am

  Best car I have ever owned, period. This car is ultra smooth, and with the 5-speed, tons of power. The engine idles amazingly, fuel economy is great for a V6, and everything feels solid. Great handling, great engine sound with a cold-air intake. So much fun to drive, it is a joy. I always look forward to going somewhere because I know I get to drive this car. Very rewarding. Bose stereo is awesome and clear. Have not had any coil problems, but small problem if it does happen (Accords drop transmissions, Camrys interior falls apart). No car is perfect, but this is darn close. I bought for $17K with 17,000 miles, and its completely loaded. $28K sticker. Flew 800 miles to Oklahoma!

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  Frontier vs Tacoma - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By Ray - November 16 - 5:56 am

  I did a lot of research, the more I looked the more I found supporting the Frontier as the superior truck. I drove both and also drove the Colorado. All drive similar with the Tacoma having a cushier ride. Questionable if thats what you want in a high CG vehicle. I bought the Frontier. Full box frame, 4 wheel disk brakes, 265 hp V6 on regular unleaded gas, sprayed on bed liner developed specifically for Nissan. It was really no contest. Toyota dealers would not even give me a price quote hinting that truck of the year warranted no price concessions. Nissan dealers wanted to make a deal and gave me the best deal.

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  love at first drive.. - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By Harley - November 15 - 6:16 pm

  I planned on buying a civic si later that day but I was strolling through dealerships with my sister checking out various cars for no reason. I drove past the Altima and she mentioned it and I backed up. I started checking it out and I slowly liked it more and more. The dealership owner let me test drive it. I accidentally peeled out leaving the dealership and was very impressed with the power. The drive sealed the deal for me. I bought it yesterday and Im still smiling every time I walk up to the car. Its fast, comfy, decent on gas for the power it has. The stereo is the best Ive heard so far. It has a nice security system and drives so smooth. Passing people on the highway or getting to highway speed is no problem At all. She only has 70k on her and besides a few cosmetic flaws, its a 10-10 condition. I love this car.. Its a secret sports car thats still a 4 door and it feels almost like a luxury car.

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  Still happy after 1 year. - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By rl - November 15 - 3:50 pm

  Bought new to replace an 01 2wd Crew Cab SE which was a great truck. I was moving to the Midwest and wanted 4wd. Great advances since then, better in all aspects to the 01. Great motor with acceptable mileage for a truck. I get about 15-16 city, 21+ highway. Some folks dont like the interior, but I dont mind the plastic. Its put together well, and easy to keep clean. Gauges/controls are clear/logically ordered. Sound quality of speakers is good. I primarily an iPod via the aux jack. There is an iPod interface on the 2008s. Get that instead of the disc changer if you can. You might want to consider step rails as its relatively high off the ground.

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  LEMON - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Melly - November 15 - 1:40 pm

  Nissan should be ashamed of the quality of this car. My car has been at the Nissan Dealership over 50 times in the past two years. I had to have front rotors replaced, when car was under warranty. The car was only at 30,000 miles. Next,I keep hearing a front-end noise and Nissan couldnt figure out the problem at all. Then at 75,000, my transmission had to be replaced costing me around 4,500. Several months after that, my AC compressor is totally burned out. I have went broke over this car and addition to paying the monthly note. Nissan must recall this car very soon. There has been to many similar complaints on this car.

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  Looking forward to my next one... - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By Terri - November 15 - 8:26 am

  I bought this van because of its uniqueness. The only complaint I have against the van is that it is so low to the pavement. With that being said, I enjoy driving this vehicle as much as my kids love traveling in it. We trade-in vehicles about every 5 years and I will definitely purchase another Quest.

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  Nissans nightmare - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Chris - November 15 - 12:20 am

  So I leased my altma right when they came out. I have had the car for almost 3 yeas and lets say Im glad I leased. So most dont know is Nissan has had a horrible design flaw with their new CVT. The Altimas and pathfinders have this problem but yet Nissan doesnt know how to fix it. The car will shutter like the motor is just going to jump out and run away. This has happened to my car 5 times already and nissans only answer is to throw transmissions in it. This car has had 4 brand new transmissions that were supposed to fix the problem. I have also had to have the trunk repainted twice because they dont know how to put the chrome trim on and it runs through the paint and causes the trunk to rust. Ive talked to Nissan corporate several times and their best answer for the car is that they would make a note that I was unhappy with the car. By the way this car just hit 31,000 miles

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  Good Car - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By jmard24 - November 15 - 12:16 am

  I dont know understand why magazines say bad things about the car. I think its a great car. Its quick, reliable and get good gas mileage. I checked out the civic si but I fell in love with this one as soon as I saw it. Great car

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  I always love Nissans - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By danblackracing - November 14 - 8:06 pm

  This is my first "new" car. I have always bought older custom datsuns and other sports cars so my review may be different. I bought a 09 versa base for the rain and winter, but wound up putting custom rims and a few other goodies on it. Being nissans official rally racing car you can feel the agility. Great performance for 9990. I know, I drive fast cars. I didnt expect this versa to handle this well out of the box. It has the usual chinsey plastic inside for a low cost Nissan but otherwise great car. Amazing room. Fun to drive. Great on gas.