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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  Maxima Relief - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Manny Andujar - August 29 - 1:03 pm

  My 2005 Maxima is a lemon just like all other 2005 Maximas. When your left speakers blow out(hit the side of the center console until they work again.) The transmission slips horribly. I have dealt with this for 2 years. I have finally found out what it is and no matter how bad, this should always fix it(there is a green module or sensor behind the throttle body. It is hidden towards the back against the firewall. Play with this, it should start to improve immediately do it everytime you turn the car on) I have been doing it for 2 weeks and am satisfied. Those of you who do not have maximas, DO NOT BUY NISSAN. The styling is nice but the problems are infinite. The car is only good for 1 year

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  Great Buy!!! - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Rabs13 - August 29 - 4:40 am

  Nissans are built to last as long as you take care of them. I love my Pathfinder. Gas mileage is lousy but then agian, its an SUV. But the amenities that come w/the truck are great and I will keep it until I run it into the ground.

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  Nissan truck - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By snuffboy - August 29 - 3:30 am

  Drives smooth, sharp interior, very nice to drive. I am very happy with my Nissan Frontier. The only drawback would be the small seats in the king cab, so if you need more room for passengers you should go with the double cab rather than the king cab.

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  Seats are constructed poorly and cheap. - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Daphne Mack - August 29 - 3:10 am

  If you are looking for value do not purchase the 2015 Altima SL. Ive had mine for 5 months and have returned to dealership 4 times so far for repair of front passenger seat, and yes its broken yet again, at this point I will have to say Ive purchased a LEMON. I plan to contact the media if this is not resolved soon. Leather apparently poorly constructed in back seat beverage holder as well, which came off the first time I pulled it down to use the cup holder. Have not brought that to dealership attention, as Im still working with getting a passenger seat fixed that keeps popping off its hinges (very afraid someone may get hurt if I give them a ride.) Nissan Of North America Corporate office hard to reach assigned customer care person assigned to my case... they also are not allowed to give out their last names, only first name John.. Why so private when Ive purchased a car with my full name address and social security number on the contract? Stay away from 2015 Altima unless maybe cloth seats. Otherwise rides well.

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  fun - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By teendriver - August 28 - 8:00 pm

  i rented this car while mine was being fixed and it was REALLY fun to drive. the engine sounds great and handles pretty good. its ok on gas and accelerates really well. the interior looked cheap but was simple and served its purpose. it was a little small inside and i would pity a heavy person if they tried to drive it. the a/c was ice cold and the radio was decent. about three days into driving it the brake was making a squeaky noise but that was probley my fault.

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  Best Van Ever - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By Alexes - August 28 - 7:46 pm

  This was one of the best investments that I ever made. My Quest is very comfortable and luxurious to me. My family and I love it. It is absolutely great.

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  Finally got my Rogue - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By ytwulf - August 28 - 4:30 pm

  I have had my Rogue for a little over a week now and what can I say. This vehicle is awesome! I drove all the other smaller sport utes that you can think of, the Rav 4, CRV, and Endeavor, and this one beats them all hands down. I have not noticed the issues with the blind spots when backing up but I was driving a quad cab Dodge Dakota before I got my Rogue. I just filled the tank up for the first time and although the onboard computer said I was getting 23.5 mpg, I actually got 25.2 mpg when you do the calculations. I did have about 60% of the miles on the highway. This is a fun vehicle to drive. It is very comfortable and quite on the highway with very little wind noise.

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  the titan - 2006 Nissan Titan
  By john arriaga - August 28 - 2:43 pm

  i have only had my titan for about two months and i love it !it is so big comfortable inside, and has pulling power all at the same time, it doesnt get the best gas mileage with the big motor v8, but if you buying a v8 gas souldnt be an issue anyway. i couldnt be happier.

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  Good value but lacks some quality - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By egydarceyes - August 28 - 12:09 pm

  Ive added the convenient package and so far Ive put on 30k miles on it. The car is very nice on the inside, very adequate space and comfortable seats. Engine is a bit loud when moving from stand still, CVT is nice for gas mileage but is definitely a snooze at times, dont expect to be passing all cars when you really want to. Head unit is nice but the non-touch 5 inch is made out of bad glass that scratches very easily. Software embedded in the head unit is just plain crap... Needs refreshing and fixing of defects. Nice wheel button controls but wish they were designed a little more moderate. They just seem big and poorly designed.

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  High performer, needs a little TLC - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By G-Man - August 28 - 5:03 am

  This car has been a high performer. The car is 7.5 years old and has 97000 miles on it. It feels like it still has a lot left. I cant imagine why people pay twice the price for european cars. However, the exhaust (not just the muffler and pipes) system is a little too complex to be as reliable as it should be. The Dealer told me to use premium gas, but could not convey the technical reasons. So maintenance costs are higher than a Camry or Accord, but this car performs a lot better.