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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  Battery Failure - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Joe - July 13 - 1:43 pm

  Be aware that something is draining the battery on high end Nissans faster than the charging system can recharge unless you drive it on a regular basis for at least 15-30 minutes. Suggest staying away from Nissans if retired or you do little driving. Know of three new Nissans two 2009 Altima and one 2010 Maxima where battery has failed within 30 days after purchase. My uncles has failed three times even after a new battery was installed. Mine has failed twice. Would get rid of it but dont want to take the financial hit. Joined AAA.

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  very reliable SUV - 2000 Nissan Pathfinder
  By na - July 12 - 11:10 am

  Very reliable SUV that can tow 3000lbs without concern. Its limit is 5000, but thats pushing this engine to its max. Very nice ride that gets about 20+ with mostly hwy driving. Comfortable on long trips and 4WD is great for the snow or dirt.

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  Uncomfortable for long distances - 2016 Nissan Versa
  By Patrick J. - July 12 - 11:08 am

  My existing car finally bit the dust after putting 220,000 miles on her, a 2001 Suzuki Vitara small SUV. I ended up renting the Nissan Versa from Enterprise to get me around until I can buy something to replace my Vitara. My initial impressions of the Versa were positive, it looks nice outside and I have any easy time getting into and out of the car with plenty of headroom. I am not very tall at around 510", but I ran into 2 problems once I sat in the driver seat. First, the center console is very low and wide, it sits forward of the shifter and the width of it hits me in my lower-right leg. This is exacerbated by the front of the driver seat which slopes upwards very steeply. The pedals are so deep in the well that I have to move the seat so far forward that I end up "man-spreading" to fit properly resulting in the leg/console collision. It makes it extremely difficult to drive long distances. My left leg also rubs against another cupholder that Nissan put in the lower part of the left door. The location of it makes no sense, no person in their right mind would ever want to place a cup or bottle there. As far as performance goes, this thing would easily wipe the floor off my old Vitara, I have no idea why people call this thing slow. Without blinking I find myself doing 50MPH and have done 65MPH with ease. Performance is right where it should be considering the price. However, I find that there is no sensation of speed or acceleration when driving this car. It is very weird, I will start accelerating, blink my eyes and find I am doing 50MPH. Whether I floor the accelerator or lightly press it, the car just starts going 50MPH with no sensation of reaching that speed. It actually makes it very difficult to drive speed limits of 30-40MPH and I constantly find myself unintentionally speeding. It must be some drive-by-wire nonsense causing this. There is no road vibration coming through either the accelerator or brake which makes things more difficult. The brakes are too responsive as well, I find it difficult to slow down over a distance, they clearly designed it to brake on a dime for idiots that dont know how to drive safely. Other gripes I have include the dash lighting, it has ridiculously bright white LED lighting that causes glare inside the car. There is a knob that was stupidly placed in the center of the dash forcing you to reach through the steering wheel to get to it and it doesnt work like a normal knob. You have to press in, turn and hold the knob to the left or right to make it adjust. If you adjust all the way left or right it wraps back around and goes back to full brightness which makes it damn near impossible to set to the lowest setting. My Vitara has the dimmer located as a dial on the left side near where the side mirror controls are which is far easier to adjust while driving. Another gripe is the air controls do not let you select outside air vs inside, it only goes to outside air when you use the defroster. Lastly, there is no 3.5MM Line-In on the front of the radio, super lame. One plus is the trunk is huge with plenty of room to fit stuff, maybe not as deep as some people would like, I put my groceries in there last night and they stayed in place all the way home. Overall my feeling is that this is a very modern car that Nissan failed to test with people of various body sizes and lacks the connection to the road that the best drivers look for in a vehicle.

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  Fun vehicle to drive - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By john - July 12 - 6:40 am

  This is a really good vehicle. I bought it new for my wife in 2001 and she drove it for 5 years and gave it over to me. I have driven a lot of vehicles but this is my favorite. Tough, dependable, versatile. Great in the snow if you add some weight in the back.

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  Titan is best truck on market - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Matt13ISU - July 11 - 7:33 pm

  Best vehicle I have owned. Love to drive my Titan. Really turns a lot of heads. Tons of power, tows excellent. Comfortable to drive long distances.

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  Pros and Cons - 2013 Nissan Rogue
  By wiquincy - July 11 - 10:35 am

  Pros: 1. CV Tranny excellent, no constant shifting 2. Plenty of power when needed at any speed. 3. Drives comfortably, but shorter wheelbase of this class is a little bumpier. 4. I get 28 mpg, my wife gets 24 overall. Gets over 30 on the highway at 60 mph. 5. Door looking options are very nice. Cons: 1. The Navigation system is totally useless. I had to buy a GPS. Cannot be set while moving, no MPH check, No useful trip record, no elevation, etc. etc. Of no use whatsoever. 2. No option for power seats for passenger. 3. Cargo space is small for class. 4. Speedometer is analog only, no digital read.

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  Best Kept Secret - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By Rangermutt - July 11 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I have owned a 1999 GXE for 4 years now and it has had few problems - mostly limited to two oxygen sensors (which required the dealer to replace due to their location). I added alloy wheels and a spoiler and aftermarket radio/cd player. I rarely drive it but really enjoy it when I do. I think for the money it was a great buy and would buy another one after we drive this one another 4 years.

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  Fabulous Car! - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By lllarzzz - July 11 - 10:00 am

  Bought used @ 65K miles, has been perfect for 2.5 years. Most reliable car I have ever owned. Quite fast with 5-Speed, especially for a car of this size. Handles nicely. Would buy another one in a heartbeat... hard to imaging finding a more solid or reliable used car.

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  Great SUV - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By mainecamrydriver - July 11 - 10:00 am

  I love this vehicle. Its a blast to drive everyday. It will get up and go when you want it to but is also a nice ride when youre taking it easy. Ive been impressed with the power and like the smaller size for getting in and out of tight spaces around town. Its also performed well in rough weather. Ive towed a number of trailers with it and it will maintain 75 mph on the highway while towing a good load. What can I say, Its great!

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  I love the Pathfinder - 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Taller - July 11 - 10:00 am

  The Pathfinder rides like a car. I absolutely love it. The BOSE stereo sounds great. Its got plenty of pick up and looks good on the road. The automatic controls on the steering wheel for cruise and for the stereo are easy to use and conveniently located. By far the best car Ive ever owned.