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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  Great Deal - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By truckowner - June 11 - 9:43 am

  Only had the truck a little over a month, but I am very pleased. The power is exceptional, as is the ride and handling. Very little road noise. The truck handles 4 adults in comfort. Glad I chose this over the larger trucks.

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  Great, GREAT automobile. - 1999 Nissan Altima
  By Joev - June 11 - 8:43 am

  Have this vehicle 8 years, have never been back to dealer for anything. Oil changes, tire replacement, fan belt and brakes have been replaced. Thats it. Fuel economy 25+ on the road and about 20 in town. Thinking of selling but afraid what I get to replace it wont be as dependable. Overall in my opinion the Altima is the best value dollar for dollar among any car on the market today or ever.

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  I had it all wrong - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By ange - June 11 - 8:00 am

  I wrote a review on 5/1/04 in favor of the armada, i guess i was excited.If you are thinking about buying an armada listen to me and save your money and time. Lets start out with 4 brake jobs (rotor problems of course), wind noise in the rear window, a defective fan, a cupholder that opened everytime you applied brakes and shall i go on! Of course with your warranty they will keep fixing it over & over & over. I decided to seek a remedy with a lemon law attorney. You do know that after 4 repeated repairs of an important part your vehicle is considered a lemon. Dont let nissan get away with this. Fight, fight,fight for your rights!! I hear the titan and the 2005s are no better!

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  2007 Nissan Pathfinder Tranny/Coolant cross-contamination --DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE - 2007 Nissan Pathfinder
  By joelv698 - June 11 - 3:28 am

  I purchased this vehicle brand new to replace a 2003 SE with high-mileage. The quality of the interior appeared to be subpar as most of the items are made of cheap plastic. At about 55k mi, i had a problem with the fuel sending unit, which was covered under warranty since this was common malfunction of the vehicle. Now after owning the vehicle for 7 years, it finally had a potentially catastrophic failure. The plastic inlet hose nipple to the heater core broke and sprayed coolant all through the engine compartment. I looked in the radiator and overflow tank and both had thick milky coolant which indicates cross contamination of ATF/AF. This is a common problem w/ this vehicle over 100k

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  Cant believe how nice it is! - 2008 Nissan Armada
  By uga91 - June 10 - 1:23 pm

  I cant say much except that this is one nice vehicle! You will love its comfort and performance. Drive it and you wont be disappointed.

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  Nice ride - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By Mark - June 10 - 12:50 pm

  traded the Altima SE for the Maxima and very happy with the new car.

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  I would have never thought - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By Great Truck!!!! - June 10 - 7:00 am

  I went to the dealership to look at a used Chevy Silverado. I ended up with a Nissan Titan. My initial disappointment has turned around 180 degrees. I love my Titan. This is what a truck should be. Power, comfort, handling it has it all. I originally intended to keep this truck a year and trade for a chevy but now it has found a home.

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  BUY ONE!!!!! - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By Alec - June 10 - 6:33 am

  I use my truck for hauling, towing, hunting, and as a daily driver. I get around 18 mpg all around mostly in city driving with my mom driving a lot of them and she is bad at driving a stick shift. It has very good offroad capabilities. It is very fast and has a lot of power and torque. It has a very big bed and i can fit my yamaha kodiak (fourwheeler) in the back. People and edmunds often complain about the hard plastic interior, but you have to remember that this is a truck not a little car and hard plastic is tough and will last. Buy a Frontier

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  After lots of searching - 2010 Nissan Murano
  By drive a lot - June 10 - 2:50 am

  I needed a vehicle that is comfortable to drive and has some extra room. Traded in an 08 Outlander XLS, which is a great small SUV...but just too small for me. Looked at Lexus Certified, way too much money, Toyota Highlander, rough ride. Tried to buy American but the interest rates have skyrocketed. Murano SL AWD with everything except nav, have my own portable as I travel a lot and didnt need to spend the money on factory nav. Car is smooth, gets 24 to 25 mpg on highway, 80% of my driving. Put on 2000 miles in 3 weeks and everything fine so far.

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  5,000 miles and loving it - 2012 Nissan Leaf
  By jberolo - June 9 - 8:08 pm

  I was lucky to find a dealer car with only 3000 miles and still new even though I bought it as used vehicle. There is little I cannot do with my LEAF. I have a pickup truck when I need to drive farther than my LEAF can take me, but honestly I hardly ever need to drive it. The range of the LEAF works for 90% of my daily and weekly driving needs.