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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  Total power loss - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Tim - July 23 - 8:56 pm

  Had my nissan for 5 day and one day in busy traffic, the car would just move 3 miles a hour from a traffic light . Total power loss. I brought it back to the car lot and they had it check out and said it work fine till the engine is warm that when total loss of power. So I went back to a gm car. I thought being a japen car ,it would be good like toyota but no dont bother with nissan worse then a ford.The worse car I drove.

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  Bought a 2003 Xterra XE with 100,000 miles - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By Rich - June 4 - 7:32 pm

  Bought Xterra XE with 100,000 miles. Terrific in the snow, handles well, excellent vision, need only 87 gas not premium, excellent storage space, stereo system with 6 speakers, nice roof rack, and pretty easy car to work on. Anybody who gets an Xterra in the 100,000 mile range.be ready for a new timing belt and will cost between $600 to. $1,000. Other costs in the 100 -125K mileage range include new starter ($400 - $500) and new plugs ($200). If you buy a 100,000+ Xterra check the timing belt, starter, plugs and it can save you a lot of money. 265 size tires are in the $400 - $500 range. Its a SUV built on a truck with 16 city/ 20 higjway mileage and if you take care of it, the Xterra is pretty reliable.

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  Good efficient crossover - 2015 Nissan Rogue
  By RemRogue - October 27 - 4:37 pm

  I love my Rogue its a smooth efficient SUV ever. Has lots of features in class the performance is amazing love the navigation and panoramic moon roof. Rogue gets good gas mileage + using ECO does help a lot love everything well equipped. Believe Im pretty satisfied in purchasing a great crossover as the Rogue. It has good handling plenty of power making even fun to drive at least know can be more secured driving with all of the safety features standard in Rogue. Fit and finish materials are absolutely best for good priced with everything being great instead finding anything cheaply made in the Rogue.

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  Versa Note SV 62,000k - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By patrick - October 24 - 5:35 pm

  I have had this Versa Note for 62,000 miles now. Had all the recommended services at 35,000. Good thing, the CVT fluid needed changing. I get 41 miles per gal/ with the original tires and 38 with the snows on, If you believe the counter. With the right snows the car is great in the snow. I do have this annoying rattling when I step on the gas pedal. It has decreased after the last recall updating the CVT software. I have hauled a lot of stuff in this car. With the seats down you get a lot of room for transporting. I would recommend this car as a commuting car , great so far. BTW Im still looking for rain guards.

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  6000 miles broke down - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Sam - September 14 - 9:44 am

  2015 Altima 3.5 broke down on highway after 6000 miles. Air conditioner stopped working and battery light came on so I opened the hood and saw oil all over on the passenger side. While trying to return to dealer for service, lost power and left me stranded. Towed to dealership. Serpentine belt is shredded so I was probably driving on the battery alone. Why the oil all over, they didnt know. They mentioned oil lines, or crankshaft seal? Still waiting to see whats going on with it. (Also steering requires work as far as being not very easy to steer, driver side weather stripping already worn out due to seatbelt rubbing against it when retracting. Guess it may depend on where your seat is positioned, but the stripping itself is paper thin)

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  Good lord - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By harber - December 31 - 10:33 pm

  I just traded in my 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee on this gem. Test drove the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Infiniti G35. This car was the best bar far. The features alone differentiate it from the others. I couldnt be happier. Perfect combination of form and function.

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  Nice Ride - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Mark - December 31 - 6:10 pm

  What can I say, its a nice ride. I live in NYC and I commute about 100 miles a day and this car is great on the highway but not so much on fuel. Little disappointed there. Fun to drive on the highway, not so much on the NYC streets. The potholes are a killer. No time to enjoy the ride. Too much shifting only to slam on the brakes for red lights and taxi cabs. Takes a little time to warm up. I love the shifting but can be hard at times. Great to drive in the mountains. Stiff ride in the city streets and sometimes to highway. Girlfriend complains of the stiff ride but I dont mind. Look for a car that gets better gas mileage. Look at the SE 2.0 liter. Better ride and gas mileage.

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  Great SUV - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By scedarst - December 31 - 11:33 am

  Love this new SUV. The fold down rear seat is great. DVD/Audio system is wonderful, lots of bass with the built in sub and you can play dvds through the headphones or car speakers easily.

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  Ok, but disappointed - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By JLPearl - December 31 - 11:16 am

  I was disappointed in this car. Have heard foriegn cars are better, and this was my first one - no more for me. Check engine light came on before we even got it home! Went round & round with the dealer who finally agreed to the repair - intake manifold gasket (exact same problem I had with my GM!) Car sits low - it will rust, even if you constantly wash it. Car is light and has a rough ride - feel every bump in the road. Exterior trim started falling off one day for no reason. Power drivers window was very sluggish. Gas mileage was horrid - I the best I got was 24mpg. I went back to GM and am happier. I get 28-30mpg consistently with my current full size GM product (V6).

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  I Just love Altima 2.5 S - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Alex - December 31 - 5:26 am

  My wife had a car accident and our Acura Integra was a total loss. So when we chose a new car safety was of primary concern. We found the Nissan Altima had the highest safety rating so we bought it. Now I can tell that not only you feel safe driving it, but also fun driving it. It feels so smooth and, the fuel economy is just excellent. We are so glad that we bought it rather than Toyota Camry which we looked at first. Camry is a good car too. But Altima 2.5 S is just great.