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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  Nissan Titanic - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Earths Champ - July 8 - 5:36 pm

  Bought this truck 2 months later while driving to Missouri hit luggage off someones truck.RIPPED OUT THE DRIVE TRAIN,$2400 damage! Then while driving in FL got stuck in mud a FORD RANGER pulled me out. How EMBARRASSING is that? Plus horrible resale value 5 month old truck paid 27 now worth 18??? Dont get me wrong it tows great and is a great truck when not in the shop with parts on back order.

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  Fun to drive - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By haus1984 - July 7 - 8:01 pm

  Bought this a year ago at 67K miles. In that time Ive put about 20K on it. This thing is a lot of fun to drive. It will get up and go! Turns on a dime for an SUV. Seats 5 comfortably. The rear and passenger seats fold down easily and allow for a lot of cargo. It rides nicely and is very comfortable both on and off road. By off road I mean actual trails. Mine has VDC and it works great in snow & mud. Great visibility in all directions. The interior is cheap plastic. Things slide around in the “trunk.” Tire Pressure siren goes off a lot. I’m not going to overinflate the tires so I live with it. I check the trans fluid for murkiness often just to be on the safe side. Haven’t had an issue yet.

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  2 Thumbs up for the Spec V !!!!! - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By bennyspecv - July 6 - 12:16 am

  First of all, I had a 2002 sentra XE (touring: Mags,rear spoiler & 6 CD changer). The upgrade to a 2005 SE-R SpecV was well appreciated. The SpecV is so fun to drive.... when you take a corner that you are used to take with another car in the specV, you will see that the handling is surprising and when you think you cant go faster, it sticks to the road. The only regret I have is that they changed the exterior look from the 2002-2003 but the overall performance takes your mind off the body and keeps it on the road !!!!

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  About what we Expected - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By cb - July 5 - 12:26 pm

  Bought the 2.5S Altima in June. Two months and two thousand miles later I can report fuel mileage at 27 in mixed driving. The car says 29, but fill and calculate gives 2 mpg less every time. At least it is consistent. We have not had any major problems yet, but the trunk hinge spring now rattles and we can see that some of the paint job is not as good as we might have hoped. We are satisfied with the purchase and the car does come with features that should be standard everywhere like the keyless ignition.

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  max 6+ years - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By dogz max - July 5 - 3:23 am

  Ive had my MAX since January 2000. It is a vehicle well worth buying. Ive changed the oil, spark plugs, knock sensor, brakes, and timing belt. Unbelievable how I dont now the inside of dealership. Wish 2004 Max generation family had better reviews because I will stick with Nissan, just think about getting the Q45. I have 155,000 miles now and still runs almost as good as the day I bought it with 22,000 miles on it. I highly advise this car to anyone.

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  Love It! - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By gdgtdad - July 4 - 10:00 am

  Tons of room. I am 65" and have @ least 5" of leg room sitting behind driver seat W/it slid all the way back.Gas milage is averaging about 12- 13 but its a powerful truck I wasnt expecting 20MPG or better.I love the flip up rear seats.Being taller I do tend to be looking through the top tint of the windshield but its not that big a deal.I was suprised that I could not activate the interior lights by fully engaging the dimmer knob.You have to flip switches individually to make this happen. Also my dimmer switch seems extra sensitive and I find it difficult to maintain the dim setting for dash lights that I like.Had to replace center console in 1st month.

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  It still rides - 1995 Nissan Pathfinder
  By tonio - July 2 - 11:50 am

  I love my truck. When I drive other cars, sure I love the zippiness of them, but when I get back in my truck, I love the feel of being in command of a ...truck. I feel right with the world. I have 209,000 miles on my truck.

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  first review - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By fussner - July 2 - 5:13 am

  I have a 5 speed and am overall very happy about my purchase, ive put 2,000 miles on it in a month with many many more to go. The rpms on the 5 spd. Manual seem high. Maybe a 6th gear overdrive would help gas mileage. Other than that Im averaging 300 miles to the tank and I love driving my xterra

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  MURANO - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By JOHNJ - July 2 - 2:00 am

  I CANT BELIEVE I WAS FORCED TO BUY A SUNROOF (AND I HATE SUNROOFS) BECAUSE I WANTED TRACTION CONTROL. DRIVES GREAT, BUT PREMIUM UNLEADED GAS IS GOING TO TAKE SOME GETTING USED TO. 3K HIGHER THAN THE PILOT. HOPE I MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE.

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  MURANO - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By JohnJ - July 2 - 2:00 am

  I CANT BELIEVE I WAS FORCED TO BUY A SUNROOF (AND I HATE SUNROOFS) BECAUSE I WANTED TRACTION CONTROL. DRIVES GREAT, BUT PREMIUM UNLEADED GAS IS GOING TO TAKE SOME GETTING USED TO. 3K HIGHER THAN THE PILOT. HOPE I MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE.