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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  2010 Altima 4 Cyl. CVT SL - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By Daniel F Spies - May 3 - 3:50 am

  The overall performance is great. I do not like rattles however we found that the sun-roof sliding door will rattle when it is fully closed. The rattle goes away when it is partially or fully open (not the sun-roof itself, only the sliding interior door). I have overcome this problem and found that I really like the car. The get up and go is there when you need it. The CVT transmission provides excellent fuel mileage while maintaining low RPM balanced through the assist of the computer. This car handles very nice through curves on the road. The brake distribution appears to be proportioned perfectly from the front to the rear without unwanted jerky movements. I strongly recommend buying a

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  Full of great features! - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By Nathan4332 - May 2 - 12:50 pm

  I have only owned my 2007 Sentra SL for a few weeks, but I love it! This is my 3rd Nissan (2000 Altima and 2002 Xterra) and I keep coming back. Owning Nissans has been a great experience. No one seems to know much about the 2007 Sentra, and I enjoy showing them what it has to offer. I considered the Civic, Elantra, Mazda 3, Lancer and Cobalt. None had all the features of the Sentra.

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  great truck, lots of bed space! - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By hiplainsdrftr - May 2 - 12:15 pm

  I have owned 5 other pickups, titan is my favorite. I have owned for 14 months it had 42k when bought and now has 56k.I average 15.5 mpg.on a recent trip from SC to NJ i averaged 18.5. Great amount of room in the bed and i can fit my daughter w her car seat and 2 other adults in the cab. Handles great for a big truck, i traded a g35 in for it so i didnt know what to expect handling wise. my wife drives a qx56 w the same engine and it feels slow compared to my titan. Definitely reccomend a titan to anyone looking for a pickup truck.

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  Great Mid-Sized SUV - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By tobymcgee - May 2 - 10:13 am

  I bought a 2004 Xterra brand new and it was a great car until a patch of black ice and a telephone pole last week. Very safe vehicle, as I was uninjured from the crash. I had racked up close to 170,000 miles without any major issues, just your usual suspects (brakes, tires, etc.). Engine and transmission were still running great. The only thing I had noticed was the heater/AC blower motor would only work on high (seems to be a recurring Nissan problem, Ive had it happen to 2 other Nissans). Other than that, a great car! Im seriously considering buying another one to replace it.

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  Amazing vehicle - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By TDFull - May 2 - 3:20 am

  Flies down the road like a dream. Looks far better than Camry or Accord. The engine is powerful, and the interior space is fantastic.

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  Cute & LOVE the toys, but underpowered - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By NOT a Florida driver - May 1 - 8:53 am

  Leased it new and returned it to the dealer with 20K. No mechanical problems in 2 years. Interior build was fine (except one drawer that never fit right and a dead electric outlet). Exterior build was good and the finish stood up to a scratchy bush thats too close to our driveway. Biggest complaint was performance - car was underpowered when accelerating, and I had to floor the gas to pass on the highway. As a result, MPG was poor, never topping 23 (50% city driving). I also HATED the CVT - braking was jerky despite steady pressure on the pedal. My mother actually refused to drive the car because of the CVT/brakes. After 2 years in a 2005 Altima, driving this car was definitely a letdown.

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  Gas gas gas - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By Brian VABeach - April 30 - 8:10 pm

  Ok so everyone konws that your going to get bad MPG on gas but not this bad....i have had my Frontier for 3 weeks now and am at 1500 miles and still only getting 17.7 - 17.9 MPG ....Horrible!

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  Went from Sonata to Altima - 2014 Nissan Altima
  By topcontender - April 30 - 4:23 pm

  Admittedly, Im kind of a "car nut". I traded my 2011 Sonata Limited after 4 years, its a good car with lots of features but the ride was a little hard on bumpy roads. So I bought the 2014 Altima SL (4 cyc). Very Nice looking car with a well thought out interior, spacious and super comfortable. The ride is smooth and quiet and takes bumpy surfaces really well (as well as my wifes Lexus 350). The car handles well and does get impressive gas milage. The 4 cyc is peppy and provides all the power a driver really needs. This is a beautiful car.

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  2007 350Z Touring - 2007 Nissan 350Z
  By David - April 30 - 4:03 pm

  I have had some issues with the clutch which I have had to take back to the dealership for warranty repair. The clutch was sticking to the floor. They fixed it, but it still grinds when trying to shift into 2nd, 5th, and 6th gear too fast. So I still need to find the time to get that fixed. Other than that, I love the car.

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  A Beast - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By gioadam - April 30 - 1:40 pm

  Great vehicle, and fun to drive. Have not had a single problem with mine ( knock on wood) Cant miss with this one.