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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  Stuck with a Lemon - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By joeloeb - February 17 - 5:30 pm

  My brand new Altima, less than 1K miles started making a loud noise, coming from the engine. Took it back to the dealer, they said it was the alternator. They had to order a new one. 4 weeks later still no part and the car is undriveable. I have received little satisfaction dealing with the dealership and even less dealing with Nissan USA. They dont know when the part will be in, meanwhile I have a car with 1,000 mile on it, that I am paying for and cant drive. They refuse to take the part out of one of the cars on their lot. Shows you where there allegiance lies, definitely not with the their purchasing customers.

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  Never Considered Nissan... Until Now - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By Jeff - February 17 - 3:45 pm

  Week 2 of owning my 2016 Maxima Platinum and Im very satisfied with my purchase. Im 30 years old, no children, young(ish) professional with a long commute (30 miles one way). I originally started shopping the 16 Cadillac CTS, Jaguar XF, and Lincoln MKZ. I happened to see a Maxima on the road and it really stood out, so I read some online reviews and made my way to the dealership "just to look". Well, after driving the cars priced thousands more, I was seriously impressed with this car. Ill go through whats meaningful to me. Safety - what are grouped into "packages" on other vehicles with already high base prices are all standard on the Maxima Platinum and commuting in Chicago through dense traffic on busy expressways I find the extra set of watchful eyes on the road very reassuring. The blind spot monitor, front and rear sonar, forward emergency braking, smart cruise control, driver attention alert, around view monitor - these have all come in handy already in just these two short weeks and Ill probably not buy another car without this helpful tech. Interior - this is MILES beyond anything in the mainstream segment and rivals cars in classes above. The diamond quilted seats, hand stitched dashboard, diamond patterned wood trim, panoramic roof, heated and cooled seats, flat bottom sport steering wheel; all these features combine to make each driving experience feel special. The nav and infotainment system is awesome - the redundant controls with the i-drive like rotary wheel is convenient if you dont want to poke at a touchscreen and the navigation information can be swiped into the driver control cluster so you can keep your eyes on the road. Driving Experience - anyone who says CVT and sport sedan cant go together (and I was one of those individuals) havent actually driven this car. The power is IMMEDIATE and instant on-demand. The system can keep the RPMs low in everyday driving to maximize fuel economy but push the sport mode button and things get moving fast. The ability of the CVT to give you that power instantaneously and then hold you in the power band is incredible and for merging onto highways at speed, it makes things a breeze. I never feel wanting for power even after driving the twin-turbo CTS which has 400+hp. Will this car cannibalize sales from the Infiniti Q50? Probably. Will it steal sales from cars in classes above? It just did for me. Its large and spacious, sporty without being pretentious and immature, elegantly appointed on the inside, and cheaper to insure. If youre looking for a full featured near-luxury (or luxury in my opinion) car with sporting aspirations thats not too fussy to be a good reliable daily driver, head down to your Nissan dealership. I drove one home that night and have been thrilled every time I drive it.

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  MY 08 Titan Pro 4X - 2008 Nissan Titan
  By txcwbyus - February 17 - 2:06 pm

  I travel with my work quite a bit, in fact, in-service date 11-19-07, and I already have 13700 miles (mostly highway). I am off roading occasionally due to my work, and appreciate the sense of reliability I gain with my Titan. No more anxiety, which is a relief. It handles snowy conditions very well, and allows me to climb steep terrains with ease, and safety.

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  Feel every bump in the road - 2008 Nissan Maxima
  By eileen - February 16 - 2:40 pm

  I went from a Jeep to a VW to a Nissan and will never buy Japanese or Nissan again. I like the car overall but you feel every single little bump in the road. It feels like your rims are going to crack when you go over a bump.

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  2009 Max - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By NissanBoy - February 16 - 12:06 pm

  I currently have a 2008 max SL and wanted to see whats all the talk about the 2009. Well, people let me tell you that I took this car for a weekend road test and was extremely impressed. I tested the sv premium package w/o Navi. This car has loads of features that you will not find in any acura TL. The room of this car remains the same and the interior quality seem to have improved over my 2008. Only time will tell if I will be willing to spend 37k on a Nissan Maxima.

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  the long life of my Maxima - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By Helen Bean - February 16 - 10:03 am

  I drive my Maxima no less than 500 miles a day to work and back. I have had to replace only the basics, tires, brakes and muffler. I now have 279,000 miles on my baby, it is the best car I have ever owned. Plan on buying another one if this one ever wares out!

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  I like it - 2016 Nissan Altima
  By Vahhab Emami Namini - February 16 - 9:59 am

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  Ilove my Z33!! - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By billy30stm - February 16 - 8:03 am

  ihad an 06 nissan sentra 1.8s, and iused to think it was pretty fast, but as soon as igot my 350z, ihavent driven my sentra, and that was over 2 months ago lol

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  Fun, sharp smooth driving - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By Donna - February 16 - 2:36 am

  This is my 2nd, 2003 traded, love the drive, smooth, handless effortlessly, inside comfortable, roomy, plenty leg room in back, easy read instruments, large trunk with fold down seats, excellent sound w/o paying more, looks like expensive sports car if good color chosen, tires nice looking, paint job excellent, easy to use dials for a/c, sound, cruise, fast speed pickup if needed smoothly, breaks well, just love the car

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  Great SUV - 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
  By jondee - February 16 - 2:00 am

  This is the third SUV weve owned. The last one was repurched by GM under the lemon law. Have only owned this one for a short time but love every thing about it so far. Ride is a little stiffer than the last SUV which seamed to roll on corners. Hope we have better luck with this one.