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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  What a Truck - 2006 Nissan Titan
  By Phillips - February 4 - 9:00 pm

  What a truck, fun to drive, work out of and have fun in

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  My Non Bimmer - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By TKWW - February 4 - 4:56 pm

  Great steering feel, transmission requires 200 miles befor it quiets down, tire noise also vanishes after 200 miles.

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  Holy Heck Yeah - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By JayGau - February 4 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. I dont know what I would do if something was to happen. It is just unbelieveable how it handles and accelerates and stops and takes bumps and everything else i forgot to mention. However; I cant get too into it because my last car was a 1990 Corsica so this is a lightyears step up. But i love this car and I have had a habbit of racing corvettes which isnt really that smart cause I do lose but only to vettes so far. I have been in some other newer cars and the interior in this baby is so much better than other craps ive been in. Main point is ease of every single control. WOW! WOW!Double WOW!

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  Good car - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By CVanHorn - February 4 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car when the new model came out, because I opted for a manual transmission, the colors available was limited. I wanted a black one but got a gold one instead. I still like the color. No major problems so far in 4.5 years. Had to have the keys re- programmed recently in order to start the car. That was inexpensive ($45). No other problems at all.

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  A few problems - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By mhhotrod - February 4 - 10:00 am

  Althopugh we have had a few problems, still love this SUV. Great towing, great acceleration. Too many sqeaks and rattles on interior. Dealer is not getting them fixed correctly. Our CD player wont load CDs correctly, had the unit replaced already and the new one doesnt work either. The good still out weigh the bad so far. 1500 miles and hopefully no more problems. It a great ride

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  Still going Strong - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By kiranrdy - February 4 - 10:00 am

  Have traveled more than 24000 miles on it now and it still feels great to drive it. No issues so far. I have 5 speed manual silver 2.5S with black leather (upgraded from dealer)it looks very good

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  Good minivan option with minor quirks - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Jdevine - February 4 - 10:00 am

  Weve had our Qwest SE for 4 months. Its comfortable and drives well. We can fit plenty of stuff and the styling is attractive to us. The additional features of the SE (5 speed, sky lights, leather, etc.) are nice. All the electrical widgets (auto doors etc.) still work fine and our 1.5 year old likes the DVD. On the down side, fuel economy stinks, no where near what they advertise. Poor interior build quality, the back of the van rattled like a 1991 Econoline industrial version within a week of taking it home. Also, our van came with running boards. They look cool, but I dont like them. The van is so close to the ground, it gets in the way.

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  almost there - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By BradfromFL - February 4 - 10:00 am

  After three, 3-year Jeep leases in a row, I decided to go with the Murano. I drove it recently, round-trip, from FL to NY. I added the touring package: a $4,300 option. Its comfortable, rides and handles well, and the A/C is outstanding (edge to Murano). The gas mileage is, at best, comparable to its peers. I got 15 all-around mpgs and 23.4 mpgs during my 20 hours of pure hwy driving. Needs more odd-stuff storage space (edge to Jeep), and the rear visibilty is fair because the window seems higher. Center console opens from the drivers side; a pain when try to get something from the passenger side. Turning radius is fair (edge to Jeep). Sunroof is small, an

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  Nissan Murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By Christine Miller - February 4 - 10:00 am

  I Love this suv, this is the best one i have owned. I would defiently buy another one.

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  Murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By alan B - February 4 - 10:00 am

  Sharp styling, good performance, good power, rides well, neat interior, low noise, MPG decent for a SUV. Appears to br top notch quality but only time will tell.