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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  Just Loving It ! - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By bremax - January 21 - 2:00 am

  I have had my new Nissan about 6 weeks now. I was a little skeptical...gong from a Camry which I leased for 3 years and liked very much to a Nissan which I purchased. After all why mess with a good thing? I have to say however, so far I am totally satisified. I am really enjoying my Altima. It has a nice smooth ride and I am very comfortable driving it.

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  Nissan Maxima 2004 SE - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Warren Van Etten - January 21 - 2:00 am

  Purchased on 11/15/2003 Have had three Maximas starting with the 1997,2000 and 2004. Experience in all have been excellent. Problem occured with the 2004 while taking trip to NC. We had 817 miles on vehicle and traveling on RT 55 in NC and the sky view roof exploded and blew a hole in the top of the roof. We are in contact with Nissan and trying to get this resolved. Over all the Maxima 2004 SE is what we expected with the Maxima. This is a great design. The Sky View feature is what realy impress us and it has turned out to be a disaster Regards, Carol & Warren Van Etten

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  I love my Nisson - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By jdbalso - January 21 - 2:00 am

  I purchased a demo vehicle with 4900 miles on it. I love the car. I previously owned only Chevrolet vans and minivans and have never purchased a foreign manufactured vehicle prior to this car. To date, my experience has been nothing short of excellent. I hope the service lives up to its reputation.

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  do not buy - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By kit54 - January 20 - 4:26 pm

  I purchased my 2006 Nissan Quest in Jan. 2007 because Hawaii passed a law that children under the age of 8 and weight of less than 80# has to be in a child seat. Because I had a small car and could only put 2 of my 6 grandchildren and nephew and niece in the car at one time I had to get a bigger car. So I picked up the Quest. The side door glide covers fell off while driving and damaged the car. The passenger front seat door was making a whistling sound like the window wasnt close properly. found out the decorative panel was loose. the lights kept falling off the ceiling, the drivers visor kept falling down and dangling in front of the driver. the AC vents fall of the ceiling. Junk car!

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  Best full size SUV - 2008 Nissan Armada
  By Jessica Woods - January 20 - 2:26 pm

  Had an Expedition and decided to go smaller so I went with a BMW X5. What was I thinking? Had the BMW literally for 10 months and researched full size SUVs. The powerful Armada has been hands down the best SUV that I have ever driven. Its driving performance is incomparable to any other ride out there. My Expedition had a ridiculous amount of play in the steering wheel and such a narrow wheel base that I felt as if I would flip over. With the Armada you get an extra wide wheel base and can turn on a dime. I thought that parking this beast might be an issue but watching my passengers freak out when I whip into a parking space without any problems is a great testimony to its control.

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  After Two Years.... - 2007 Nissan Murano
  By Drew - January 20 - 3:43 am

  I must admit I have been pleasantly surprised by Nissans build quality and reliability. This was my first Nissan and I can say with some confidence that I would purchase another at this point. The gas mileage has been averaging around 21, with city getting around 18 and highway about 23. The AWD comes in handy for Tahoe trips and the cargo space is plenty for most hauls. The only thing that I just never liked is the CVT. I can’t get used to the way it feels when pressing on the gas. Other than that, the sucker is fast for a SUV. And it handles surprisingly well and is very comfy on long trips. Wear and tear has been minimal.

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  Great Car if it had a Real Transmission - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Scott Anderson - January 20 - 3:35 am

  I bought this car and have loved the car it is comfortable good gas mileage. It is a 2.5 so I dont expect a fast car. But at 25,000 miles it got more sluggish then at 39,000 miles the transmission totally went out it started jerking on take off and would stall then jump forward pulling out from a stop light or in traffic it was just dangerous. I dont let my kids drive this car for fear for their safety. The poor transmission makes it NOT WORTH BUYING After 10,000 miles on the new transmission the car is starting to have stalling problems when I accelerate from under 25 miles per hour it randomly stalls for over a complete second and then moves slowly making it hard to calculate when changing lanes in traffic or crossing an intersection. You cant depend on it going or not. This is the same problems I had with the first transmission only the new one gets lower gas mileage and does not accelerate as quick. I have owned 3 Nissans and would advise against buying one with a CVT transmission

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  Built to a price - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By wbed - January 20 - 3:31 am

  I am getting increasingly worried about keeping this vehicle. At 74,000kms/50,000 miles I have incurred a repair bill of $2,400 for the replacement of the power steering pump and rack. It was conveniently just out of warranty. Never in an accident. The transmission reliability scares me as Nissan go out of their way to make it impossible to have anything fixed under warranty. Nissan has slipped down the JD Power survey to the high teens as they are building cheaper and cheaper cars. You now get the reliability of a domestic with the parts cost of a Japanese car. Worst of both worlds. Be prepared for negative equity as theres a flood of these on the market - resale is really low.

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  Great Sports Sedan - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Brian - January 19 - 9:06 pm

  I bought my 6 Speed Maxima two months ago, and i love it! When its working right that is. Ive had to have the VHT gears replaced, wheel bearing twice, hub once, both front struts once, and lower control arms. All work was done for free or under warranty. I dont blame these problems on the car but, the dealership who didnt fully check over it before they delivered it to me. The car is fast (pulled a 15.1 in the 1/4 mile at the track) but the limited slip diff is a must, other wise the torque steer is too much to control. Over all a Fast, fun, Sporty ride. But the Eagle RSAs need to go needs some Pirelli PZeros

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  Great overall car! - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By Aldo - January 19 - 6:30 pm

  This car has been nothing but good to me, the only thing that I have changed out is the battery. I get about 26-28 miles per gallon in the city. It is a fun car to drive and own. I recently just made my final payment and I plan to keep it for as long as I can. I have seen older Sentras hit 200K miles so it looks like I will have it for a while.