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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  Cheap deal and MOSTLY reliable - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By mtor92 - January 29 - 6:28 am

  I bought my 2001 Sentra in May of 2010 with 71,000 for $5,500. Now, Jan 2014 with over 105k on the odometer I can honestly say that it has been a pretty good little car over these past few years. The car feels peppy enough around town but can be a little lack luster when going to merge or pass quickly. I get about 22 MPG out of mine with a lot of driving in traffic. The road noise is quiet but the engine and wind noise on the highway is a bit high. The only major issue I had with it was the head gasket going at around 91k (which apparently is a common problem with the 1.8L engine.) That repair was around $1700, not cheap, but that was the only major issue I had with the car.

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  01 heres a review with miles - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By firstacsent - January 29 - 1:26 am

  Allright, so Ive put 79,000 miles on my truck in less then three years. My driving includes a little of everything, city, highway, even some off road. But to be honest its handled it pretty well. Recently though I did start having some issues, 1st: the taigate handle started to break and mad useing it very diffucult, but it was a easy $50 fix 2nd: Drivers side window knob broke, **** happens... BIG PROBLEMS- 4th: Throw-out bearing has worn, new clutch- $500+ 5th: Service engine litgh came on- O2 sensors need to be replaced first, possible the cat convertor. Still in the end Ive treated this truck poorly so in the end these problems could be expected.

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  WOW - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Melissa Middlebrooks - January 28 - 7:26 pm

  Our Maxima is dark blue on the outside and heaven on the inside. never before have i seen a car like this! I cant beleive it was only $30K. The other day on my way home i was listening to music not realy paying attention. i started to notice the cars around me going realy slow; curiously i started looking around until i noticed that everybody was not going slow, I was going 115MPH. 115MPH in a full size sedan...hints the name of the reveiw. This car also has the best excelleration i have ever seen. My son drives a 1996 honda delsol turbo which he has fixed up for racing, he passed me on the way home one day and just for fun, i tried to catch up. Needless to say, I passed him like he was stil

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  2005 Murano AWD SE with Nav, Tech, Sport - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By Rich4Four - January 28 - 3:10 am

  Transitioning from a Chrysler Town & Country AWD minivan to a Nissan Murano SE AWD is a complete delight. Minivans are not much of a drivers car as much as they are good for long distance cruising. To delight the driver in everyone, the Nissan Murano delivers sports car like acceleration, comfortable high position seating, performance tires, suspension and brakes and the MOST smoothest transmission I have ever experienced in any vehicle. Add the naviagation and DVD entertainment packages and you have the best of both worlds between minivan driving needs and the car driver looking for performance yet comfort and amenities. I am delighted by the overall package delivered by Nissan.

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  engine and transmission problems? - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By dudej - January 28 - 12:43 am

  My 2005 SE AWD used oil. Fortunately my 2005 Murano was under warranty for the engine replacement ( using oil with no visible burn or leak) at 80,000 miles and for the transmission replacement at 128,000 miles. Engine mount replacements, driver seat motor, and CV joint! I bought the Silver warranty at the dealership and then extended it as long as I could (140,000). Thank God!

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  Engine mount problems - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By Michael - January 27 - 6:10 pm

  I bought the truck with 75 miles on it last 11/26/06 and was pretty impressed initially. I have had the vehicle in the shop twice now for engine mount problems. I picked the truck up and it sounded good for 40 miles and the sound is back so it will be going in again for service. Overall the truck isnt too bad for what I paid for it. I wouldnt buy another nissan truck again but I will stick to Toyota in the future.

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  Great crossover - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By Dr. Karen - January 27 - 5:53 pm

  I drove minivans for 15 years and love the Rogue because it combines the best of what I loved about minivans with the comfort of a sedan. I am happy with the mileage (24.5 mpg city, 25 mixed city highway, 27+ highway) so far. I think its a very attractive crossover for the price.

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  2000 Altima GXE - 2000 Nissan Altima
  By James Bond - January 27 - 1:15 pm

  bought it for $1,400,It had about 96,450 miles on it.It now has 109,400.The previous owner or owners didnt take very good care if it,But I was in a bind and felt I got a good deal,turns out I have.Ive drove the car on long trips like Oklahoma to Northern California it ran great doing about 70 the whole way in the middle of summer.It has always started up for me.Ive reached 120mph in it....but that was a one time thing I was curious I take care of the car...Im replacing the knock sensor not because it was bad but because somehow it came unplugged on the pigtail end of it is plastic and broke.New brakes,batterie,replace the valve cover gasket when I bought the car havent had a problem with that sense...I use mobile 1 high mileage. Im proud of this car.Id buy it again.My next car will be Nissan for sure.

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  need some improvement - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By Linda - January 27 - 8:40 am

  it is fun to drive it and comfortable for my family. this is my 3rd nissan quest.

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  The truck that has it all - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By Faithdimmer - January 27 - 6:13 am

  I have only had this baby for a week, but I have had more fun driving this truck than I have ever had driving anything else. It accelerates nicely, handles very well for a truck, looks great, and conveys a sense of durability that Volvo would be jealous of.