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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  My first new vehicle - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By Dawg Pound - January 25 - 12:13 pm

  I was looking to buy my first pick up and test drive a new LE 4 door v6. I hit the accelerator and that truck took off and felt like it just kept gaining HP. Within the hour I was the proud owner of a Nissan. The heated seats are great. The leather is nice. The power I wanted was there. The armrests lack, need to be bigger. Fuel economy not great but it is a pick up. About 17 mpg in city, 20 on highway. The truck is really fun to drive. It handles really well in the snow, descent in rain. Glad I bought it.

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  wife loves it not a bad car - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By janeal - January 25 - 7:03 am

  solid car. nice looking and real comfortable. I like the ride and the size. we had a 2000 altima this car is bigger and drives and handles much better. a nice mid size sedan.

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  Ugly car - 2010 Nissan Xterra
  By Kodak black - January 25 - 6:00 am

  My parents just suprised me with this car and I have a couple of complaints. It does not have an outlet where you can plug in your phone to play music. The car just looks really weird. Im a guy and Ive only seen girls drive this car which is kind of annoying. People always tell me that I drive a chick car.

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  Great Car! - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Beachcomber - January 24 - 1:10 pm

  I love my new Nissan Altima coupe. It has a great feel on the road, plenty of pep and its fun to drive. The Altima coupe has that "sports car" feel at an affordable price. The new CVT transmission is excellent...a great addition to this fine car. I would highly recommend this car to anyone in the market for a sporty daily driver.

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  Love My New Xterra - 2009 Nissan Xterra
  By roymac - January 24 - 10:03 am

  This my first Xterra but seventh Nissan. Its hard to beat a Nissan vehicle. The Xterra is a great SUV to drive. My wife calls it my "sport truck". Besides a great price my Xterra also came with $1300 of free electronics upgrades. The Rockford Fosgate sound system is great, much better than the Bose I had in my Pathfinder. The Blue Tooth hands free phone is also great as is the XM satellite radio. The Xterra handles extremely well and is a solidly built vehicle. The 261 h.p. engine is typical Nissan quality - great quality and performance. Ive never had a single engine problem with all my previous Nissans. In summary, I am totally satisfied with my new Xterra.

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  Sentra is a homerun! - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By Sebastian - January 24 - 8:53 am

  OK, its still not the flashiest thing on the highway, but what a GREAT car for the money! The Sentra is so smooth (love that CVT) and quiet (much quieter than the Civic or Mazda 3) and has so many cool features (choose the convenience package for sure) that it is very hard to beat. (Warning: it is easy to exceed the speed limit without knowing it - thats how smooth and quiet it is.) The interior is very comfortable and above average in looks - controls are well placed and uncomplicated. In the first month of driving the car is getting 33.6 miles per gallon, not bad, and I expect it to get a little better as the car is broken in.

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  One Year - Great Mini Van!!! - 2011 Nissan Quest
  By joequest - January 24 - 3:47 am

  Had my Quest for one year now with 12,000 miles on it and not a problem yet. Frequently have 7 passengers in the car with no complaints. Drives smooth on the highway and so far so good. I must add that the CVT does lag a tad when hitting the gas from start. It doesnt bother me too much but wish it picked up quicker. Did a lot of research before going with the Quest, but I also have a 1995 Villager with a Nissan Engine that is still going strong also and just cant get rid of it. I did trade in my 2003 Grand Caravan and dont regret it a bit. All I can say is "Love the Quest!" Thinking of getting a second one whenever my 95 Villager stops running, but that may be years away

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  Not That Bad, All in All... - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By terry35022 - January 23 - 11:25 pm

  I read some of the comments that were posted and for the life of me, I dont experience many of the same problems that some folks are complaining about. Yes, there are some quirks with any new re-design, but any real problems have been minimal, in my case. I purchased mine used with about 32,000 miles on it and it runs nearly flawless. The first thing I did was to install a K&N Filtercharger and throw away that nasty air filter that it came with. The results were instantaneous, to say the least. The pep was back and the car greeted the extra airflow like a cat on a hot tin roof. Like some have said, there is a shudder at low speeds in the transmission, but that is somewhat normal in a CVT.

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  Great little truck, - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By Dave - January 23 - 3:23 am

  Had the truck for about 3 months now, with alittle over 2000 miles. Truck has been great, no problems. Have the 4 cylinder, starting to get better gas mileage. Wasnt good to start with, but now getting around 26 in the city. I havent had it on the highway since it was new so that mileage on the highway is probably better. Picked up a good deal at the end of the year with the rebates.

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  Most reviews are BS... - 2014 Nissan Versa
  By jebediah - January 22 - 5:17 pm

  I havent found a single realistic review. Im going to try to give you one with this horribly short space. The cost, for what it is is good. Its one of the cheapest new cars you can own, great gas mileage and Nissan makes good quality cars. When actually driving. You have large blind spots. Looking out the windows including rear is very difficult due to the design of the seats specifically, along with the shape and size of the windows themselves. This is a safety hazard. Merging into traffic especially the highway, or anywhere will need you to be defensive and deliberate. Very touchy turning. If you are distracted for a few seconds you could easily go into another lane by accident.