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:

• 

  beats the hemi - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Jim Bross - January 10 - 7:50 am

  Traded in a 2004 dodge ram 2500 with a hemi and I thought no truck could replace it, but the dodge hemi has no low end power like the nissan titan.

• 

  06 Altima - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By Cristy - January 10 - 12:00 am

  This car drives so smoothly. Easy, and fun to drive. Great on gas! Only fill up once a week going back and forth to work everyday about 30 miles. The newer body style is great too

• 

  Very Pleased Overall -- CVT Not So Much - 2006 Nissan Murano
  By Gene - January 9 - 9:01 pm

  We like this car! Overall fine repair record; nice ride; great flexibility for load carrying. Just two complaints -- the CVT and the rooftop rack. Around 75,000 miles, the CVT started to show problems, specifically failure to upshift and revving up to 3K rpm or more at 20 or more MPH (unable to drive faster -- just revved faster). Of course, this was sporadic and never showed itself when taken to the dealership until the day when it finally appeared and I drove it over, revving mightily all the way. Nissan replaced the transmission under warranty. The CVT has always been functional but rather halting -- dont really care for it. The other complaint applies not only to the Murano (a humorous note -- the spellchecker highlights Murano as a misspelling and offers the alternatives "Moreno" and "Murine") but to many other SUVs of all brands. The rooftop luggage rack consists of two rails parallel to the long axis of the car, but does not have an essential transverse front rail. Stylish, but of absolutely no value when trying to prevent a load (a fresh-cut Christmas tree is a case in point) from sliding backward. You need to faster a load to a front rail to prevent it fro sliding backward. Style, but no substance. Overall, a fine vehicle and my third Nissan.

• 

  worst car/suv I ever had - 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
  By chuckcal32 - January 9 - 8:27 pm

  A lot of problems, SUV has under 100kmiles, service engine light all the time is there, bad catalitic converters and oxigen sensors, overheats uphill when I pull my boat, bad front suspension, bad brakes, piece of crap.

• 

  Quality Truck!!! - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By Topher - January 9 - 3:50 pm

  I am very happy about my truck! It has the power when I need it and all of the accessories I was looking for. The large cab is very spacious.

• 

  Very disappointed - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By joe - January 9 - 8:20 am

  My second review since buying in June of 07. The fuel economy is not good at all. Lucky to get 20 mpg in local driving. I live in the country where the roads are hilly and expect the mpg to be down a bit but cant see how I would ever get 25-27. The CVT is so intrusive at times, everytime the car goes downhill or around a corner with a downgrade it downshifts. At times this seems great but not all the time. Leaves you wondering. However I think if you live in less hilly areas performance would be better.

• 

  350Z new car problems - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By Kencap - January 8 - 11:53 pm

  I am dissapointed with my new Nissan 350Z, because the engine service light came on even before 100 miles. I brought it in for service, and my dealer told me that they have to order parts, it has been ten days, they dont have replacement part yet. Now the AT warning lights has started blinking, telling me to bring it for service to have the transmission checked. I bought a new car, so I can enjoy driving without without any worries, but it seems I got a LEMON

• 

  love this car - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By marie - January 8 - 4:36 pm

  I went from a jeep to this because of the gas mileage and the distance that I have to drive now. I have to say that I wasnt so sure about how I would like this car but so far I am very pleased. The ride could be a lot less noisier and the exterior mirrors are too small. It is a very comfortable car and the MPG was wht made me consider buying it. The arm rest looks cheap compare to the rest of the interior. I think NISSAN can make a heavier arm rest.

• 

  Thats my baby! - 1997 Nissan Maxima
  By tonia - January 8 - 10:00 am

  i bought a 97 GLE in july of 2010 and it was definitely worth the money! It has almost 160k miles now and it still runs really smooth and handles well. A maxima will give you a "need to speed" feeling. Even though im 411" and this car is already big, i definitely have the same control of someone who is taller. The only problem i noticed was when i was driving the front passenger side was making a "squeaky" sound so i had that checked out and it was because the sway bar links were rusty so i just sprayed WD-40 on it and it was good! i love this car! Ill be buying another maxima no doubt.

• 

  My nissan - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By jash1178 - January 8 - 9:50 am

  Great truck I have tested it in every kind of situation including harsh thick mud offroad and its like a tank. Great truck.