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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  First Pathfinder - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Pathfinder One - April 25 - 10:00 am

  I tried the Explorer, Grand Cherokee,and others (even the non- truck SUVs,these are fine if you dont need the capabilities of a truck). I found the Pathfinder SE to be the best overall value (excellent reliabilty record was a big factor). The build is solid and of high quality. I have had it 3 weeks and I like it more each time I drive it. $1000 under invoice and 0.9 financing didnt hurt, either!

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  Wife LOVES this truck! - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By Bryan - April 25 - 9:23 am

  So far so Good! The truck was bought in Jan 2008 and my wife only has 6000 miles on it. But fuel economy of 14 my rear end....she gets 12 and 13 if lucky! Now I will say we put a Flowmaster exhaust on there (which sounds GREAT!) and that has helped some with gas mileage. I reconmend everyone doing that to their truck. Now we did go on a road trip and got 20 mpg but that city mileage hurts. The interior is plasticy but no biggie......I mean it is a truck. Smooth shifts, powerful V-6, love the looks, etc. Other than gas mileage we have no complaints.

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  Great improvement - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Marc - April 24 - 7:40 am

  I purchased my 2008 Nissan Altima in April 2008. It has been a great car thus far, fun to drive and handles well. I love the push button start the most, you cant be the opts for a 2.5 S. Previously, I owned a 2006 Altima but it was totaled in an accident. The new Altima improvements are noticeable and you would think they would be in a more expensive car.

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  As Reliable as it Gets - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By CAW - April 23 - 9:53 am

  This is the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. After 4 years, and 50,000 miles, I have had no repair bills other than preventive care. Personally, thats all Im really looking for in a vehicle. However, while the Altima isnt a sports car, when equipped with the 5 speed manual, the KA24DE engine provides plenty of power for day to day driving. The car handles above average for a family sedan. My main complaints are disappointing MPG, and a bit too much wind noise. I also had to replace the the OEM CD Player as it did not play burned CDs. With low operating cost and low initial purchase cost, this would be a great car for college student or people on a tight budget. Highly recommended.

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  Wish I wouldnt have purchased until Nissan worked all of the bugs out. - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By barrylewisl - April 23 - 1:36 am

  I purchased this car nearly a month after it was first released. I have been a loyal Nissan customer for the past 3 years when i purchased my first altima a 2010 model.I loved the new luxurious redesign and had to get behind the wheel of one. I like to call it now My "Beautiful Nightmare" Because it has been one thing going wrong after the next since week 2. By week 2 the brakes were squealing terrible and after 5 trips and 5 months later its still present. Also i began to notice a jingling noise, it was a screw that came loose and rattled on the engine cover. That noise has came back, not as loud. Also the starter hangs up and recently started then shut off on me twice this week. Lemon!

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  Jeep to Pathfinder - 2007 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Anna Logan - April 21 - 1:30 pm

  We purchased a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder LE for the comfort & luxury of a family vehicle. It has been a great vehicle for us so far. I had been driving a Jeep since 1985 and it was really difficult to finally make that decision to switch, but now am loving the comfort and quietness for the pathfinder.

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  The pain of loving a nightmare - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Sarah Elizabeth - April 21 - 11:57 am

  Ive had my nissan for 8 yrs and she ran smooth when all was proper but I was one of the unfortunate owners that ran into a bad catalytic converter. Common with this car 02-06. Started with a simple overheating issue. Once the water pump, radiator fans, and thermostat were all replaced it no longer overheated codes read bad crank/cam pos sensor, fuel ratio issue 0420. replaced the sensors, soon followed by a head gasket fix and new valve cover gaskets, played nice for a few months then started misfiring bad again out of nowhere because soon to be diagnosed bad catalytic converter. engine hasnt seized so time to take it apart again and see if its worth fixing. Total Nightmare.

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  Watch your spare tire... - 2010 Nissan Frontier
  By ctom - April 21 - 10:04 am

  Bought an SE King Cab and have liked it with the manual and V-6: great acceleration and fun to drive. My issue is that despite having paid for Nissan spare tire lock, the spare was stolen within weeks and Nissan is refusing to do anything. The ease of stealing spare tires is big issue for Nissan trucks & SUVs (I had two stolen off 2008 Pathfinder) and its very hard to find a way to secure them. Almost every Nissan SUV owner in my neighborhood that Ive spoken with has same issue. Dealer said Nissan lock would suffice, but the thieves just bypassed it and removed everything from above the spare - and yes, they also stole the lock!! Will cost me $1,000 to replace it all. Very unhappy...

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  Nissan 350Z - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By Carol & Ron - April 21 - 2:00 am

  When I first bought this car I really loved it, but not Im not too happy with it lately. Having problems with Front End Noise. Brought it in and Nissan said there was a recall on it stating the noise is from the tires. There recommendation was fliping the tires from side to side and front alignment (I only had 6000 miles on the car). When I got the car back it was worse than before. There next suggestion was turn up the radio so I wouldnt hear the noise. Didnt make me happy. I also had problems with my breaks squeezing really bad. - they said it was normal.

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  Big bang for small wallet - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Montclare - April 21 - 2:00 am

  I wanted to have a bigger engine compact car with loaded options and found Sentra as my choice. It had almost everything what I wanted. Dont we want to pass big truck soon as we can when it splashes all the dirty water or sludges ? I do and , boy..., my new Sntra did a great job when I press my pedal to pass ugly big truck in a second. I couldnt do that with my old car. My only complaint is some cheapy looking interior and poor ergonomic designe such as rear seat, audio control. The performance of 2.5 einge is great, less driving and road noise than other competetors.