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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  Not what I expected - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By yoan - September 1 - 10:50 am

  Dont spend the money on audio upgrade its not worth it, the speakers sound scratchy and the bass output comes more from the front speakers than the rear subwoofer. The pilasters by the windows rattled when I bought the car. I took it to the dealership had it fixed but left passenger window still rattles a bit. The instrument cluster doesnt seem very high quality. the back seats dont have a lot of room and although the car looks big its about the same size as a mazda protege on the inside. It has limited trunk space. the car does handle real well specially when cornering, sharp turns can be tricky when accelarating because of torque steer.bottom line well powered for the price

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  Nissan admits 04 Quest a "Problem" car - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By augcomm9 - September 1 - 9:43 am

  We have had nothing but problems with our 04 Quest SE. 2.5 years later and Nissan has finally admitted to us (sales and service people) that the 04 Quest has had many problems with their electrical and drive motors for several of the amenities (auto open side doors and hatch, heating system, etc.). Nissan corporate will do nothing for us even though we have written many letters and made many phone calls to both teh corportae level as well as the Smithtown Long Island store where we bought the car. Smithtown also cheated us when purchasing the car buy out and out lying about several factors. We have proof but no one will listen from Nissan. I was a loyal Nissan driver, but no longer.

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  Altima Review - 1999 Nissan Altima
  By Danny Litton - August 30 - 9:36 am

  Great reliability. Have done nothing to the car except tires, brakes and oil. Nothing else has gone wrong with the car. Very low maintenance.

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  Beautiful -Fun Car - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By Joni - August 29 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car. I have the Daytona Blue. Get a lot of looks. Great performance, acceleration, etc.

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  97 Altima - 1997 Nissan Altima
  By mas2003 - August 29 - 2:00 am

  I bought this Altima after I put my 3rd set of brakes on a Potiac I owned and have been somewhat happy with this car. There seems to be a small problem every year which runs me $100 to $200. The emergency brake cables, the back light socket, and the transmission gasket have all been replaced. Battery is understandable. In general is reliable and is better than the American cars I have had. Very disappointed with the transmission, especially shifting into 1st gear. I now have some water building up in the trunk, no clue how it is getting there, need to investiagte

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  Not bad for what it is... - 2003 Nissan Maxima
  By richbaker - August 29 - 2:00 am

  This is not a bad car for its price segment. I liked the Maxima for its size, decent comfort, good mileage considering it is a large V6, horsepower. It handles OK, but big understeer, and huge torque steer. Good features like stereo with 6 disc changer, xenon headlamps, steering wheel controls. The leather is cheap, hard and thin. If I bought the car I really wanted (Audi A4), I probably could have gotten a better car for about the same payments since the residual is so much higher (53%). So I have 40 months to go before I get what I really want.

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  almost perfect - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By butkus - August 29 - 2:00 am

  this is my second sentra in nine years.my last is a 93sentra with 180,000miles and still running.i wanted an upgrade with a little pep.that is why picked spec-v.

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  Spec Vs Rule - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By buddylser - August 29 - 2:00 am

  I think this is a wonderful car in my opinion its the best front wheel drive car you can get. Great power and handling.

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  nissan vibe - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By buni44 - August 29 - 2:00 am

  I had a Sentra from 89. Reliable and smooth. I wish I hadnt give it away. Its more than one year now since I bought a brand new 2002. Problems with the brakes and the suspension. Safety problems too: today its been the tenth time that I press the brake and the transmission wont work and car wouldnt stop. RPM increases to almost 4000 sometimes. Very poor on gas. Poor transmission too. I took the car to the dealership for vibration problems. From 2400 to 2900 RPM front vibrates. Very unpleasant in overdrive. They wouldnt say what it is jsut gave me the keys of two new ones. They were worse. I envy the Toyotees.

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  pauls evaluation - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By paul miller - August 29 - 2:00 am

  I like the car and have had no problems or significant repairs