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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  Some Dissatisfaction - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Chris Anderson - December 28 - 6:40 pm

  Hood and truck are plastic. A magnet will not adhere. Stick shift sometimes difficult with the "zig-zag" configuration. Seats uncomfortable. Speakers not great. Radio/clock dial hard to see. The worst was salesman told me my 1st oil change was free, but upon reporting for that appointment, I was told the first oil change was never free. That was an aggravating waste of time.

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  Beware of Toyo A22 Tire Wear - 2012 Nissan Quest
  By Lawrence Blind - December 27 - 1:11 pm

  The original tires on our Quest, Toyo A22, have worn to the wear bars at 22,800 miles. After some online research I have discovered that others have also noticed and complained about this. Our vehicle is driven around town for usual family outings, and a couple of longer out of town trips. Our Firestone dealer, who services the vehicle and rotates the tires regularly, said there is no OEM warranty on the tire, either from Nissan or Toyo. Others have commented that the tires were likely not sized correctly by Nissan to handle the vehicle weight, and we think there is something to this argument. The only other conclusion is that the Toyo A22 are a very cheap tire thrown on a new car to save a few $$. Either way, we are very disappointed that we need to replace the tires with such low mileage on them, and we will certainly avoid purchasing either new Toyo tires or any vehicle with them in the future.

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  Good tough looks, back could be improved - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By homi - December 26 - 1:33 pm

  Good overall SUV...Value for money

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  Nice Pre-Graduation Present! - 1999 Nissan Pathfinder
  By About to Graduate! - December 26 - 10:00 am

  My Dad bought me this car last year after driving him crazy for it. I love it! The fuel efficiency is whats got me a bit uncomfortable with our current gas situation and all. But I did jump from a 97 Civic to an SUV after all. If youre thinking of purchasing this model - do test drive, test drive! So you can feel the difference for yourself.

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  Extera ...WOW - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By kashdkjahklfh - December 26 - 10:00 am

  I have never been upset with this car...truck. Easy to pack and fun to drive.

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  2010 sentra a/c issues. - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By awii - December 24 - 12:50 pm

  Im happy with the cars performance ..how ever a/c is not cooling like it should.. it takes half hr to 45 minutes to reach to a medium cold..this is my third nissan, never had a/c problems with them..took it to nissan dealer to have this check and according to them nothing is wrong.. they said the a/c is withing nissan specs..im not convince.. prior to moving to nc i lived in fl and never experience a/c problems with my 2001 sentra and that is really hot weather.. I traded my 2001 nissan for this car. i wonder if Im the only one with this problem..i plan to take it back since Im not satisfied with the results..i would like to know if any one else has similar problem..

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  Nice SUV - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By squarehead - December 24 - 12:03 pm

  Lease return bought from a friend at buy out for 17730 what a great deal. 88000 km. extended warranty to 120000 km and 2 more years. Fuel sending unit screwed, replaced for free under extended warranty. Great service so far from Nissan. Super fun drive, way nicer than my 2007 jeep wrangler unlimited rubicon. Poor MPG a little better than the jeep. Way more power than the jeep but jeep better off road. No trani problems but will keep a eye on it with their still being extended warranty.

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  Nice car - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By Eric - December 24 - 8:10 am

  The car is comfortable, peppy, and quiet. Fun to drive. Very easy to clutch and shift. The back seat is very roomy, more than you would expect. The pros rate it as just a blah, so-so car. But they always compare it to another one that is 2-4 thousand more. It seems they do not have to listen to their bank account telling them a little compromise is OK. About the only thing you have to get used to is that on the highway, doing 65-70 mph, even in 6th gear, the engine RPM are about 3K, so you always think you still have to upshift.

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  Mixed Review - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By cbnbuilder - December 23 - 6:40 pm

  We have owned our 2006 Quest for 2-1/2 years. It has 61,000 miles. All recommended service performed by Dealer. Although the van has been reliable till recently, the transmission went out two weeks ago (1,000 miles outside the warranty period). After much (too much) debate and pleading, Nissan covered the repair ($4100). When we picked the van up from our dealer, the windshield was busted... were still debating their responsibility. I find the seats to be very roomy but uncomfortable. Front seat feels like you are sliding out of them toward the steering wheel, makes you kind of hold on to wheel to brace yourself all the time. Original Goodyear tires were noisy and wore poorly.

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  classy looks - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By glenn - December 22 - 6:30 pm

  recommended by a friend. car drives very nice, its quiet and rides smooth. everything seems to fit well in place.