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:

• 

  takes a licken... - 1995 Nissan Pathfinder
  By akhenax - November 29 - 10:00 am

  Overall good experience with my Pathfinder. A few problems every now and then, but then again, its almost 10 years old. Very reliable. Im envious of other performers however; not enough horsepower for hills when Im trying to maintain speed. It also drinks gas like water.

• 

  Lemmonsville - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Artemous - November 29 - 10:00 am

  This will be my last nissan bad weatherstrip all windows, on 5th sun visor, bad window regulator, bad speaker, flaking paint, sagging door, exhaust leak, ETC. What can you expect from a Mexican built car. As many defects as an American car.

• 

  my 2004 nissan quest - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By vtrahms - November 29 - 10:00 am

  i love my new quest. It rides very smoothly. I love the interior design of the vehicle for its unique style. The Quest has been equipped with many interior tools for convenience like the hooks for hanging things and compartments for storage. Beign able to fold down the seats is definitely much easier on me. We used to have to carry out the seats in our old minivan, but not anymore. With kids, being able to power open the doors is a bonus. I have had this vehicle now for 6 months and I am still enjoying every diving moment of it.

• 

  Eye-Candy Appeal - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By R Nick - November 29 - 10:00 am

  Fun to drive, responsive auto with lots of "eye-candy" appeal. Feels like a true sports car and though I would not want it to be my only vehicle, it is an awesome ride for fun in the sun.

• 

  Max wins out - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By the mick - November 29 - 10:00 am

  the SE tempts you at every sweeping curve and on-ramp to push its handling ability. suprisingly quiet and smooth in straight line driving for the sport-tuned ride. ok, you can get over the front end & grille. versus the TL and G35, it came out on top. much larger than the TL & G35 in regards to interior and trunk. styling loses out to TLs interior, however. handling was a dead heat. handles better than the G35. throw in the all important purchase price being $2k - $3K less, and it was w/o second thought to tell infiniti and acura, no thanks.

• 

  Maxima - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By WMW - November 29 - 10:00 am

  This car is very comfortable to drive or ride in, smooth acceleration, lots of power. The exterior is sure to turn some heads with a front grill that is eyecatching and great shape. The standard sunroof that covers both the front and back seats is interesting. The interior combination of wood, metal and leather makes it look like cars costing much more. Ive had the car for about 4 weeks now and still find myself taking the long way so that I can drive it some more.

• 

  Why buy anything else? - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By crazzzycanuck - November 29 - 10:00 am

  I was leasing a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT and was more or less pleased with its performance....until I took out a 2005 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE for a test ride. I was astonished at the horsepower, feel,look and quality of this Altima given the asking price! I had to buy it...and I have had a hard time parking it at the end of the day! What a fantastic car!

• 

  Buy the SE version, you wont regret it - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By John - November 29 - 5:30 am

  Outstanding deal for the money. Buy the SE - dont even consider the S model (which is about $2K more expensive) averaging 37-42 MPG highway, and 36 in town, excellent for a 4 door fully loaded (all power options except transmission). The package on the SE has all the options for $500.00 - ordered separately is over $4,000.00 on S version

• 

  DO NOT BUY - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By pmz3 - November 28 - 7:42 pm

  Ill keep this simple.... 1. Replaced transmission with less than 4000 miles 2. Replaced entire sunroof assembly immediately after multiple attempts to fix 3. whistling wind sound addressed twice now 4. multiple attempts to fix an "axle cap" which was not seated properly at the factory Got up to my 30 days in the shop under the lemon law in three months. Not too good. Either poorly designed or poorly put together. You wanna take a chance at finding out?

• 

  Love my Altima - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By M Schaefer - November 28 - 2:21 pm

  Excellent gas mileage, very comfortable, quiet ride and great reliability.