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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  2016 Maxima - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By Debby - April 11 - 1:46 am

  This is my fourth Maxima and will be my last. Have never been so disappointed in my life! Pat Peck in Gulfport lied; no more vehicles from them!! Hate this car.

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  2016 Maxima Platinum - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By Mike - April 10 - 7:31 pm

  I planned on waiting for the 2016 Honda Accord Touring to arrive, but fell in love with the Maxima as soon as I saw it. This is a beautiful car with plenty of technology inside and out. They spent a lot of time redesigning this car and hit the nail on the head on almost everything. The only real complaint I have is leg room. Im a big guy (61", 235 lbs) and like more room than the Maxima offers, but Im not uncomfortable at all. I got a good price, because I used Truecar to get a good price. I paid $37,500 for the Platinum model.

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  Never Again - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By neverNISSANagain - April 10 - 10:00 am

  Got rid of a 98 Jetta VR6 because I was having a ton of problems with it. I figured you cant go wrong with a Nissan. I was completely wrong. So far, the car has left me stranded 8 times. Sometimes, out of no where, the car just wont start. It gets towed back to the dealership, they dont know whats wrong with it, then they try to charge me for the tow because they cant find the problem. Crank position sensor replaced twice, radio melts cds, almost starts a fire. New radio stops working after 2 months. Everytime someone gets in the passenger seat and pulls the door shut, the door handle comes off in their hand. Terrible gas milage, 5-8mpg under stated #s

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  disappointed - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Lina R. - April 10 - 10:00 am

  Im disappointed with the dealership Bill Seidles in Miami. First they sold me a Nissan with 8000 miles and the glove compartment fell off. This happened as I was driving home from the dealership.When I asked to return the vehicle they said they could only exchange it for a new one.

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  Brand new truck stalling in the middle of the freeway. - 2010 Nissan Frontier
  By subart - April 9 - 7:11 am

  Bought my car in May of 2010. Within a month or 3,000 miles later car stalled on the way to California from Phoenix. The engine just shut down right in the middle of the freeway, really scary as I had my whole family in there. Towed the car to the nearest dealer and they replaced a bad crank sensor. 7,000 miles and five months later - same thing. Car stalls, tow to dealer - again - bad crank sensor. I have been scared to drive it ever since - just short trips around town. The dealer just shrugged shoulders - just a couple of bad sensor in the row? This is bull. A brand new car and POS has a recurrent catastrophic failure. This is my first and the last Nissan. Should have bought a Toyota...

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  Got Juked on MPG RATINGS - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By fbjbadjuke - April 4 - 1:12 pm

  We have had this car since March 1. The MPG is only averaging 18.5 MPG with 90% of our driving on the freeway. In town we get 13-15 MPG and the best we have ever gotten was 24.63 MPG in Economy mode 100% Freeway Trip. This car has had electrical problems where the radio goes off & the car dies/ wont restart and had to get a jump to get going again. (This has happen twice.) The dealer cant get any better MPG as we left it with them for a week. They couldnt find the electrical problem either. Economy mode is dangerous if crossing traffic and is not recommended by this motorist. I have owned other Nissan products but this JUKE is a JOKE. Dont by this car if economy is a concern!!

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  Wish I could start over - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By Denise - March 21 - 11:43 am

  Bought new in 2005 and after 3 years was angry about purchase. How many recalls can one vehicle have?? So many interior rattles that I cant hear myself think. Squeaking brakes dont help much. When the exterior door handle FELL OFF, after 5 years ownership,I gave in. I thought Id pass this expensive vehicle on to my daughter, but love her too much.

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  Be aware of Transmission/Fuel Problems - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By karenlincoln - March 19 - 10:00 am

  We are having a problem with our radiator coolant leaking into our transmission just like most 2005 yr models are having and also had to replace fuel sending unit (like other also). Both of which are a design flaw on Nissans part and they are trying to get away with it and not own up to their responsibility. This is a costly repair- 471 for fuel sending unit and 6000 for new transmission/ 1200 for new radiator. So as you can see you can go out a purchase a very good used car for that. Nissan take care of your customers!

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  ugly xterra - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By johnson - March 19 - 3:06 am

  my wife and her female friends really like it...the 265 hp v6 performs strong, its an odd (unattractive) vehicle, cheap plastic interior, the ride reminds me of a mid 70s cj-5 i had years ago, too high price for as cheap as this X is constructed, would not recommend this vehicle.......

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  Bummer - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By murrayv - March 14 - 12:45 am

  See "Car and Driver" review here - http://buyersguide.caranddriver.com/nissan/versa for a succinct and accurate description. However dont believe the fuel economy claims. The first time I used this car for a trip, it ran out of gas in only 320 miles at highway speeds. The drivers manual says it has an 11.7 gallon tank. Thats only 27 mpg. Also the gas guage cannot be seen in bright sunlight wearing sun glasses, and even without sun-glasses cannot be seen safely while driving. Also the low fuel indication started flashing only 20 miles before the fuel ran out, and I got off the freeway once in a failed attempt to find a gas station in that 20 miles.