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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  Decent Ride - Could Be Better - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By -cdt- - April 14 - 7:53 pm

  Overall, a decent car. Thats not to say that it cant use some upgrades that would make it Excellent! Coming from a Jetta, there a few things that I miss - Day Time Running Lights, automatic locking doors, comfortable interior.

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  Dont buy it unless you like repair bills - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By tacosauce - April 13 - 3:20 pm

  Its attractive because of the look & I just like the way it "sits". However just like any relationship looks only go so far. 1st off engine noise & road noise is horrible. Problems: It wasnt responding to the accelerator-had to replace the transmission, replaced alternator, replaced oxygen sensor, replaced intake valve solenoid, window fell down into door-replaced power window assembly, replaced transfer case, heated seat switches replaced, replacing rear window wiper requires special Nissan part, waterproofing & trim falling off all over the car, key replacement = $290 for remote+$150 for microchip key. Total repair costs $4,505. Car is garaged,only driven about 9000 miles per year.

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  Steering Steering Steering - 2016 Nissan Frontier
  By Tim Lenihan - April 12 - 2:42 pm

  Ill keep this short. Needed a truck to replace my 2001 Ford Ranger 4x4 and this truck appeared to fit that need. Negotiated for a good price and road tested it on local roads, less than 50mph. It handled ok. What a surprise though when driving on highway or any back roads that are posted 50 plus that have curves. Youll need to work that steering wheel to keep the truck on line. I drive school buses, flat noses and conventional, and they handle 10 times better than this truck. Fortunately for me most, not all,, is local driving. If your thinking about buying this truck, road tested it like no other vehicle youve bought before.

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  Great Work Truck! - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By baldbastard420 - April 9 - 10:00 am

  Great little work truck, the 5-speed gets good gas mileage and is fun to drive...incidently the squeek that is heard when turning is the rubber stops, you will notice that this only happens when the wheels are turned all the way in either direction, like when making a U-turn.

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  Could have been much better.... - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By nissan fan - April 8 - 2:00 am

  I love the power of this. Its very fun to drive espeically with the 3.5 liter power house. However, my biggest complaint with the car is the interior quality. Its all PLASTIC, and has a very cheap look and feel to it. After 1,500 miles my sunroof and front dash is already rattling. Im not sure what Nissan was thinking with this car when it came to the interior. The exterior is so-so. My biggest worry with the exterior the cheap front grill. I drive on the highway, and I usually get rock chips. Now my plan is to get rid of this car and get an Accord, at least the interior isnt made of cheap plastic.

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  Beware of this vehicle - 2008 Nissan Pathfinder
  By dtbaj - April 5 - 12:20 am

  The quality under the hood is not there. Transmission is rough and a/c fan causes a vibration to go through the entire vehicle when sitting still. Nissan blew this one and so did we when we purchased the vehicle.

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  CVT gone at 50k. Wheel bearings at 40k, radio - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By elijahwww - April 1 - 2:06 am

  Overall, this car was not a good choice for my wife. She had very annoying issues with it almost immediately with the automatic light shutoff and battery dying on her at the airport. In 2009 she used AAA 7 times. In 2011 we replaced wheel bearings, exhaust shield came loose, and radio would become unresponsive on random occasions - light would dim and volume controls would only cycle 6 and 7. Then in 2012 at 51k, the tranny goes. Yes, Nissan came through and forked over $5k towards replacing it as well as some other outstanding recall and emmision problems. Thanks for that. From a simple, cheap car all she wanted was decent reliability, at least up to a respectable 80k. But tranny at 51k. No

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  I had such high hopes - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By neveragain28 - March 28 - 6:19 am

  I bought this car in March 2011. Since then I have replaced the battery 4 times and alternator twice. Still the same problem continued to happen, it would randomly not start. I ended up having to sell it because it was the most unreliable car. No mechanic could figure out the problem and it was a money hole.

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  Not recomend - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By Victoria - March 26 - 10:00 am

  I have one remark - at driving this car I feel pressure in ears and it is painful even some time after leaving the car. Whether I have taken an interest at the seller so it. And unfortunately a dealer has confirmed this problem

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  Nissans Corvair - 2006 Nissan Armada
  By seejanerun - March 23 - 5:23 pm

  I bought this vehicle used without doing the proper research on this particular model. I basically went on Nissans great reputation as time was not in my favor. This is the worst vehicle I have ever owned, so bad that I wont consider another Nissan in the future. I have had ABS failure which is common in the Armada but which Nissan refuses to recall - be sure to Google and you will find more info than you ever want! I have also had problems with the engine shutting off while driving down the road - also another widespread Armada problem. There have been tons of consumer complaints on this Armada and probably why 2010 is last production year as Nissan knows this product is crap!