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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  Sleek Look - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Saylor - November 3 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Maxima for about 3 months. I have two sons and we all love the roomy interior. The only fault I found is the turning radius and the front wheel drive is not my favorite, but I am getting use to it. I love it!

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  My Nissan - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Tamie - November 3 - 10:00 am

  When it was time to buy a new car. I knew that Nissan was going to be the car of choice. We had owned a Maxima before and after 10 years and 140,000 miles, sold it to my nephew, as a first car. He still is driving it...and that has been 3 years ago! We purchased a 2004 Nissan Maxima. I liked the sleek, sporty design, and it still had enough interior room for the kids in my carpool! I was glad to see the return of smaller rear lights. The only thing I have noticed is the ride of the car. Because the standard tires are Eagle Goodyear low profile, you can feel every bump,groove. It sometimes feels like you are riding in a truck!

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  2004 Maxima SE, Automatic - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By paltod - November 3 - 10:00 am

  We have had our Maxima for 21/2 months and are absolutely enthralled with it. We choose the 2004 over the year end 2003 for various reasons. first we wanted the most modern version. Second we love the changes in appearence and the larger, roomier interior. and of course all of the whistles and bells abailavle too us.

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  A Taste Of Excellence - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By kimmee1029 - November 3 - 10:00 am

  This being my third Maxima and fifth Nissan should say something as to how I feel about this car and maker. Im extremely happy with this vehicle I guess the only thing I can really say that would need any improvement would be the comfort. Im not saying its not comfortable but to be honest I cant think of anything wrong with this vehicle.

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  A great car - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Dave Voss - November 3 - 10:00 am

  The car is solid. The transmission is superb and I like the styling. I have 8200 miles on the car and had a few rattles in the interior, but the power train is the best I have ever driven. I didnt know that Renault is the primary owner of Nissan when I bought this car!! After 4 months, I have only seen 2 or 3 more of these on the road!

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  What a Great Car - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By rebskipper - November 3 - 10:00 am

  Super Car; 1000% better than the 97 we traded; quiet ride; great pickup; tremendous looks; comfortable; super nav and sound systems; great air bag protection; rear bucket heated seats are roomy; big trunk.....and a really great price in comparison to the competition...

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  Great Car All Around! - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By josh_scow - November 3 - 7:00 am

  I love the design and features of this car. After doing over a month on research and price comparisons to the civic and corolla I found you get SO MUCH more with the sentra than any other car. I paid 15,000 for my SL while a similarly equipped civic would have been over 20K.

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  great buy - 2006 Nissan Armada
  By jerry - November 3 - 3:23 am

  So far its been a super buy,no problems what so ever. The horsepower is awsome, lots of get up and go when you need it.The interior space is more than enough and lends to a very smooth and comfortable ride. Gas mileage is great for such a large suv, 300-400 miles per tank. We have driven 5000 miles so far and everything remains tight. Its a great buy

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  Rogue Review - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By ILRogue - November 2 - 3:36 pm

  So far, the Rogue ownership experience has been positive. Comfortable ride, ample space for 2 adults and 3 kids. Good room in the back. Nice features and price points, which allows you to select how high or low you want to go in the features vs. price debate. The i-AWD feature is great for wet pavement - one can only hope for the same in the snow. Reliability is yet to be determined (too new).

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  Nice, but other better options - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By mike654 - November 1 - 12:50 pm

  I found the interior ergonomics of this vehicle to be quite annoying. The window\doorlock switches on the door armrest sits a few inches too far back and cannot be operated without lifting your arm off of the door rest and reaching back. The side view mirror adjustment switch is literally under the dashboard and requires you to lean forward to operate. The lever to slide the seat forward and back is too far down and recessed. Visibility out of the rear window is worse than most because the window is smaller, slanted, and the rear of the vehicle is higher than drivers position. Cargo room is smaller than RAV4 or Outlander. I have owned other Nissans and loved them, but not the Rogue.