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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  Steering Problems - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By DeeDee - August 16 - 7:26 am

  I just purchased my Pathfinder in July 2005 and I was loving it. I had a Mitsubishi suv before and hated it because of the rough ride. The ride in the Pathfinder was much smoother, but, for some reason now when I ride over bumps the rear of the truck dances or should I say it shifts for some reason. But, the sound system is great and so is the dvd player. I just wish I wasnt having the rear wheel problems. It started after I put air in my tires.

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  Very practical vehicle - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By benzalkionium@msn.com - August 15 - 12:27 am

  I purchased my Sentra in 2007, new. I still own it, but I primarly drive a Forester XT premium now. I will say there are things I am very dissapointed in regarding these Sentras. Mostly, no antiloc brakes unless you have premium wheels. Also, the seats were very uncomfortable, for me, for long trips, but were fine for driving around town. The wheel and arm rests were designed so that you have to have your arm held up, which was uncomfortable as well. The screen tried to do a lot with very little resolution, and that was always somewhat annoying to me. Also, the car likes to get pushed around by the wind, and the trunk is rather large but the opening is restrictive. However, the car was virtually maintenance free... I did have some work done on a front wheel joint but otherwise nothing has ever needed to be repaired (I have 90K miles on the car). The engine was pretty peppy for a cheap, economy car and out performs the new 2016 models. The gas mileage was usually less than stellar on the interstate as the car is a big wind sail, but on hwys going 55 - 65 I would get over 40, routinely. I liked the layout of the dash and the color of the lights. The headlights gave great visibility. I really enjoyed the keyless entry features, those are awesome and I miss those more than anything with my new vehicle. I was looking forward to getting something else from the day I bought this car, but I knew that for the price (I paid 16 grand for it) it was worth it. 9 years of driving a decent looking, reliable, fuel economic vehicle for roughly 1800/year... I say that is a good deal! And it still is worth about 4500... So, if you see one of these used, I would say consider it if it is under 100,000. If over 100,000, you have a lot of expensive maintenance to do, such as flushing transmission, checking timing belt, new platinum spark plugs, probably needs new shocks.

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  Great car, too bad it burns oil! - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By KevinWilkin - August 14 - 6:40 pm

  Ive read some reviews, and see the same problems I have. Minor things such as peeling grilles, easily scratched interior plastic & routine balancing the tires I can live with. My Max started to burn oil at 60K. Now before you all say I abused the car, Im a grown 50 year old male that drives normally, changes oil every 4K etc. Of course when I brought the car in at 60K for the oil burning Im told, "sorry out of warranty". Fine, just remember Nissan, a happy customer tells his friends about a great car. A scorned customer tells the world!

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  good - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By leigh00005 - August 14 - 10:00 am

  love the way is handles but would like to get better gas mileage. starting to get some rattles in it.

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  handles great, little annoyances - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By heisman - August 14 - 10:00 am

  Drives wonderfully but there are a few annoyances: a rattle in the backseat somewhere that the dealership is having a hard time pinpointing--have had to take it 4 times and its still not fixed; headlights look like they stairstep up to the right, as if they were stalled unevenly, but the dealership says they are all like that?; also, brakes squeal when putting the car into reverse, and again, the dealership claimed to have fixed the problem by cleaning off "the glaze" but the problem has not gone away.

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  2.5SL - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By milestoaspen - August 13 - 6:44 pm

  I traded my 2011 Altima SL for the 2013. I fell in love with the comfort and the drive. Big difference from 2011. Now that I have had the car 5 weeks and 1800 miles there are a few things Ive noticed. The heated seats(which Im having looked at 1st oil change) dont work correctly. When on high only the butt heats(hot) and when you hit low switch only the back heats. They dont work in tandem, nor do they regulate heat high to low. Ive noticed the CVT rumble which was not present in my 2011. I also notice you hear the gas rolling around in the gas tank sounds like a thump when you stop and the tanks half to full. Not sure if the used any baffles.

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  I was wrong - 2010 Nissan Xterra
  By Josh - August 13 - 2:33 pm

  I wrote a poor review on my new off road X back in December. I had a couple of rattles but Nissan fixed them. The rattles in the dash are only when it was cold and the dealer came through. The more I drive my X the more I love it. The power of the v6 is great and you really get use to the stiff ride. It actually handles great for a truck and very sporty. Overall a great vehicle. I have to admit me first impressions were way off. I really enjoy my x and it was good choice.

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  Fun to Drive and Withstands Abuse - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By randy1099 - August 12 - 12:56 pm

  My girlfriend purchased this car new and it now has 102,000 miles on it. Being a die-hard American muscle car guy, I hate almost all FWD 4 cylinder cars, especially the imports. I was truly shocked by this one. The engine makes way more usable horsepower that I expected and coupled with the CVT, is able to perform well above its pricepoint. Somehow, Nissan managed to make this engine smooth and eliminated the torque steer associated with high power FWD cars. Girlfriend did almost no maintenance to this car for the first 90,000 miles. Car still runs great and gets low 30 MPG. CVT did die at 98,000 miles but Nissan replaced it for free. I do the maintenance and car is easy to work on.

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  Easy to maneuver. - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By Cube control. - August 12 - 10:00 am

  My 80-yr-old mother bought a Cube. She loves it. Easy to maneuver, super simple to park, fits nicely in the 2- car garage. Back door opens from the side - easy for her to open/close as she has shoulder replacements. Although not much storage room, it works for her lifestyle. Gets lots of compliments, an eye-catcher. I drive it more than she does. We took it from TN to FL, had a wonderful trip. So far, its been reliable. Wheel covers are plain. I would like a sunroof, although the car gets hot in the sun, lets a lot of sunlight in through those big windows. Window visors are huge, not to my liking. Overall, I love it.

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  Power needs RWD or AWD - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By jolros - August 11 - 8:33 pm

  Ive owned the basic, basic Maxima a year now. Great power. Need to merge on the freeway? no problem itll suck everyone to the seat. Any pothole or uneven surface though will pull the car in the direction youre steering with the torque. I didnt get the 19" rims and regret it. It doesnt handle like my IS250, but will smoke it at any speed. Needs AWD or RWD, but nice and roomy, where my IS250 has a huge bump for the drive train. Get the high intensity lights too, I cant tell if my lights are on. I wish this car had half the turning radius of my IS250 which can u-turn in like 1 lane vs. 3 lanes for the Maxima. All in all, very pleased. 0-60 in 6.2sec by just mashing the gas. Its fun.