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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  Never Thought I would Buy a Van - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By M.J. RAINES - July 25 - 12:10 am

  I have driven other vans at work;however, when I test drove this van I was impressed. I had my heart set on a Maxima but the wife quickly changed that. We ended up buying this van and I have no regrets. I live in an area where its HOT. This van handles the climate well. I took the van out of town and was surprised with both the gas mileage and performance. I have taken my radar detector out of storage and now use it in this van. The only complaint I have is the interior controls seem cheap. Nissan should look into better quality parts.

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  Grandmas sports car - 2007 Nissan Maxima
  By Johnny Customer - July 23 - 7:20 am

  In an attempt to overcome its severely lacking power, I put new 18" rims that are each 7 lbs lighter than stock, a new catback exhaust system, and a cold air intake from Stillen. I still could not get a 0-60 time that was under 8 seconds with about 20 tests. The car is unbelievably slow, mostly due to the horrible transmission and power band. The car creeps up to 20 mph before giving you anything, and then stalls out above 5,000 rpm at any speed. Theres also very poor support in the aftermarket performance upgrades. Leave this sports sedan to your grandma and instead get a VW Passat, Infiniti G35, or Toyota Camry.

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  Spirited a-b car - 1998 Nissan Altima
  By Jonathan - July 22 - 6:30 pm

  This is my first car and it has been a delight to own. Driven conservativley the car has great gas milage. And if you choose, punch the throttle and watch the revs rise. For a Four cylinder this car has great torque. Ive taken this car from nyc to buffalo,ny , 400 mi each way, three times round trip already and the car has never failed me once. This car has been an excellent beginners car, Its fast enough to be fun but not too fast and most importantly reliable. Only problems to date have been an intemitantly fading light on the radio display and squeaky rear drums.

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  Fuel Pump - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By nmhopkins - July 22 - 4:41 pm

  I bought this car in 2009 with about 25k miles on it. Ive had it about 3.5 years and overall its not been a bad vehicle. I too have had problems with the fuel pump but that has been going on for years and its always started up the second time I turn it over. I have had the motors in the rear windows go out twice (once on either side) which cause the windows to go down and not go back up and thats a bit annoying. Also, like most small cars it doesnt handle very well in snow or heavy rain. But the car has been reliable and a great first car for me. The fuel economy is great!

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  quest s poor gas mileage - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Mooney - July 22 - 10:00 am

  The gas mileage on this vehicle is terrible compared to what it was advertized to be. I have had 5 recalls on this vehicle in the first 8 months of ownership and I think this is excessive for a new automobile.

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  great - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By lloydgermyn - July 22 - 10:00 am

  great auto good looks fast and really gets up and goes

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  Initial Purchase - 2012 Nissan Leaf
  By black2green - July 22 - 9:13 am

  The vehicle is every thing that I expected from the research that I did. I would rate it higher but I have only had the vehicle for a week so I still want to evaluate the car more before I determine whether there should be an excellent rating or not. Thus far I am continuing to see the advantages of having a EV. I notice many other people driving smaller gas vehicles and it is there second or third vehicle and I wonder why they have not gone EV.

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  2004 Nissan Titan comments - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Bob Gilmore - July 22 - 6:13 am

  Tough vehicle, I get lots of admirers. I think it has Ford, Chevy, and Toyota beat on the "macho" scale. This truck sucks down some gas! Had a problem with brakes which Nissan acknowledges with Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) NTB04-066. They did service to the truck but did not replace the rotors as the TSB recommends. Seems to be a temp fix which lasts about 4000 miles. Problem is vibration in steering wheel when pedal is depressed. I expect this problem to return every 4000 miles until they replace the rotors. The truck does stop fine and handles great. Lots of power and roomy cab.

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  OK, A Little Disappointed - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Ryan - July 22 - 2:00 am

  After copious research I narrowed it down to Honda Fit or Versa, better dealer financing swung it in favor of the Versa. After a month, though, Im a little hesitant to recommend this little hatchback. Gas mileage has been OK, but not great weve got 21s to 29 depending on how much highway driving we do (this is the CVT model). Driving comfort is the big problem, lumbar support is non-existent, seats are short and no support under thighs. Steering wheel is too far away if youre not ridiculously short. Ride is OK but blows around like a leaf in the wind and doesnt feel well connected to the road (easily drifts). That said, it turned out to be excellent in snow, easy to control and stop.

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  Former Jeep Grand Cherokee owner - 2007 Nissan Murano
  By Mike L. - July 22 - 12:46 am

  I have 7500 mi on my Murano and it has delivered more than I expected. My Murano does 0-60 in 7.5 sec. The Murano handling is quite good and the CVT is great in hilly traveling where standard transmission would be shifting and bucking up the hills.