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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  Warts and Gems - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By Wayne - May 31 - 10:13 am

  Maxi has been a good car but I have also had the rough engine engine problem (its the fuel injectors clogging up, folks - use Techron every 3 - 6 months from the day you buy the car or youll be replacing them). The fuel filter isnt as efficient as it could be. Ive replaced the CVs, rear struts, the clutch, 2 injectors (so far - at least one more is going bad), but it doesnt use a drop of oil and it always starts. How much can you really complain about a $1,500 car?

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  Suprised at Quality Glad I got Extra War - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By DRP - May 30 - 7:23 pm

  Upgraded from Xterra to pathfinder. The VDC and SLIP lights on the dash have gone on and off since I got it dealer couldnt find anything wrong. At 15K I had a flat tire and found out the jack would barely lift the car high enough to change the tire on a flat surface being that I was on the shoulder it would not lift the car high enough so I had to borrow another jack to finish the job, also the jack jammed fully extended and would not go down had to drive off it. The fuel sensor went at about 47K, I purchased a extd 10year warranty which covered repair. The tires and brakes will be replaced this week at 51K. I average 16.7 mpg. Fun to drive aspect wore off quick quite boring to drive now.

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  Baught Used... - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By XterraMD - May 27 - 10:00 am

  From Carmax and so far so pleased. I was surprised how the value decreased no doubt due to the new Cute Utes and the newer Xterra. But I like it just the same.

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  Good Crossover - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By EJO - May 24 - 4:23 pm

  The SL comes with some great amenities, great Bose sound system, hands free calling. Comfortable ride, pulls small boat trailer fine, fun to use steering paddle "shifters", not bad mileage, shoulder belt height adjustment to low, HVAC controls indicating lamps (yellow) not bright enough or need different color in sharp daylight. Overall a good SUV.

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  2005 Pathfinder - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By BBabcock - May 24 - 6:36 am

  From the day I purchased the vehicle through the present it has been a joy to own. Although it lacks somewhat in head room, it is comfortable once I get in. Being 6-2 and 290 doesnt make for ease in getting into any vehicle. It handles well in the snow and other crumby weather. I am looking forward to another summer of towing the motorcycles and enjoying the great outdoors.

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  the mobile command center - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By jfortune - May 21 - 11:28 pm

  Have had the car for about 9 months.....gas mileage is as claimed......the ride is more than decent for a car of its size.......and it handling is very good....i was pleasantly surprised for a car of its size.....the seats are very comfortable, have taken it on some 4 - 6 hour car trips and did not feel beat to death as I have in some small cars in the past.....all in all, I am very pleased with the car so far

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  Not Very Happy - 2008 Nissan Titan
  By rangerdeppe - May 21 - 4:22 pm

  I bought a 2008 Pro4X new from Nissan, and it has not been one of my better vehicles. Its had numerous recalls, the gas milage is terrible, the locking differential has never worked, the drivers seats squeeks loudly, the rear doors rattle, and now the rear bumper is rusting. This is the last straw for me. Since the truck is 3 years old, and has over 36K miles, Nissan will not fix the bumper. I cant believe it! This truck was nearly $40K, has never been in any kind of accident, and Nissan wont cover rust?! They told me that the rust warranty only applied to body panels, and bumpers were not covered. The rest of my truck still looks new, and the rear bumper has a big rust spot!

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  Was this Quest a good buy or good bye? - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By Judys Quest - May 21 - 6:16 am

  Trade in 1999 Mercury Villager (Quest clone) with 120K miles. Except for tach, everything still worked. We thought that the Nissan Quest would be as reliable and useful but now we are wondering if the extra cost of a Honda or Toyota would have been a better choice. Maybe we should have bought used. On the way home, the button that slides the seatbelt adjuster up and down broke and fell into the door post. This was after 30 minutes of ownership. Three days later, my wife tells me that the A/C does not seem to blow as cold as it did when we got it.

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  C my Z - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By Charles White - May 20 - 10:00 am

  Nothing else on the road looks like a Z. A pure and simple head-turner. And the way it handles moving in and out of traffic, and mountain roads is agile as a cat. The rear suspension brace keeps the wheels on the road even in wet weather (within reason, of course) The manual transmission is quick and solid. If you invest in leather seats, you wont be disappointed. Mine had to have a fuel tank pressure regulator valve replaced at less than 10000 miles, but no other problems.

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  Light Light go away - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By kaaash - May 20 - 10:00 am

  A very good car overall, recently though Ive plaqued with a check engine light which the dealers mechanics say is a loose gas cap.. which I could have believed once... but 5 times!? Basically now a day or two after I fill up with gas, the light comes on and must be reset. This has been such a pain, Im seriously considering selling it. I dont have any complaints otherwise and its been solid mechanically other than that.