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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  Titan Truck/SE - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Cyllis - October 5 - 10:00 am

  Very happy with my Titan.The smooth quiet ride makes it a pleasure to drive. Plenty of power to get out and pass with ease and haul what you need.Being the first year its out I was a little leery to buy one but glad I did.

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  Great Car!!! Excellent Warranty!!! - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By Michelle Worley - October 5 - 10:00 am

  This is my first new car ever and I have to say Im having a great experience. Im most impressed with the warranty. I would definitley recommend this auto!

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  NEW CAR - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By KOOLAIDE - October 5 - 10:00 am

  GREAT RIDE.FUN TO DRIVE, GREAT PROFERMOANCE, BETTER WITH WOOD GRAIN IN SIDE.

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  Great buy - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Dhruv - October 5 - 10:00 am

  Great re-designing , increased HP.

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  3.5 SL with Navigation - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By junj - October 5 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love this car. I cant wait to test the engine (still breaking in) but you know there is a lot of power waiting in the wings. The display for the navi/sound system has a nice day/night feature which helps reduce glare in the day and too much brightness at night. Dial controls for the auto climate control seems elegant. The Bose sound system is good but the bass seems very light unless you crank up the volume. My main complaint: the cheap parts (lock switch, dashboard, faux wood panelling, etc) are very noticeable. Hence, I gave it only a 9 in that regard. Otherwise, overall the car is worthy of the praises that it receives.

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  05 Altima - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Andy - October 5 - 7:03 am

  The five speed manual w/ the 4 cylindar is a very fun and peppy car for the money. It drives much like a sports car, but has the convenience of being a sedan and feels surprisingly luxurious for the price.

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  Maxima is Maximus. - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By S. Hartman - October 5 - 2:30 am

  The first thing you will notice about the Maxima is that it is not just another mundane four door sedan. I needed a family hauler that was not a essentially a station wagon or SUV that was big enough for a family of four and still had excellent performance and reliability. I drive on the freeway and on city streets and the Maximas total package performance adds enjoyment and safety to all of my trips. In my experience most cars give you only one or two pieces of the package like horse power, but no handling, or performance but no reliabilty. I strongly recommend the maxima because it is the total package for those weary of driving plain vanilla sedans.

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  Very Nice - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By Enjoyable - October 4 - 11:40 pm

  I bought this car before I went off to college. I am 64 265 and play D-1 football. This car fit me and 3 D-1 players in the back seat with ease. Great head and leg room. You can tilt the backseats back to make it very roomy. Drove it to Miami and Notre Dame from NJ. Gas is hurting me. I drive super slow and get about 17/19. AWD with Automatic. Interior is great. All kinds of different compartments between the seats make it like a mini office desk. Plenty of room on the dash board which is rare. Room in the hatch for an extra person. Driver seat bolt broke one time and I got it repaired. Biggest knock is the gas for me. Such a smooth and pleasant ride. Best midsized SUV out there!

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  nice car but... - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By mark moore - October 4 - 9:51 pm

  nice car but the price. since the price is competitive to the infinity Q, Id rather have the infinity

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  One of the bad ones!!! - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By kasey2586 - October 4 - 1:03 pm

  This car supposedly has tons of wonderful reputations. I got stuck with major expensive internal motor work needed. It does have a lot of power and has never left me stranded. These cars can blow the Hondas off the road with the power it has!! It has an engine miss, and the unusual thing about this problem is, it comes and goes! Its had a rough idle, stumbling and bucking. But these symptoms last occurred about 1 month ago and has been a smooth, beautiful ride ever since!! One mechanic told me since it was running on five cylinders, its got bad valves. It also hisses and I know thats in need of an EGR valve. Yes, the check engine light and needs an anti-knock sensor! Not cheap!