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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  96 maxima - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By DERRICK - August 5 - 11:16 pm

  Never had any problems rides like a charm. The 96 could use a few more horses. Well comparing to the news cars, however in 1996 it was excellent. The only thing is lack of cup holders nothing major.Nothing I can really complain about

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  Nissan Rookie - 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
  By schleprock - August 3 - 2:00 am

  This is the first SUV I have owned and for the most part has been a great vehicle. I love the look/style of the Pathfinder. The rear doors could be a little more accessible. I have however had problems in the past few weeks that lowered my opinion somewhat. I had three fuel injectors and a fuel pressure regular plus the front wheel bearings all need replacing in a six week period and I only have 55,000 miles on the vehicle. Other than that the vehicle had worked great.

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  Hard to Please Happy Driver - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By jmbduke - August 1 - 7:50 am

  I wanted to wait until the I had some time with the car before I gave my review. All i can say is that I really enjoy driving this car. The engine is sweet and quite responsive around town and on the highway. The gas mileage is where I though it would be (average 26 in mixed driving) and it has been increasing with each tank. No car is perfect, but the SL has all the features I was looking for at a price that didt leave me car poor at the end of the month. I test drove all the competition...Fusion, Accord, Camry, Malibu, Mazda6....and I kept coming back to the Altima. Im glad I did.

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  review - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By dakota - July 30 - 6:40 pm

  Overall i love my car.

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  Reliable Used SUV - 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Mr. Analytical - July 29 - 10:00 am

  If you are looking for a good reliable used SUV, this is a good choice. Newer SUVs have more power, convenience, better mileage, etc. but they also run 10 - 20k more.

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  2007 Versa - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Versa4me - July 28 - 1:10 am

  I purchased my Nissan Versa new. It has a lot of great options such as the hands free phone system, control buttons on the steering wheel and small sub woofer built into the vehicle. The car is a lot of fun to drive, gets great gas mileage and has some get up and go. This car is also great for transporting things because the hatchback has a wide opening and the seats fold down. I have not had any repair issues with this car. However, recently I have noticed there seems to be a delay in the shifting from the lowest gear. My car is out of warranty so I have not taken it in to be looked at. But it did not seem coincidental that Nissan also recently extended their warranty on vehicles wi

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  Frontier Review - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By Tom - July 27 - 3:43 am

  Bought the truck new and paid much less than sticker. Love the truck but not worth the sticker. Only real complaint is the turning radius is like driving an 18 wheeler. Dont like the plastic bed liners - should of put the NISMO paint in liners as standard. The plastic on the tail gate scratches easy. Acceleration is slow but plenty of V6 power when it kicks in.

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  Six months since purchase of Spec V... - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By Angelo - July 26 - 1:46 pm

  I have had my Spec V for 6 months. The only time I have had it in the garage was for Oil changes which I gladly perform myself. It is very reliable, I even learned to drive stick with this car and it does not seem to give. My only Mod is a NISMO Cold-Air Intake. It was definatly worth $230. The CAI does also improve gas mileage about 5-10%. The engine is so much louder after I put it on and pushed the gas to the floor. It certainly has more punch. I plan on getting at least exhaust headers and a Cat-back system.

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  Great and reliable - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By reggaedg - July 26 - 5:25 am

  Got this car from a friend 18 months ago, car was sitting for a year. This car has 268,000 miles on it and you could walk by it and not know that the engine was running. Installed new brakes and rotors and a paint job. Car now looks and run like new. Love the car, very reliable and the gas mileage is excellent for a 6 cylinder. Step on the gas and this car will launch you in a new dimension. The ride is tight, well it is a 4 door sport car after all. This car is fun to drive and if you plan to lend it to someone be certain to advise them on the quick throttle response. They could get a whiplash on take off.

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  Reliable & Fun But Unsafe! - 1997 Nissan Altima
  By webter - July 25 - 12:50 pm

  The integrity of the motor and many of the other parts are top notch. If you are looking for a base vehicle to fix to street race, this would be a great one. With that said, I was in an accident with this vehicle. The car was totaled and I had a head injury, which has left me with some brain damage. There isnt ABS on this vehicle and the air bag didnt deploy. There were fairly new Bridgestones on the car, so I cant blame it on the tires. Luckily the seat belt locked or else I wouldnt be writing this review!