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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  Love my SE-R!! - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By GVUCRDT - October 2 - 12:26 pm

  Ive had this car for a few weeks, put a few thousand miles on it already, and love it! I had a 97 Altima (still have) w/ 173000 miles, I expect the same from this. The only problem is that my old favorite windy roads are now boring in the SE-R, I need to find more challanging roads! Oh wait, guess thats not really a problem is it?

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  Its been a great vehicle - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Lisa - October 1 - 4:13 pm

  I bought my Pathfinder new, and although I am about ready to trade it in, I have loved everything about it from the day I got it. It rides well, it handles well, it still looks great.

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  Keeps getting better - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By kmanwest - October 1 - 11:23 am

  This is my third Murano. The 2009 is the best yet. Much better on all levels of quality and the ride and transmission finally match the price tag. The only downside is the mileage in the city. Very quiet ride, great stereo, seats are very comfortable.

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  Great Point A to B car - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By versalove - October 1 - 3:20 am

  Did tons of research on compacts out today. All have pros and cons. Most important in the end was safety ratings then price. The Versa fit my bill the best and is a really nice ride for the money. Unfortunately the car only came with automatic tranny, AC and floormats as options, but dealer hooked me up with splash guards. As for the lack of radio I just went on ebay and got a factory versa radio for 50 buck. Car then was complete and I was totally happy. Interior is VERY roomy and comfortable. Power from engine is zippy, but can be very buzzy when acelerating hard. Seen 28 to 40 mpgs so car is great fuel saver. Automatic tranny is not the smoothest Ive driven.

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  Comparing my old 2007 Titan 4X4 with 2017 Titan - 2017 Nissan Titan
  By John Rigs - September 30 - 4:40 pm

  I was excited to purchase the new 2017 model with great expectations. After 2 weeks of driving and evaluations, Nissan did an exceptional job of adding many more features. 7 speed transmission was a big hit. With the older Titan 5 speed it shifted on hills with high rev. Power was better pulling the RV. So many new features that was needed was a big plus. The biggest drawback is the handling. The steering wheel was very stiff and due to the added size of the truck, it took much more space to turn and handle. In all I loved the feel of the smaller older Titan but like the more luxurious and more power of the new Titan. If I was in the market for new Titan, I would really take the time to get the feel of the steering and the new larger size to see if it is worth the upgrade. I would have preferred little larger than the older Titan with all the new features. Hope they improve on the size and handling in the future...

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  Great Functional Truck - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By Ken - September 30 - 11:23 am

  Great mileage for mid-size truck, got 25mpg in mixed driving on the first tankful. Ride is quiet and smooth and has plenty of space all around. Not fancy but has all the basic features available as options.

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  very new SUV, 1st prob. - 2007 Nissan Pathfinder
  By bliss - September 30 - 1:10 am

  My brand new 48 miles drive off the lot SUV 07. Not much of probs to report (as of yet), but so far, 6 CD changer is so broke, no ejection, no music, doing nothing, just stuck after the 3rd week. Both front windows went nuts and rolled down by themselves while the key is off the vehicle. That was very haunting. Engine is really loud as a racing car. If you hate racing cars, dont buy Pathfinder. If fuel price is a big deal for you, dont buy Pathfinder. It will haunt the daylight out of you. Very masculine SUV, best suit for guy drivers (saw lots of gal driving em though.)

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  Great but............ - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Love the looks - September 30 - 12:20 am

  I enjoy driving this truck ( I do mean truck because this vehicle rides nothing like the Tahoe we owned just before purchasing the Armada) Additionally, Nissan needs to pay attention to the details like brakes that squeak, DVD rattles, and tail gates that fail to operate correctly. Besides that the vehicle has performed well.

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  Love to drive Murano!! - 2007 Nissan Murano
  By mark ohio - September 29 - 9:53 pm

  Love our new Murano. My wife has wanted one since we saw one at the autoshow couple of years ago. It was time for us to buy a new car and we looked at a bunch of different cars and suvs, but this is what we really wanted. After we test drove it we knew that it was the right car for us.

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  best by far in its price range - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By thorman944 - September 29 - 8:30 pm

  After looking at the Versa Basic (Base+A/C) with Auto trans and ABS and nothing else (not even a radio) with MSRP of $12,965, my wife and I decided to purchase the $15,8xx S model because it included a very nice $1,250 rebate AND had a higher markup between invoice and MSRP which allowed us to get a better deal. We wound up spending $1200 to get the upgraded interior, the upgraded engine, power locks/windows/doors, keyless entry, stereo, floor mats, cruise control,and alloy wheels. Basically $3000+ worth of features for $1,200. We love the car and wound up paying $14,200 at carmax. With the CARS program we got $4,650 for our 1985 dodge and the Versa S only cost us $9,550.