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:

• 

  A few chinks in the armor - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By Satisfied Almost - September 20 - 8:53 pm

  We did alot of researching before making our purchase. We wanted a vehicle that was tops in passenger room (212 Cu Ft), cargo volume (150 Cu Ft, 2nd only to Chrysler w/Stow N Go) and had all the safety/convenience features. We got it. It has the most headroom and legroom of any minivan. At the time, it was the only van to have both 2nd and 3rd row fold flat seats. Huge sliding doors for easy access to 3rd row. Loved the 3-D Navigation system, not to mention that its the only minivan to have available TWO DVD screens, one for each row. We are worried about the reliability results weve heard of late, but knock on wood (we had that added to our dash/etc) we havent had any noteworthy problems

• 

  We love our Armada. - 2017 Nissan Armada
  By JRA - September 20 - 7:27 pm

  If your reading this review, your likely considering the 2017 Armada. Ive long been impressed with the looks and performance of the QX56/80 and when Nissan first released the very similar redesigned Armada, I immediately wanted one. After reading the "expert" reviews, I decided to pull the trigger and purchase a 2017 Black on Black Platinum 4WD. My new Armada is absolutely beautiful and is the envy of our friends. I found it a little odd that I was filling up so freequently but have gotten used to the fact that this beast is just a gas hog. As it stands, we are only getting about 220-260 miles per tank. The freequency of fill ups is excessive and inconvenient. When driving the vehicle, the ride is nice and pleasant. The steering is a little sloppy and steering wheel feedback is lacking. The wheel turns too easily and doesnt return to the neutral position with enough force. A couple additional items to note, the USB port in the front center console charges at a Very slow rate. Its so slow that it barely keeps your phone from discharging while plugged in. Interior lighting is adequate however, its very surprising to find that LED bulbs are nowhere to be found. The Bose sound system is also very underwhelming. There are very limited adjustments available which include basic Bass, Trebble, fader and balance only. Overall, we are very pleased with the 2nd Gen Armada and proud to arrive in style. **I highly recommend getting the available software update. This has helped with acceleration and shifting issues.

• 

  I love it - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By FCVikingJT - September 20 - 10:56 am

  This truck is so fun to drive. It makes you feel so safe to be in a bigger truck as well. That truck seems to talk to you as if saying, "Push me & let me show you what Ive got!" I love it!!

• 

  Great SUV with affordable price tag - 2008 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Dan B. - September 20 - 10:33 am

  After giving the Pathfinder a thorough test drive on a cold, rainy day (hard acceleration, hard braking, cornering, lane changing, U turn etc.) I decided to trade in my Lexus RX 330. Since my other car is a Z, I wanted to still have good performance with 4x4 capabilities. After taking the Pathfinder to the mountains on the weekend I’m even happier with my decision. The engine is powerful and responsive. The suspension provides a comfortable ride. The view of the road is excellent. The sound system is great. The cabin is quite and the instrumentation is great. I especially like the navigation system and the link to live traffic. All in all a most excellent vehicle.

• 

  2008 VERSA - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Sonny31 - September 20 - 8:03 am

  I have a 2008 Versa Hatchback and this is an awesome ride. it has been a year now owning it and had 50,000 + miles on it. to this day I have only taken it in for minor sunroof issues and had my car stereo replaced 2 times now. Handles great but when the wind comes blowing by, Man does that car pull to the sides. I really dont think its getting 30+ MPG. i would say its more like 25- 29 MPGs. the sound system in it needs to be a lot better than what it has now. my mother has a dakota and the sound system is Great! If its a sport package and needs a better sound system. Other than that it is a great car to drive and my car for traveling.

• 

  2008 Nissan Sentra 2.0 - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Nancy - September 20 - 2:30 am

  I just got the car and so far Im falling in love with it. Saves me gas and drives really good. I just wish I had a sun roof and that would be my dream car. I love it so far. It just came out so I will be rating again.

• 

  Holy Pricey Repairs, Batman! - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By SRyan - September 19 - 10:20 pm

  I love my Nissan, but will not be purchasing another. Mechanically it has been sound, but there have been body issues and minor things that are expensive to repair. (Ex. $103 to change a headlamp BULB). If you live in the snow belt, you will notice that snow packs into the wheel well, making steering in bad weather difficult. Also tends to get stuck in snow, due to riding so low to the ground.

• 

  I love it - 2006 Nissan Armada
  By Gala - September 19 - 9:43 pm

  The more i drive it more i love it. Of course to fill it up is around 65$ But i have big family. Two toddlers are in carseats really far from each other. This is exactly what i was looking for.In this car i fell safe and what is most important is that i feel my kids are safe. And its real fun to go to Home Depot with this car . You can load what ever you whant in it .(And it will feet) I can load my family and my sister family and a dog and every buckled and safe

• 

  2.5S - The good, the bad, and the ugly. - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By mjg1234 - September 19 - 4:57 pm

  My wife and I were looking for a used sedan to replace her old Toyota and saw that Nissan had a great deal on brand new 2015 Altimas that competed with the cost of used cars so we purchased an 2.5 S in December of 14. The Good: The car is a joy to drive. It has great acceleration for a 4 cylinder. The handling is great and responsive for a car of its size. The steering may be a bit too soft feeling and aggressive for some, but I like it. The car brakes well, the brakes feel tight and I havent yet, knock on wood, had a situation where I had to engage the anti-lock brakes. The car gets great gas mileage, but I have a heavy foot so I average around 27 mpg mixed highway / city driving. The keyless entry and push button start are a convenience, but the most convenient feature of the car is the car honks when you have filled the tire up to the correct pressure. Just turn the car off. Press the start button twice with your foot off of the brake, fill up the tire until the car honks and youre off. Best feature by far when its cold and youre pumping air not having to fool around with a pressure gauge exposed to the elements. The Bad: Engine noise. This may not be bad to people who enjoy sports cars or are used to driving manual transmissions, but this car is really loud in certain situations. It purrs when at speed, but roars when getting up to speed and coasting downhill. Id compare coasting downhill in this car to downshifting from 4th to 2nd in a manual; you feel the car employing engine braking and a tug then the RPMs rev. I think this is a feature of CVT to keep the same MPH going downhill and not over accelerate causing the car to surge MPH down the hill. Engine noise may not be an issue with the V6. The transmission feels a bit frail after accelerating after shifting from reverse. The car flutters a little and even does it sometimes when accelerating from a standstill. I caution you not to reverse roll with this transmission. I feel its too fragile to handle going in reverse putting it in neutral while you roll and engage the drive gear. Thats a bad practice general for any automatic but may be fatal for this one. I bet thats why a few reviews said their transmission went out after 10k miles. The car feels cheaply made after driving it awhile. Road dirt and grime gets from the floor panel all of the way up to the door jamb where the car door closes. Never had that happen in any other car. The rain pings on the car like rain on a tin can; makes me feel the car has little to no noise insulation. At highway speeds there is a ton of wind noise, but one will get used to it unless that type of thing is a deal breaker. The "carpet" on the floor is paper thin. Literally. Its the cheapest carpet Ive ever seen in a car. Wait until you vacuum it youll see what I mean. Feels like it could tear easily. It seems like the carpet that comes standard in the trunk of cars. Nissan decided to cut corners and put that cheap stuff in the interior. The Ugly: The visor fell down while my wife was driving maybe month 3 into owning the car. Took it back to the dealer to get repaired under warranty and they claimed the visor would have cost $300! For that price why is it falling down?! While there we also got the fix done for the hood latch recall. Fast forward 2 months later my wife gets in the passenger seat and the passenger side airbag disengaged light came on. She got out of the car and back in and it stayed on. Drove for fifteen minutes and still disengaged, so I had to park turn the car off and back on to get the airbag to turn back on. It happened two more times. Took it to the dealer and they claim nothing was wrong but gave us a manual on how the feature worked. Mind you the 2014 Altimas had this very same issue. It has happened once since taking it back to the dealer. Trip three to the dealer was because of squealing brakes on a brand new car. If it rains and the car has been sitting they squeal. If its cold and the car has been sitting they squeal. This is a "feature" of the metal on metal brake pads the dealer says. I say another corner was cut. The projection headlights are dangerously dim. They work OK in dry conditions, but in the rain forget about it. You can barley tell they are on. Just compare other cars headlight beams on the road to the Altima youll see. The interior windows fog at the drop of a dime. I live in a humid region and this is a constant problem even with the recirculation off! It takes the defroster awhile to address the fogging. The technology package and Nissan connect are a joke. It barely connects with my Droid Turbo, and partially connects with my wifes iPhone 5s and her Droid MAXX, it did the best with her Galaxy S3. I have to turn the Bluetooth off and on on my phone several times before it connects and when it does the entire system freezes on the In Call for 0:01 display until the car is reset. Does not recognize voice

• 

  Wow! This car is sharp!! - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By lhsmule - September 19 - 10:43 am

  I have own 3 Maximas before this one and liked each one of them. The type of car that I was looking for had to have the following requirements. Manageable price and monthly payments, Very good power, room (Im well over 60" tall) quality, and have good gas mileage. I looked at Lexus, Infinitis M45 & M35. I tried to own another sedan besides the Max for a change of pace, but the Maxima meet those requirements the best. This is by far the best Max that Ive ever driven! My model is an SV and its very fun to drive. It looks sharp and aggressive. The acceleration is exhilarating, and whenever I turn off the VDC button, it gives it even a bigger boost. The cockpit design is excellent.