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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  Sentra GXE - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By Bill123 - April 2 - 2:00 am

  I really enjoy the car alot, but the finish leaves something to be desired. While driving the wind noise from the doors can be very loud. The dealership says this is normal. I have had Hondas and VWs and never heard this much noise from my other cars. Also I doubt my odometer is accurate. It seems I am now driving about 6 or 700 hundred miles a month more than I did with my previous car. Would I buy this car again? Hmmm I do not know. It is fun to drive but the issues mentioned above mean alot in a car priced at $16,000 and change.

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  Very good - 2004 Nissan Altima
  By Linda Sweet - April 2 - 2:00 am

  This is my 3rd Altima and my over all experience has been very good.

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  bad Luck - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By pedromesa - April 2 - 2:00 am

  This car was purchased based on design, it is used in every day work, driving some times more than 100 miles daily,but maybe is that I have bad luck or something because right now the car is in the agency with a computer problem and they have to replace it and they dont have a real answer to that

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  You kidding me!!! - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Mike G. - March 31 - 10:00 am

  This car is great! This car has more hp then most V8s. For the price there is not a better car. I drove the TL and the ES300 and this car performs better then both. Alot of bang for your buck!

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  GLE Review - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By n1west - March 31 - 10:00 am

  The GLE Maxima is a well built 4 door sedan. After owning a 99 Maxima and now a 2002 Maxima Im still concerned that the bose spearkers are to powerful for the doors. There seems to be some vibration coming from the door panels. Also, I was a bit disappointed to see that my Maxima is averaging around 19.7 miles per gallon. Considering the day we live in, this is lousy MPG performance.

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  great looks - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By Davey35774 - March 31 - 2:00 am

  Love the looks on this very relaible truck. It is fun to drive and handles well on different environments.

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  Good Truck, Can be Improved - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By Jay114 - March 31 - 2:00 am

  My fourth Nissan since 1986. This one is nice to look at....fenders, light assembly, roof rack....but drinks gas bad. Sticker said "16 to 20" but I only get 13.5 mostly highway miles. Also I am a little disappointed in the power/acceleration. I must say though that adding a load to the bed or towing does not affect the performance...I think its torqued a little too low. Overall I enjoy the truck.

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  Sentra is the name - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By LISentra - March 30 - 6:40 am

  79K and I still love it. i keep looking at new cars and still for the money you can not beat the 2001 Sentra SE. I reluctantly got the Automatic which kills the gas, but I still get 24/30 on a consistent basis and that is with running it hard on the Long Island Parkways. The worst thing on this car is the brakes...the best thing is the brakes...how does that work? They go after about 15-20k, but this car stops on a dime. Even in the wet and snow, I have not had a problem stoping the Sentra. But the cream of the crop when it comes to this car is why we all bough it...The SR20DE...this engine just keeps going. My Sentra has never once let me down...and low upkeep to boot.

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  Happy owners - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By J-Roy - March 30 - 2:00 am

  We purchased it with 68,000 miles and now it has 135,000 miles and runs very well. We do have occasional issues that are costly (fuel pump, fuel pump wiring harness, brake work, shocks) but they are going to be problematic with any car with these miles. It feels a bit underpowered when we have our family of 4 in it but still maintains freeway speeds without problems. We have loved this car so far.

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  Cheap Plastic - 2010 Nissan Versa
  By Adnum7 - March 30 - 2:00 am

  I had one of these as a rental in the summer and it seemed to be a solid, quiet, tightly built little car. Ok so I bought one. Now the weather is cold and the cheap plastic used for the console and dashboard rattles and squeaks like crazy until the interior warms up. Not impressed.