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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  A Great Pathfinder - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Rick - September 17 - 6:16 am

  We traded our 2004 Chev Trailblazer for this 06 Pathfinder. It handles much better than the Trailblazer. This Pathfinder is narrower and smaller, it has the power when needed. I would buy another Pathfinder in the future.

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  First Impressions - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By Jason - September 17 - 6:13 am

  Im writing this the night of my first day with my new Sentra. I will give just a simple summary of what Ive observed in the first 24 hours. I like the exterior. Its small-looking on the outside, but really big and roomy on the inside. The trunk space is amazing, considering it doesnt even look like it has a trunk from the outside. The engine makes a lot of noise upon acceleration, but thats the only flaw Ive seen so far. It handles great, it accelerates great (minus the noise) and the interior is smartly designed. I should have no trouble parking this in the city because its compact, but it doesnt feel like that on the inside. Overall Im very impressed on the first day.

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  Great all around car - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By FRANK - September 17 - 5:00 am

  My wife wanted the car, I was not sure about the radical exterior styling at first. Now I love the car as much as she does. Great handling, very roomy, especially the rear seats. Just came back from a 1,200 round trip each way from New York to Iowa, very comfortable; were in the car for two days over 12 hours per day, no problems at all!

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  annoying noises - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By spikey - September 16 - 9:33 pm

  drive very well 4 an suv.handling is excellent.but i hear alot of noises like creaking sound. sound lke loose nuts & bolts. my kids could hear it too

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  Not so happy - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By shooooz - September 16 - 8:23 am

  Bought it new and love the power. Sometimes its fun to drive--too bad its not on the road enough to have tons of fun driving it. Have had issues with the rotors/shaking in the back end, and issues with a creaking sound which has yet to be repaired after the 3rd attempt. Not to mention the two recalls......just hard to have fun owning a car with so many issues. Im disappointed to say the least with Nissans performance on this one!

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  Nissan frontier KC SE 4X4 - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By norm ernst - September 16 - 5:20 am

  Nice tight little truck, but not too little. Ride is stiff/ bouncy, but not bad for the wheel base and it IS a 4X4. Yup, it does have a wide steering radius, but Ill get used to it. Did good when I had 18" of snow in the driveway. Havent had it to the hunting camp (mud) yet, but performance in that arena depends on the teeth on your tires, not the drive train. Comfortable interior, good ergos for the controls. Drove carefully on a road trip and got 22.2 MPG with the cruise set at 65 MPH. Not bad for a 4.0 liter 6 cyl 4X4 w/ auto transmission. I like it a lot, and would recommend it.

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  A commuters delight - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Jason Cilasta - September 16 - 2:43 am

  The vehicle was everything i dreamed about. Though it was tough to get because every dealer was selling them the second they hit the ground. Fireside treated me with the greatest respect and made me want to refer all of my friends. I love the car!

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  So far, so good... - 2008 Nissan 350Z
  By NerveBag - September 15 - 3:43 pm

  Ive had my 2008 Enthusiast Z for a couple of weeks now. So far, I love it! Cant say much about reliability yet, of course, but everything else is good. PROS: F-U-N! It is a blast to drive this car. The engine sounds great, too. You get a 300hp, road-hugging sports car for $30k. Best deal out there. And it turns heads. :-) Plenty of headroom (and Im 64") CONS: Clutch is WAY too long. Theres, like, 4-6 inches of play before it engages. You can hear every speck of dirt hit the rear wheel wells. Kinda annoying. Wheel doesnt telescope, which wouldve made a HUGE difference in leg room for me. Stereos kinda lame. The fun of driving this car easily makes up for any minor nits! Recommend!

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  Happy I went Rogue! - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By Lisa in Boston - September 15 - 7:20 am

  I was looking for an AWD vehicle that was baby friendly (because wow car seats are HUGE), smaller than a fullsized SUV & decent gas mileage all while spending under 30k. I LOVE this car. Still getting used to the differences between it and my Audi A4 (not fair to compare some things) but so far its been great. I expected a little better gas mileage for a 4 cylinder and disappointed that there were no options for V6, climate control or the 360 package (would be nice given the small back window) but that would have pushed the price into the 30s. Im nitpicking because so far I absolutely love it and am glad I chose this over a CRV. Great deals now (fully loaded under $26k, good financing)

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  Nissan Versa Sedan Great Car - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By john cooke - September 15 - 5:53 am

  Bought it the end of March 2009. Just wanted cheap transportation with good gas mileage. Got it. More room than anyone would imagine for a small car. I get 33 MPG in the winter and consistently 37 in the summer. My wife has a Honda Civic. I like the Nissan better. Great car.