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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  CVT , CVT, CVT, NISSAN WRONG DECISSION! - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By eric - January 31 - 3:28 am

  my first big issue of this car is the interior space, its so small, nissan squeezed this car unbelievably, cant understand why really, every position in this car is so small, driver position is definitely the worst position in this car, such a huge console why?, what was the purpose of this? if you are trying to put stuff like that u have to make more room in this car, unacceptable! second issue, this car should paired with regular automatic transmission like infiniti does, but not CVT, its a big mistake, its killing all the power of this beautiful engine, such a disaster with that CVT! the gas mileage actually stay way behind what nissan is saying, with 300hp engine should never be paired with CVT!

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  Annoying and Reliable - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By Jessica H. - January 29 - 5:58 pm

  The best things about this car are how reliable it is and the decent gas mileage. I use the CD player a lot for audio books, and it is also easy to park because it is small. But thats where the good stuff ends for me. The plastic steering wheel is very slippery. For me, a steering wheel cover is a must. Every day I wish the car had power locks and windows. I hate that to open the hatchback I have to manually unlock the driver door. I hate the extremely poor lighting inside the cab. I have to use a flashlight to see anything inside the car at night (except for the panels that light up only when the headlights are on). All four of the hubcaps fell off during driving. Road noise is extremely loud on the highway. I feel every little bump in the road. I didnt realize how much that bothered me until one day I started swerving around manhole covers in the street to stop from jarring myself. The A/C freezes my fingers on the steering wheel, but thats as far as it goes towards cooling the cab. Im on my second key, and its starting to feel mushy because of all the wear it gets from unlocking the door so many times a day. The Versa keys are the expensive $80 keys. The brakes, although good, make squeaky noises when backing up (like, out of the driveway). The car also makes squealing noises when making tight turns (like, in a parking lot). Ive been driving it to-and-from work and around-town for five years now, and all the little annoyances have finally gotten me to start looking for a new car.

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  MPG not as Advertised - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By mpgreview - January 29 - 5:16 pm

  The major issue is that we are getting 23 to 25 MPG in the City and no better than 30 to 32 on the Highway. This falls far short of the rated 27/38 that is heavily promoted by Nissan. I did a lot of research on this before buying to make sure there weren’t any issues with stated MPG. I don’t believe anyone is getting over 27 in the city unless they are doing a lot of coasting. Nissan has looked at the vehicle 3 times and as of the last visit said they also got 23 MPG but found no mechanical issues with the vehicle. The dealer recommended that I contact Nissan Consumer Affairs. They said that temperature and using the A/C will reduce MPG. Car should be rated for 25/30 at best.

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  Am I the only one with this problem? - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Anthony - January 28 - 10:16 am

  The car was great for the first 30,000 miles. Yes the engine is noisy but bearable. Before the 30k I was getting around 410 miles per tank of gas. Then I noticed I was only getting 270 miles to the tank! I have been riding with this terrible fuel economy for 10,000 miles now. I filed a complaint with Nissan Corp. right after I noticed this downfall and they still havent helped me. Unfortunately the warranty ended when it hit 36,000 miles so they say nothing can be done about it now even though I filed it before the warranty was up. The car has been a nightmare ever since this happened and now recently the gas light stays on even when I fill up the tank.

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  A Lemon in the Making - 2003 Nissan Maxima
  By Dave00 - January 26 - 10:00 am

  This car was the most disappointing purchase of my life. During its early months, it had brake, electrical system and ignition faliure. The car spent most of its ealry life in the shop (with only some of the repairs being covered under warranty). When I took the car in (at 4000 miles complaining that the power windows made lots of noise when trying to raise and lower them, I was told that I should deal with it as "all cars are unique"). Great service, eh?!? I just recently sold the car (which has almost NO resell value, by the way) and purchased an Acura TL. If you want power AND quality, Acura is the way to go.

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  never again will i buy nissan - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By dukebdevil08 - January 19 - 6:51 am

  had this car for two years and from the beginning I had to replace the ecu withing three months.had to replace the 02 sensor twice.had to replace the fuel pump and the transmission control module..spent more time having repairs done on the car than I had driving it..these cars have had major recalls on them and mine had three which were for the airbag,the butterfly bolts on the cat back and the ecu..now I own a mazda and I love it..sorry Nissan but never again will I ever buy one of your vehicles..

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  Overrated - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By trun - January 17 - 8:14 pm

  Car looks great from the outside but as soon as you step foot on the inside, it is a piece of crap. I had a 2009 Altima and regret every day that I ever traded it in for a 2013. The back up camera is absolutely atrocious! You cant even see out of it. There is a rattling in the roof that will not stop. The navigation is horrible. My 2009 navigation/camera system was WAY better than this horrible 2013. When I brought it to Nissan with these complaints they said that I needed to check my surroundings anyways and basically admitted this camera was pointless. I am VERY disappointed with this purchase. I will not buy a Nissan again because of the swindling I felt like I had received.

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  Up date - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By electricnow - January 11 - 2:38 pm

  In my old review I complained about the CVT. Now at 13.450 miles the Mexico made battery failed. I guess they saved a couple of bucks on those though. Didn`t matter they are not covered under warrenty any way.

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  Not all it is cracked up to be - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Farseer - January 7 - 9:00 am

  OK it looks nice. Here is a run down, ride home from dealership, TPMS came on, would not go off even though tires properly inflated. Returned to dealer, had to schedule appointment & wait & wait. Purchased replacement parts on line, it was faster than waiting in the lobby all day. Still not able to break 24 MPG even though I drive 75% uninterrupted highway miles every day. Estimated 33 MPG is just that, an estimate -"your cars mileage may vary, we cannot guarantee that you will get the stated performance." Also the car lags in the 25-35 mph range when accelerating like you suddenly started towing something behind your car.

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  The right rear door - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Mardi - January 6 - 9:30 pm

  In two months my car has been back 4 times for the same right rear door problem. It intermittently decides to not latch, leaving the door to slide front and back while driving. Very unreliable after 3 years of a good relationship.