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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  First Time Nissan Buyer - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By Tom Neston - October 25 - 2:00 am

  Nissan Sentra Was Going To Be A Cross Country Road Trip From New Jersey To California. Plus A Trip From New To Key West Florida. During The First 4 Months That I have owned The Nissan Sentra It has performed wonderfully, without any problems. I purchased It on June 29, 2002 And Today It Is November 28, 2002. The Auto has 25,000 Miles on it and the next trip will be to Seattle, Washington and Bownsville, Texas. Great Small Car.

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  Magic in Orlando - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Magic in Orlando - October 25 - 12:43 am

  I traded in my gas guzzling 06 Frontier for the 07 Versa. I test drove other similar sized autos and nothing else compares (Yaris, Aveo, Fit, Focus). Very sturdy handling, CVT provides "flying carpet" ride - very smooth. Interior appointments make driving bearable. Though I took a hit for trading in the 06 so soon, still have lower payments and gas costs and consider it a great decision.

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  Great car! - 1997 Nissan Maxima
  By bemmoftn - October 24 - 9:26 pm

  I loved this car from day 1, and I still love this car on day 4,655. It has always been a reliable car, never let us down. Nissan may not have built the most beautifully designed Maxima in 1997, but it sure built a fun to drive, sturdy one. We finally decided to buy a new one, and let this one go to someone else. We couldnt buy any other car. We bought a 2010 Maxima.

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  Love the Gizmo - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By Johnboy from NY - October 24 - 6:13 pm

  Ive had the Crew Cab Nismo (a.k.a. Gizmo) for 5 months now. Its one of the most fun to drive trucks that Ive ever had. I was a little worried about the Nismo off-road package while on the road, but the stiffer suspension is fine in all but the roughest pot hole highways, where your back-end will try to beat out the front end at speed. The only imperfections that Ive had is a rattle in the dash when its cold ( I havent dropped it off for repairs until it stays cold so they can hear it), and the rubber stops on the tailgate fall off easy. I am RTVing them on when the replacements get here. Overall, I love the truck. I get an average of 16.5 mpg in town and 20 on long highway trips.

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  2005 Titan: Quality is now there - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By mutthead52 - October 24 - 4:23 am

  With 1000 miles on Feb 05 build date CC LE 4WD fully loaded (everything possible) Titan, Im happy to report I have had perfect quality and performance so far. None of the well- known initial quality glitches have shown up, and my Feb 05 truck was cleared of all known TSBs except the "permanent" brake fix, which is still reported to be a couple of months away. Mileage is not good, but already better than the Denali AWD it replaced, or its stablemate Audi S6. DVD, Satellite radio, Nav., RF radio all perform perfectly. Time and more miles may yet tell a different story, but as of now I can assure 05 buyers that Ghosne and the Nissan team appear have cleaned up the situation completely.Go for it.

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  Great Crossover w/All Wheel Drive - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By Mark in Mass - October 23 - 2:50 pm

  Ive had 3 Maximas, an Altima, a 300ZX, a Datsun 240Z and a Sentra, so Im a true Nissan customer. I wanted an AWD Maxima but none offered yet and I wasnÂ’t going to an Acura. I tried the LE and fell in love. 2,000 miles later, IÂ’m still very happy. The driverÂ’s door open button stopped working, but IÂ’ll have that addressed on my first maintenance visit. IÂ’m very happy with the vehicle and I get a lot of compliments on its looks.

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  Best car Ive ever had - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By EllieM - October 23 - 10:00 am

  I wont change this car for a fully loaded, most expensive high end car!

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  Best truck ever - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Jose Luis Mondragon - October 23 - 10:00 am

  Finally I truck worth driving. I was shopping around for a long time but after lookin into Nissans new Titan there was no doubt about it that it was the best Ive seen in trucks.

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  The best car I have ever owned - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Kris918 - October 23 - 10:00 am

  I had a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder which I had nothing but problems with. I went to Riverhead Automall and I fell in love with the Altima, I get easily over 400 miles to a tank of gas. The car is comfortable to drive and feels like you in a cadillac! At first I was scared going back to driving a car , after owning my Altima for 3 months i would not trade for any SUV.

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  Not our first choice - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Jim Anderson - October 22 - 11:20 am

  My wife and I were shopping for a Grand Cherokee. After looking at the Cherokee, we crossed the street to take a look at the Pathfinders. It did not take long for us to fall in love with this SUV. The Pathfinder pretty much sold itself.