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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  SIMPLY THE BEST MOTOR AND TRANNY - 2007 Nissan Xterra
  By ro-ads - December 24 - 4:36 pm

  wELL I have had my X since july o7.. I drove it for 6 months stock..... simply fell in love with the power and smooth tranny it came with. Cheap, simple easy to use utility vehicle. Some cheapy plastic interior finishes but all the door jams are solid. Great box fram + exceptionally strong precision motor with state of the art shifting capabilites = one capable vehicle.......now if they had only remembered the suspension!!!!!!!!!!! THIS AMAZING VEHICLE WAS LACKING ONE THING THAT SHOULD OF BEEN CONSIDERED. mORE TRAVEL PLEASE. STOCK IT HAS LETS SAY 6" INCHES OF TRAVEL. 3" EACH WAY UP AND DOWN...............GIVE IT 10 - 14 7" EACH WAY ANY REALLY CONQUER ANYTHING YOU GIVE IT.BUY IT

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  It aint half bad! - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By v - December 24 - 10:00 am

  It deserves North American Car of the Year

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  Brand New Murano - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By Car Krazy Ken - December 22 - 6:40 pm

  Looked at reviews for months. Wanted the SL but once I drove the SE I was hooked. Not 1 squeak. Very smooth acceleration. So far gas milage has been around 15MPG around town. Want to know the milage press the button and it will tell you. Controls are easy to figure out. Basically I love this Car / Truck. Not sure what it is! :)

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  My Xterra - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By Denise - December 22 - 12:26 am

  I love this truck. I would by another one in yellow this time. It is one of if not the best vehicle I have ever owned. Only tire and breaks in 4 years. Once suggestion, gas mileage. It is horrible. It states 16-20 Im lucky if I get 13 mpg. This needs attention especially in todays gas pricey world. Other than that I look forward to another 4 years in this truck. thanks Nissan

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  Would buy one again - 1999 Nissan Altima
  By Lomagirl - December 21 - 1:13 pm

  Id take this car refurbished over a new one. 5-speed manual shifts okay (except balky in 1st), plenty of spunk. Okay w/ routine maintenance but last 5 years had to replace alternator (w/ core charge refund it wasnt much), belt tensioner, and radiator (less than $100, home installation). Have had suspension work done. Factory tires were weak link. Trunk space is good and very comfortable positioning for short driver (Im 52"). Now at over 150,000 miles starting to show its age but I still love this car.

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  Cool Car - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By luvin350style - December 21 - 10:00 am

  Great Car, fun fun fun

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  Good truck but some problems - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By mikev83 - December 21 - 6:06 am

  My Nissan Titan is a good looking truck with lots of power and plenty of room in the cab for 5 large adults. I have been generally pleased with the performance but have had some reliability issues. The first problem was with a shuddering caused by the front brakes. The dealership replaced the front brakes. The next thing that happened was the paint on the steering column started flecking away by the radio controls. Just a couple of months ago the AM portion of the radio failed and Nissan wouldnt replace it (the cost to replace the radio is over $1,000 since the radio is part of the CD).

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  Been a great car so far - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Halbergrada - December 18 - 7:23 pm

  I have put 57,000 miles on my Altima. Right now Im sitting at just under 75,000 miles. So far I have not had any major maintenance issues and the car has been very reliable. I did have to replace the brakes at 45k miles and the tires at 50k, which I think is pretty reasonable. Its not using a drop of oil. I do have one annoyance. My drivers window switch is going out and sometimes it takes a few tries to get my window to stay up.

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  nice car, needs to be smoothed out - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Aboy - December 17 - 2:00 am

  Great performance, beautiful styling, but still a little rough around the edges. Accelerator is a bit jumpy< and we had a few minor problems with wind noise on the highway and trunk release> rear shocks are squeaky> all in all however< a fun car>

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  Nice car but little bit TOO basic - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By ShortnSassy - December 17 - 1:36 am

  We already have a car payment, so we decided to get just the basic Versa with only air condition and auto transmission add-ons. When it comes to Nissans basic, be careful because there are a few things we didnt notice until after buying the car. No way to adjust the side mirrors from inside, no clock and the thing that we were most disappointed about is, there is no key hole on the passenger side. You cant unlock the door from the passenger side! What if someone parked so close to your drivers door that you couldnt get in? Well, then your out of luck because theres no other way to get in the car.