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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  Excellent value for the money, still looks modern - 2002 Nissan Quest
  By blockmachining - December 10 - 10:29 pm

  Pros: Value, dependability, comfort Cons: Watch the plastic sliding door handles Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9 We bought the van new in April, 2002. We now have 118K miles on her. The only unscheduled problem we have had was the axle boots ripped open around 62K miles, so we replaced both axles. This repair was completely unexpected as the vehicle is always garaged and not abused. When it hit 105K, I changed the timing belt, water pump (preventive maintenance only...no issues at the time, just easy to get to while the timing belt was off), drive belts and spark plugs. She continues to run like a champ. We have the SE model which improves handling; however, you can definitely feel the bumps when you hit them. We get between 20 and 21 miles per gallon driving a 50/50 mix of highway and city driving. Right now, the only issue we have is the radio display fades in and out which is a common problem on these vehicles. There is a cheap repair where you resolder the power supply lead on a circuit board inside of the radio. Right now, its not bad enough to mess with so we are leaving it alone. We have the captains chairs in the middle row which is comfortable for the kids. We also have the overhead video player which the kids love. We, the grandparents, love it to. Just turn it on and the kids will not make a sound except for needed bathroom breaks and the Im hungry, feed me calls. The van came with Goodyear tires which lasted approximately 40K miles. Then we put on a set of Yokohama Avid Touring S tires which lasted almost 65K miles. These were really quiet tires; however, the weight of the van made the tires look underinflated. We now have on General Altimax RT tires which ride and handle excellent. They also appear to support the weight of the van a little better. Its too early to tell about tread wear but right now, it looks like they will last approximately 50K miles or so. The vans sliding door handles are a weak spot when the doors are frozen. Do not use these handles to break open the frozen door. Just grab the handle, pull on it until the door lock unlatches, then grab the body of the door and pull on it to break the ice holding the door closed. The handles are only plastic and cannot handle the pressure required to break the ice. I learned this the hard way. I like the white background on the instrument cluster found in the SE vans. They look really cool during the day and are easily legible during the night. The sound system is really good for a van. The SE came with the sub speaker system which gives it a little thump! I have used nothing but synthetic oil in the engine since it was new. It will burn approximately 1 quart of oil every 5K miles. I also have my oil analyzed at Blackstone Labs every 7.5K when I do the oil change. So far, engine wear is below the average level for this engine. I attribute this to the synthetic oil usage. I dont use the high dollar Mobil 1 or other high performance synthetic oils. I just use the Walmart brand synthetic since this is not a high performance engine. I used Mobil 1 in my 90 Nissan 300ZX twin turbo because this engine was a high performance engine and was often ran very, very hard. If you use synthetic oil, you can run this oil for the full 7.5K oil change interval recommended in the owners manual. There is no need to change it every 3K miles like the oil companies recommend. They really like to see you spend your money for their oil! Im going to change the transmission oil filter and oil when she hits 120K just to be safe. I have not had to touch the exhaust system so far, which is almost hard to believe. The muffler still looks and sounds good and the stainless still exhaust piping should last the entire life of the van. The van has a high performing AC system and the heat is warm within just a mile or two of starting out. There a few rattles in the sliding doors and rear hatch when you hit a fairly large bump, but its not too bad. The van is definitely past middle age, so what would you expect? I have some rattles now, too. I hope this review helps you. If you can find a good used Quest van, Id recommend it. No, you will not get a polished van like what is produced today. But you will save approximately 30K dollars if you were to buy a new one. Good luck.

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  Hanging on by a thread - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By sparrow1257 - December 10 - 11:49 am

  I love the car but will never purchase another Nissan. I bought the car new and starting at 15k miles the repairs started and never ended: tensioned assembly replaced three times, all brake assemblies replaced at 25k miles, transmission and radiator replaced due to fluid peeking into the transmission, cracked transfer case, bad veil and oil sending units, abs assembly on the driver side completely failed, coolant leaking onto passenger side firewall. Fortunately I purchased the 100k extended. I have 105k miles on the car. My total out of pocket for the past year would have been $18k if not for the warranty!! That is a new car! Nissan also damaged car during repairs and refused to pay.

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  I LOVE MY MURANO!!! - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By gaelob - December 7 - 10:00 am

  I really love this car. It is fun to drive, confortable and very cool. I have one in copper and people are contantly coming up and asking me about it. Murano owners must be grat salespeople for Nissan! It does not get good gas mileage, however. Dont believe 18-24MPG. More like 16-19MPG tops. That aside - its a great vehicle.

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  blackmini - 2001 Nissan Quest
  By mymini - December 5 - 6:53 pm

  This has been a very reliable vehicle for my family. Ive had very few problems with it. Most problems has been in the door locks or hardware.

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  Love it BUT rims stink - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By armywife41709 - December 5 - 5:13 am

  Now here is the think! I have had this car since it had 13 miles on it! Now 3 yrs old and 47,500 miles later. I have bent 4 rims on this things! I know I know its not a manufacture issue but this stinks! It cost $200 per rim to replace through a private person and $600 through a dealership! Other than that I love the car minus the front cup holders. Just like everyone else. You put your cup in and it hits the cd player. Now that Im married and have a child the car is getting too small. I cant get more than 3 people in comfortable. Im trying to sell my car and get something else but cant because I still owe way too much!

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  In Love even after 200,000-Xlint - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By ER - December 2 - 8:53 am

  Wow. First of the yellow ones off the line in 1999, Bought with 6k mi for $17,000. Now have 200k. First 100k, this trucks ride was rock solid without ANY unscheduled repair - amazing. My American trucks prior never did this. Even at 150k, this truck rode like a car - nice. Now the poor thing is a clunker-cant fix suspension. But it starts every morning, most reliable. Our S420 Mercedes was completely falling apart (interior especially) after 100k, long sold. Frontier hangs on-no broken interior parts even though parts are thin. 6 yrs of 2 kids in back have left no broken features. People ask if the yellow paint is new every time I wash (rare) and I havent waxed in years. Amazing performance

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  Fun with some flaws - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By JMP - December 2 - 4:23 am

  Ive owned the Pathfinder going on 3 years and have had no major problems or issues. I do the regular maintenance visits and so far nothing out of the ordinary. Im in awe of the Bose 10 speaker system, it sounds better than most out of the box systems Ive heard. The look is great, the ride is fun and if somethings are tweaked can be a pleasure to own. This SUV is the third one I have owned (had a CR-V and Cherokee) and is the best of the bunch, but also the biggest gas guzzler of the lot. But I enjoy the power and responsiveness when I drive, so it makes up for its short comings.

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  Great alternative for minivan shoppers - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Dan - December 1 - 1:03 pm

  My wifes first choice was a 2005 Odyssey. I was fine with it till we saw this magnificent SUV. We were sold, other SUVs wouldve cost a lot more for the kind of car we got. Almost everything is great in this car, good steering feel, nice breaks, lots of airbags and most of all, we love the ext. design. We got an aftermarket leather, its not as good as the orig but its FREE(no heaters though). Second row space is a little short of leg room and the 3rd row, dont try to squeeze people there thats over 55" tall. Not unless you really dont like them. The V6 power is never short, step on it and itll give you all you want. The trany is flawless while in motion. Climate contrl is wonderful

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  love it!! - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By paula - December 1 - 10:00 am

  everyone in my family LOVES to drive the car. Only problem - it is so much fun to go really really fast!!

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  Not for introverts... - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Aldee - December 1 - 10:00 am

  Traded in 02 Altima which was great car. Fell in love with the rear end design and 265 HP. Feels like 295. This from a Buick Grand National owner.