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 Sunny Day Car - 2000 Nissan Sentra
  By stmcki - July 9 - 10:00 am

  This is a fun car to drive. Its got good get up and go. I like the styling, for a compact car. Great for driving around, when its nice outside. In bad weather or in emergencies, Im not so sure about this car. Had to stop suddenly on the freeway, the front end shook violently. Ive skidded a couple time on wet road.

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  Nissan Sentra 96 - 1996 Nissan Sentra
  By Monica Garcia - July 8 - 2:50 pm

  I depend on this car for local traveling and far traveling. It has been a great car and I will get another Nissan Sentra. My mom has a Nissan Sentra Limited edition and it has been great too. My brother just got another Nissan Sentra 2001 and he is very happy as well.

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  Altimas Look "fine" - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Dennis - July 8 - 12:40 pm

  I bought this used at 61,000 miles and I love the look of my loaded Altima. Its an SE so its great on corners and holding the road. The car looks great! However, It has draw backs with ride and mechanicals. I had a clunking under the hood and I tried to find anything that would make the same noise when I went down the road. I found so much plastic that rattled. Thought for sure Id cure it. But no. It ended up being the strut. Now, 10,000 miles later the left strut is clunking. I also had the brake pedal stick during the winter and the brake lights stayed on and I was stranded with a dead battery. The car is all show. Not a car for a non-mechanical person.

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  Fun, Reliable but THIRSTY - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By EAC J.D. - July 6 - 10:00 am

  SE model with 5-speed manual feels like a sports car. The SE has stiffer suspension and very little body roll Be aware that the 6 CD Bose system cannot be changed to aftermarket without replacing all of the speakers too. FUEL ECONOMY is os bad that I am considering trading in for an AWD car. My only quality complaint is the paint on the body plastics. chips from rocks lead to huge areas of flaked paint with just hose washing. If fuel was less expensive, I would love the Pathfinder a lot more.

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  Better than expected - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Yoh - July 6 - 10:00 am

  I was little bit concerned about quality issue because there were several posts here, however, I did not have any problem at this time. People at Canton began to get used to the line I think. Considering high technology Nissan provided, price setting is reallyl good deal. I am very happy that Nissan has completely revived and began to expand line-ups.

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  Disappointed - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Sjones - July 4 - 11:26 pm

  Within 3 weeks after buying my car, I stopped for gas. After refueling, the car would not start. I tried to contact the consumer affairs number in the owners manual. They stop answering at 5 PM Eastern. I contacted the dealership where I purchased the car. They told me to call one closer to where my car had broken down. No they couldnt tell me where there was a closer dealership. They suggested I "find a phone book." Have you looked for a phone book along the interstate lately? They then informed me that I was "on my own" The next day, I contacted the consumer affairs people at 1-800-Nissan- 1. Confirmed that this is what I should expect.

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  nissan pathfinder LE - 2000 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Rothberg - July 4 - 10:00 am

  Performance acceptable,Handeling excellent,much better than 97 explorer & 94 grand Cherokee. ride is truck like-seats much more comfortable in the explorer.construction is far superior than the other two vehicles. i have 55000 miles & the body is solid & the engine very s

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  nissan maxima - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By terry smith - July 1 - 9:26 pm

  love my nissan. steering jerky and nissan will not let you add options

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  Almost Perfect - 2008 Nissan Titan
  By travjess05 - June 29 - 8:40 am

  This truck is amazing! Everything about it says power, styling, comfort.

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  Major and Minor issues - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By EJM - June 27 - 8:00 pm

  OK for the first year. Issues with quality include a broken gas latch and hood release, which the dealership said wasnt under warranty. No big problem until the CVT started acting up with less than 40K miles. Seems to get stuck in a high gear and has NO acceleration/power when starting out and sometimes after Ive stopped at a light. Makes left turns very dangerous as there is literally no acceleration despite my foot being on the floor, RPMs up near red line. My wife couldnt even back out of our drive as it didnt have enough power to make it up the hill despite trying for almost 10 minutes. Dealer wont fix the problem b/c they cant get it to register a problem on the computer.