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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  Loved it, Until Mr. Bad Tranny came knocking!! ACCORD CROSSTOUR looks pretty interesting right about now... - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By dribentley - August 6 - 3:49 am

  I loved this car, still do, but this whole jerking, hard shifting between gears is upsetting. I just got to 61,000 miles!!! This is a poorly built transmission, and I have seen hundreds of consumer complaints about this issue. The turning radius sucks big time. The look of the vehicle is fierce and awesome. I love sporty, masculine looking cars and the Maxima has that going for it. I could never see my hubbie driving my old Honda CRV. I pray Nissan will reach out to us soon and repair a damaged relationship with its 2004-2006 Maxima owners w/tranny issues. Ive already made up my mind to trade it in for the ACCORD CROSSTOUR and have discouraged others from the Maxima as well.

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  Love the car, but watch for the whine - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By mushin9 - August 5 - 3:38 pm

  Just purchased a 2013 Altima 3.5 SL. Aboslutely love the car for the $. Did an extended test drive and fell in love. BUT, didnt purchase the car I test drove. Apparently there is a low-pitched whine that is linked to the power steering that some of the Altimas have and others dont. The test car didnt. It can only be heard clearly when the windows are up and the radio is off. But once you know its there its almost impossible to ignore. Recommend turning on the car and listening before purchasing.

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  This is the third one. - 2010 Nissan Frontier
  By M.E. - August 5 - 1:43 pm

  I grew up driving old stick shift PUs. And I use a PU as a PU. This is my third King Cab with 4cyl/5 spd manual. Mpg with proper use of manual is a pretty steady mid-20s, up or down a few mpg depending on driving conditions and brand of gas, and reliability seems to be a given. Im not going to bad mouth other small pickups out there. Ive driven them and used them and a couple of them I really liked. But when the time came to fork over the money for a new one, I just couldnt bring myself to do it for anything other than what I think is best of breed.

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  I love this truck! - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Randy - August 5 - 12:46 pm

  Almost 20,000 miles now. I leased this truck last May kind of as a birthday present to myself and have loved it ever since! It is my first truck, but I have driven many as I grew up on a farm. I love that it does have a more city look to it since I feel more like a city kid than a farm kid. My country inlaws joke about it coming from a cracker jack box, but quickly quiet down when they hear my engine roar as they eat my dust. My inlaws all have trucks, diesel dodges, v8 dodges, diesel fords, and my dad has a chevy duramax. My titan by far outperforms when it comes to sheer speed and handling. It also tows like a banshee for a v8. Hey dodge driver, do my taillights work? I LOVE THIS TRUCK!

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  Priced right in class - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By Chuck - August 5 - 8:13 am

  In comnparing to Tacoma, seating more comfortable, priced about $2K less. Spray in bedliner. MPG 19.3, great acceleration, roomy enough

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  AVOID ALL VERSAS AT ALL COST!!! - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Sandy M - August 5 - 2:20 am

  I bought this car new in 2008. I do all smooth country road driving and very little city driving. After 80,000 miles until now with 122,000 miles I have had to replace the rocker arm (cracked at 80,000 miles), new muffler (hole from corrosion at 80,000), front coil spring broke just sitting in the parking lot (110,000 miles - now they just put a recall on that, which entails Nissan taking off my much thicker new springs and replacing it with theirs, if I want my $1,200 back that I had to payout.), my passenger handle paint is bubbling off, driver door handle sticks in the summer time (it wont spring back when pulled), have to replace the hood latch under the hood now, because it wont close after numerous times of even praying lubricant on it, back seat wouldnt go down until I had to lubricant that to death and many more little crap! I have never had a vehicle with so many problems that shouldnt be a problem until 200,000 miles. I cant change my own plugs... Because you have to drain the antifreeze to take off a cover to get to the #4 plug. AVOID ALL VERSAS! Neighbors have a 2011 and 2013... Nothing but problems for them also.

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  Love It! - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By dlackey - August 4 - 4:50 am

  We got a Super Black SL w/Preferred Package. For those of you who are trying decide between the Box Cars, keep the Cube on your list. I feel the reviews by the "pros" are forgetting who the real-world drivers are or something, but the Cube is really a pretty nice vehicle, especially for under $20k. The car is plenty powerful enough to get off the line and into traffic on the freeway. Body roll is not as bad as the reviewers led me think and visibility is amazing. Additionally, it turns on a dime. We dont like the currently styling of the xB or the Soul compared to the Cube. Were wrapping the Cube for advertising purposes and we feel the styling of the Cube will an attention getter.

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  2005 Nissan Altima SER - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By mark knudsen - August 4 - 4:30 am

  this is my 2nd altima the other was a 2002 3.5 SE, the improvements on the vehicle are awesome the ser seats are very supportive and very comfortable. The horsepower is truly amazing, also is fun to drive

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  Super sporty. - 2013 Nissan Juke
  By Big Ron - August 3 - 2:19 pm

  This is a great small crossover. Fast in sport mode good on gas nice ride and is so Koop looking .

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  Looks Great, Drives Even Better ! - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By JFM - August 3 - 3:40 am

  What can I say about this car ? If the styling doesnt get you, the performance will! I purchased mine fully loaded w/o the GPS and havent stopped smiling since. The interior is slightly cramped but other than that, its awesome (I love the heated seats) I have no reservations recommending this car to anyone !