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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  Could be a Great Vehicle, if..... - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By onei - September 13 - 5:16 pm

  My wife and I wanted to get out of the minivan era. This Murano clearly stood out as the top contender for us. It handles very well in all conditions. Has good pickup including climbing hills. The seating is comfortable with the leather seats and touring package. We average about 10k per year and mileage has been acceptable with about 20-21 mpg avg. This car is an eye catcher when its all polished up. Trouble is we cant get more than 30K out of a set of tires. Bose cd is great if it works. Sun visors are a real problem, replaced 4 of them so far. Engine mount cracked. Has been costly to maintain. CVT has performed well but high in maintenance.

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  starting to go! - 1997 Nissan Sentra
  By bianchi - September 12 - 10:00 am

  My sentra has been wonderful up until 120,000 miles. Check eng. light has been on for 3 years and as I get one thing fixed the light comes on again. Given up, just put in 2 new sensors the Mass Air sensor and the Map sensor both were very costly, over 1,000 dollars combined. Check eng. light still on. The car is losing power on hills and when the AC is running. The eng. now is beginning to make a ratteling noise it was fixed before when I put in the new sensors. The car has over 150,000 miles and over all I havent put very much money into it. I will not put any more money into it either. When it dies its gone. Over all its been a great car!

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  Excellent Car for its price - 2000 Nissan Sentra
  By Argoquest - September 12 - 10:00 am

  The car is actually fun to drive. Transmission is very responsive – no annoying downshifts. The engine is a bit noisy. Steering is CRISP; virtually no body roll; tight turning radius; very good road feedback. The car handles well at highway speeds. Two words on brakes – be gentle, or you’ll warp your front rotors in no time. Already had two recalls: faulty crank shaft sensor and defective rims – the dealer took care of both problems and have done an excellent job. One major complaint: the metal under the hood (supporting brackets, heat shields, wire harness brackets, etc) had started to corrode. Mileage is very good – I get consistent 33-34 miles/gallon.

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  maxima - 2003 Nissan Maxima
  By jason t - September 12 - 10:00 am

  good car but many small annoying things

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  1000 Miles on My New Altima - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By gsemike - September 12 - 10:00 am

  Altima 2.5S w conv package. Looked at 6 comp cars w my emphasis on a car that is roomy but not too conservative and a good value. The Camry/Accord are vanilla. Galant is dated. Liked Mazda6 but just wasnt comfortable enough in it. It drove great but was a little too sporty. Sebring was nice and good value but a little too old detroit. The Sonata is the content leader but still feels like cheap car. With 175 hp, head turning styling, content, and size, I got the best $20k sedan out there. It feels solid and drives very nice. Its bigger than it looks but drives smaller that it is. So far, no complaints reliability wise.

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  Great city truck! - 2011 Nissan Titan
  By wgrow - September 10 - 11:33 pm

  This is what I would call a great city truck. The interior features are comfortable and amazing and it has good capacity for doing small hauls. Plenty of acceleration but unfortunately eats gas like it was starving. I havent had a single problem with the truck in 11 months since purchase, but I do not do a lot of heavy duty work with it. Most of the time I am hauling a trailer with Lawn equipment or similar light items over short distances.

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  Has anyone else had this problem? - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By missmyversa - September 8 - 1:08 am

  My 2007 Versa ran like a champ until 4-6 months ago when suddenly while driving would feel as if the car was not responding or had changed gears by itself. I would shift the automatic setting from D to N and back again and that would seem to correct it for awhile. Brakes replaced 2 months ago. Never did feel right, at times had to stomp on brake and still feel occasional loss of control. 12/24/2013 was slowing to a stop as traffic piled up, some ice on road. Car did not respond. With pedal all the way down, no response. Did not spin or fishtail, did not slow, just silently slid under bumper of SUV in front and was destroyed. Never happened for husband or mechanic. Me or car?

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  Solid - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By Lock - September 7 - 10:00 am

  I purchased the 2000 XE 4WD 6 new in July of 2000. I have had no major problems and have gotten excellent service at the Nissan Dealership when a small problem needed addressing. Overall I rate the ride and comfort to be slightly above average though a bit Noisy on the Highway. I was a little disappointed that no factory leather option was available at the time. This would have added more to the cheap looking interior. Sound System is SUBPAR. Overall its a solid vehicle.

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  Not bad for a near 10 y.o. platform - 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Just Bought SE Model - September 7 - 12:53 am

  I purchased this truck about 2 months ago and am pleased with the selection. Cabin is quite spacious esp. in front seats, but rear seats certainly could use more legroom w/wider door opening. Cargo room is excellent and fold-down of rear seat is MUCH easier than everyone makes it out to be. Handling is not bad for a truck, but cant be compared to todays sedan platform- based SUVs (Infiniti FX). Interior noise is minimal w/windows up, and surprisingly quiet even with sunroof open (dont have sunroof visor). Highly recommend this SUV to anyone in the mkt. for a quality used vehicle. Certainly more reliable than a domestic counterpart.

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  Not happy with one thing already - 2016 Nissan Murano
  By Rrrh@ roadrunner.com - September 3 - 5:51 am

  I found a large hump on the front passenger side floor, after calling my local dealer they informed me its part of body style. I have to say who in hell at Nisan thought that was a good idea.