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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  Newbie - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Gary - August 26 - 6:13 pm

  I bought this car last week and still have the new(used)car love affair. I will keep you posted on its performance. Its kind of scary the number of complaints with the fuel pump. After years of having used cars in there teens, I really hope my newer car purchase is a positive one. By the way, first overseas product ever purchased...dont let me down.

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  Gas guzzler - 2003 Nissan Frontier
  By caravantrader - August 26 - 2:00 am

  i am extremely disappointed on how thirsty this truck is. right now i average around 13.5mpg. i previously owned a V8 4wd tundra that had a better fuel mileage than this truck. on trips i would be averaging 15mpg and that is driving conservatively. i am surprised that a truck this small would eat more gas than a bigger v8 truck. (it took me 3 fillups to get back from san francisco to los angeles.) the rockford fosgate sound system is not impressive either. i ended up adding another amp, and replaced the weak subwoofer with better aftermarket items.

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  Still Strong - 1999 Nissan Maxima
  By jackiex - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Ive been driving this car for 30k miles per year for 5years and I have only done the brakes twice and have replaced the clutch at 80k. Its really and ideal car for the type of driving that I do, and it still looks good when its cleaned up. Ill sell this to my niece next fall and she willquite likely get another 50k out of it before any major maintanence is required.

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  Reliable, Luxury + Fun - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Sonia1 - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Have owned Pathfinder SE from 97-01 and now LE since 01...manuvers easily, totally reliable, extra HP on 01 makes driving fun...a lot features are standard (too many to list) on LE with wood trimmings..that makes it an excellent choice..huge trunk space..love it!

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  great car - 2000 Nissan Altima
  By EWilliams - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Bought my GXE new in 2000. The engine is a torquey 4 cylinder that has plenty of power and gets 25mpg. Mine also has 55 series 16" wheels, which offer very good handling. The ride is a bit jiggly, but not too bad. Original tires were awful in the rain and not too good on dry pavement. Once I replaced the tires with Firestone SS- 20s (discontinued now!) it was like night and day. The car has been 100% reliable. Nothing has broken, just regular oil changes and dealer maintenance every 15K. Great reliable car and fun to drive. too bad its ugly! :-)

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  My 1995 Nissan - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By John Good - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Our van has surpased our Chevy Van 20 whith more than 100,000mi and it still runs like new its been all the way from C.A to Canada,even our cousin is imprest becaus there is no oil in the exaust,(The verey secret is you though because if you dont care for any car it will soon become a pile of junk).our Chevy Van 20 only has about 80,000mi and its already needing major overhaul.

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  Love my 2011 Juke but not its Tires - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By jukeownerohio - August 25 - 10:56 pm

  Overall , I love my 2011 Juke with its many features. It now has approximately 25,000 miles and I recently drove it in both moderate rain and several inches of snow. The tires are terrible. I was hydroplaning worse than any vehicle Ive ever had and had to crawl along in the smallest amount of snow. This was in both the variable and full time all wheel drive settings. After reading the many reviews posted about the Goodyear tires that came on the car, Im very disappointed that Nissan would choose these for this vehicle. I live in Ohio so I experience all types of weather conditions and I feel these tires are unsafe with this amount of wear on them.

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  This car rocks!! - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By 2k2MaxSE - August 25 - 5:46 pm

  Plenty of power throughout the powerband. Easily the best combination of sporty/sedan for the $$$. Nice HIDs and exterior styling, although most other drivers will only get a look at the tail lights...

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  Middle-Aged Maxima - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Buck Wheezer - August 25 - 9:40 am

  Drive mostly city. Gear shifting notchy. Only real gripe is the oil consumption that affected 10% of VQ35 engines. Still a fantastic engine.

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  Good value for money - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By alik - August 24 - 10:00 am

  After 9 months and 20,000 miles it has had no mechanical problems. I drive long distances all the time and the Sentra proved to be reliable and comfortable. For $14,500 drive out price, its a great value.