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:

• 

  Affordable SportsCar ruined by Dealer - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By frans - July 17 - 10:00 am

  Besides the little problems, (Tire Noise, Bad window motor, bad, CV joint, all fixed under warrantry)This is a very good Sports car, If you are looking for a Luxury Sports car, go to BMW. I bought a Touring Z with the Nismo Exhaust and the sound this car makes is unbelieveable. Just watch out for the bad Dealers, I had to switch to different Dealers because my orginal dealer was charging me for things under warranrty (LEGEND NISSAN (LONG ISLAND)HAS THE WORST SERVICE DEPARTMENT)

• 

  Crashing these - 1999 Nissan Pathfinder
  By CrashTestDummy - July 17 - 10:00 am

  I want to mention the "tippiness" of the SUV. Id noticed this prior, and although I know not to speed around curves and live deep in the country, I hit one a little too fast to swerve for animals- which I ended up doing. The truck smashed into trees on drivers side, swerved too hard,went across the road, rolled over about 2/3 onto the roof, hit a tiny hill,righted itself & smashed the passenger side into a group of small trees. I had my seatbelt on & my child wasnt in the car.ALL THAT HAPPENNED TO ME WERE LARGE PAINFUL RIB BRUISES from the seatbelt. EVERY window was smashed and the passenger roof partially crumpled. You could not open the doors.

• 

  LE 4x4 Notes - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By UTAH Bill - July 17 - 10:00 am

  I was looking at the Denali, Escalade, and the Armada. IMHO, the LE Armada is the best value in this segment. The Infiniti version was nice but had bells and whistles (and a higher sticker) I dont need. The engine/tranny combination is perfect. And, the V-8 sounds like a V-8 should. Though some have thought the suspension to be a bit firm, my wife likes the fact this SUV does not wallow in turns like other big SUVs tend to do. It really does drive "smaller than it looks." The controls/gadgets are less complicated and easier to master than I thought they would be. Ive already added mudflaps and taken off the roof rack.

• 

  Excellent - 2004 Nissan Altima
  By Francis Munley - July 17 - 10:00 am

  The car that I bought is a 2005 2.5s Altima.This car rides like a dream.In my opiion it looks like a German made car with 15.000 less price tag. In June I took this car through ten states (3,000)miles. It handled the highways like adream for a 4 clylinder.The comformt was unveliable.

• 

  Best Car I have ever owned - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Bradford518 - July 17 - 10:00 am

  I own 2 Nissan Sentras, They are way above the competition in reliabilty, price and comfort. The drivers seat is more comfortable than Toyota corolla, or Honda civic and it costs less.

• 

  Great little car! - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Dave Brenneman - July 17 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for about 3 weeks now and im loving it completely. This is my first new car, and im so glad i went with the SE-R its quick, fun to drive, great handling, i got the audio fanatic pacakage and that is so worth it, the sound in that car is so awesome, and the 2.5L engine is like a mini V6. Great HP and Torque make acceleration fun and easy. The gas mileage is ok, it runs about average with other cars. Overall, If you want a small sporty car thats affordable and fun to drive, id suggest it to anyone looking for a car like this!

• 

  comfort - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By mahogonysworld - July 17 - 10:00 am

  the best vehicle i ever had.as for as comfort, best for family size. plus i can go shopping take my three kids;plus get the grocery at once.the best thing i feel it handles the road.

• 

  we luv our X - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By d and v - July 17 - 10:00 am

  this suv is amazing . it rides so comfy..looks are awesome.steers and drives so steady.went shopping for pickup and was so impressed with this Xterra, we bought it instead. thank you

• 

  Test Drive it First - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Shaky Wheel - July 17 - 10:00 am

  Be sure to test drive the car you purchase. I made the mistake of test driving one vehicle and during the paper signing process I decided to switch to a different color car. I did not test drive the new choice as I assumed the car would ride the same as the one I had already driven. I was wrong...the steering wheel shook and vibrated mainly between 45 and 65 mph. I took the car back 4 times and was given the run around. The dealership said they didnt know how to fix the problem so they kept balancing the tires. I went back and forth with Nissan consumer affairs and finally received a new set of tires that appear to have fixed the problem. Other than

• 

  First Japanese Car - Extremely good - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By David Headspeath - July 17 - 10:00 am

  No problems at all, great car to drive has the pull and the style coupled with luxury feel. Check it out, no more LexMercInfins this car is up there. Satisfied Driver