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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  stylish - 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
  By pkmcd99 - July 30 - 1:40 am

  Finally an SUV with luxury options at an affordable price. 5 star safety is a welcomed bonus. love my Nissan, glad to rid my Jeep.

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  Nissan-never again! - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By Carl - July 29 - 11:16 pm

  Between 58,000 & 58,500 I had to replace all 6 ignition coils ($490), the Mass Airflow Sensor ($538), the Throttle Response Sensor ($393). The A/T also had to be replaced, under warranty. During the 58,500 miles the A/T was serviced twice and a external cooler installed in series with the factory cooler. I am a preventative maintenance junkie! The transmission failure should never of happened. Nissan is pure junk!! The A/T should of went al least 150,000 miles. The rebuilt replacement has only a 12/12 warranty. I will get rid of this junker before the current warranty runs out! I understand Nissan is now controlled by a French Co. That explains the poor reliability!

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  I love my car! - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By Kim - July 29 - 8:50 pm

  This has been an incredibly reliable car for me. Ive used the heck out of it, skipped oil changes, bounced over some roads I shouldnt have, and driven the poor thing at over 120 mph on back roads in Colorado. Its been on two cross-country trips. It will be four years in December that Ive owned it, and its been fantastic. The only problems Ive ever had with it were caused by other drivers! It has good pickup for a 4-cylinder and handles beautifully. It also has a great, small turning radius, which makes it very maneuverable when necessary.

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  Love Car... without the problems! - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By MYCAR - July 29 - 7:43 am

  We purchased this vehicle in Jan after searching for many months. Had a 6 cyl Ford Windstar minivan, and wanted SUV style w/o the high cost and poor gas milage. After 3300 miles, like other reviewers began hearing rattling noice in driver front side, as well as hesitation when accelerating. Brought back in at 8500 miles, and was told need new transmission! They have had to replace others. I just got the car back 3 days ago, and it STILL hesitates, however rattling is gone, for now. Loved this car, however not sure if its going to last me many more years. Dont roll down the 2 back windows, as air pressure/noise is terrible.

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  A Turkey in the Driveway. - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By Dave180 - July 29 - 1:36 am

  I traded my totally reliable 2008 Honda CR-V in for my Murano. And at less than two weeks old and with 760 miles on the odometer, I was greeted Thanksgiving day with a car that was totally dead. Nothing worked. The dealer told me that I was not the first owner to have this happen. A power module had to be replaced. I lucked out. My car was in the driveway. The car ran perfect up to that point. I drive 80 miles one way to work and hope that the problem doesnt repeat itself while I am away from home. Lets see how well Nissan repairs its cars.

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  Know this! - 2012 Nissan Altima
  By Greg Lucas - July 28 - 2:15 pm

  Overall great car. Would buy again. Some complaints. Road noise is excessive and hard for people to hear you over blue tooth phone calls. Lack of more and placement of 1 usb port is annoying. Would not buy paint shield, leather protection, or warranties.

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  1997 NISSAN SENTRA - 1997 Nissan Sentra
  By dora5 - July 26 - 7:51 pm

  I owned the GXE Automatic for 14 years until my accident, and loved it. There are still many on the road. This was a great car!

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  I wouldnt buy another Nissan - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Lomesh - July 26 - 5:36 am

  Ive had this car for just under 3 years and have had all sorts of problems. First there was this weird "air leaking" noise around the front-passenger side. Second, The exhaust bracket started making noise right around 30,000 miles. By this time I had moved to Dallas and a dealership couldnt figure out what was wrong with it at first. I had to take it back to them like 5 times before they could figure out what was wrong with it. They fixed it and the problem came back within 6 months. Also, about this time, the cover under the sun-roof fell. Now, just around 60,000 miles the air condition stopped worked. I would not buy a Nissan again

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  brakes need help - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By ike isakson - July 26 - 4:33 am

  like the vehicle, many user friendly features . but the brakes squeak every morning backing out of the garage. they also pull once in awhile sometimes left then right. been in shop 3 times for this,--say that it is abs brakes . auto light timer is set for 45 seconds with no adjustment. the remote in my pockets seems to always lock or sound alarm, cant get another remote.left window when partially down seems loose in track. seems like a few corrections could really improve this vehicle.

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  Happy Camper - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Happy Camper - July 23 - 12:26 pm

  I traded my full size 08 Titan 4x4 in on this car because I refused to pay $100 for a tank of gas. Very, very painful decision. But in the end, it was the right decision. I looked at all the economy cars and happily decided on the Sentra. I havent had any problems with my Nissans. This car has nice room for its size (Im 6-4 and 36" inseam), pretty good quality manufacture, good power, 31-33 mpg, and handling is good except I get blown around pretty good in high winds and behind semi-trucks. I got a great deal on this car.