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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  Shuddering transmission - 2014 Nissan Pathfinder
  By zborra - July 22 - 4:12 pm

  As others vehicle shudders at low speed but not consistenly and never in the shop and nor did our dearship know or ever heard of this problem. On recent vacation when our car was lowed to the nearest dealership, thats an enitely different story, we mentioned it to the service manager who know exactly what I was talking as soon as I said transmission problems. They have replace two transmissions already with the exact same issue. Conclusion is we mentioned it yet a third time to our local dealership who finally tried some thing revolutionary and looked up the problem on the internet! Finally agreed to address the issue. New transmission being installed as we speak.

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  Great Buy - 1999 Nissan Maxima
  By CT - July 20 - 11:46 pm

  I bought my Maxima GXE used in 03 with 29K miles, and it was the best used car decision I ever made. It is now at 152K miles and still going strong. It has never needed a major repair. I change the oil myself every 3K miles with Pennzoil 5w-30. Repairs includes: CV boot replacements X 2, two O2 sensors, Brakes Pads front & back X 2. I replaced the radio with Sony deck with CD and Ipod wiring located in glove box, installed remote staring and door open unlock system, new speakers front and rear, Chrome wheels and had front bumper, hood and front quarter panels repainted.

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  great truck - 2003 Nissan Frontier
  By shazdaddy - July 20 - 10:00 am

  had to downsize rom dodge ram..miss the horsepower but overall very happy with truck...fells bigger than it is

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  now it is great - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By carpersonvu - July 20 - 3:29 am

  I bought the car in August 2012----I had the vibration at 20 and 40 MPH as reported by a number of people. I worked with cosumer realtions at Nissan---the lady I got was FANTASTIC---after dealing with the dealer who did not know what to do and said it was the CVT, she got a design engineer to drive my car and he told me it was the belt tensioner---the early ones did not have a stong enough spring---they replaced it and the car is now FANTASTIC---it is not the CVT---If you have this problem insist on a new belt tensioner---make sure it is a new one with the new design and you will then love the car as I do.

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  Worse NISSAN EVER Made - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By tiagocosta - July 19 - 8:22 pm

  Where do i start. i have had four generations of nissan maxima 4th 5th 6th and 7th generation maximas. So im talking from experience because i know how the car should opperate and run. But the 2004 nissan maxima SE has to be the worse car ever made by nissan. The timming belt, transmission, coils, shocks, struts, car seats all broke apart every 6 months apart. It seems like the put the car together with tape. Its just very badly designed. I never had any issues with any other car? i still have my 5th and 6th generation maximas running. Dont bother looking at the 2004 maxima. Just jump straight to the 8th generation maxima its worth it.

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  Good SUV fun to drive... - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By Lindsy - July 19 - 9:03 am

  Well I bought mine 2 years ago. Fun to drive..towed a camper..was a little more hard to tow... get pretty good gas mileage about 19mpg.. Went camping in it seats fold down and you can sleep in the back stretched out I am 511 and it worked great! WAS REALLY BAD MUDDING!! Went into a cornfield and got stuck slid all over the place.. Grill FADES and I have a problem with rust already.... But I still really like it and Ill buy another one.

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  fourth Nissan - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By klc523 - July 19 - 4:23 am

  this is my fourth Nissan, as a retired older professional woman I like the reliability and little or no repairs needed on this vehicle.I would appreciate a little more room in the car, the 2004 model is definitely smaller. I love the price.

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  2 years and 20K miles - no major problems so far - 2014 Nissan Altima
  By Robert Harris - July 17 - 5:43 am

  So sorry about all the problems I see from other owners! Mine has been really nice so far. Ride is very comfortable, especially on the highway. There is a bit of road noise from the rear that bothers me on rougher roads, but Im very sensitive to road noise. I think most all newer sedans are geared much sportier than 20 years ago, with stiffer suspensions and lower profile/larger tires, so the Altima had equal to lower road noise than the 2014 Accord, Camry, Sonata, etc. Granted, I did not test drive a Buick : ) Anyways, the Altima is quite a cruiser and handles pretty well also. But it was a great value. I got the SV 4yl for $21,500. Hope mine holds up a bit better than some others on here

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  CVT problems - 2014 Nissan Pathfinder
  By pksuvan - July 17 - 3:37 am

  Purchased in April 2014 (same month vehicle was assembled). I was aware of the CVT issues before purchasing but hoped that Nissan had fixed the problem with newer builds. No such luck. Last weekend the problems began. Shudders, power loss, surging etc.. Pathfinder no longer safe to drive. Nissan replacing transmission under warranty. 19,000km on the odometer. No other complaints with this vehicle.

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  2008 Altima Hybrid - 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid
  By Don - July 15 - 5:26 pm

  I purchased my NAH in June of 2008 and the first thing I wanted to test was to see how it did in the mountains in New Mexico. We took it to Santa Fe and to Cloudcroft and it never hesitated up those mountain slopes getting 33 mpg on average with regular fuel. We went through a huge thunderstorm where many cars pulled over, we drove right through at 55 mph with no problem, great windshield wipers and traction. The Continental tires could be upgraded to a better gripping tire, but most people probably dont do much driving in the mountains. Over all the Nissan Hybrid is a versatile vehicle that will get you around in style wherever you go, hard to find one though.