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:

• 

  06 Pathfinder owners beware. - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By nissanlemon - July 8 - 1:46 pm

  I recently purchased a used 2006 Nissan Pathfinder, I usually would not have purchased a foreign vehicle but a lot of people I know were saying what a great product Nissan had. But to my dismay I have found it to be a very expensive piece of junk. I have had the vehicle for 3 months, I paid $16,877.00 for it, it had 91,545 miles on it when I purchased it and I travel 130 miles a day to and from work. I had mentioned to the dealer that I thought that that may be too many miles, he said oh no! Nissans are known to go 250,000 miles or better. I have taken very good care of my vehicles as they are my main mode of transportation. Last week end I was on my way home from CT to MA when all of a sudden I experienced an awful vibration while driving down the interstate, I pulled over and shut the vehicle off and then started it back up again, it seem to be running fine until I tried to move it, it then started to vibrate and shake again. I called my brother who is a mechanic and he came and picked me up and towed the vehicle back to his place on a car trailer. He jacked the vehicle up and saw that the transmission appears to be wet. He then opened the dip stick tube to check the fluid and found the transmission to be full of anti-freeze. I called the dealer and they said they could not do anything because a used car warranty is 1200 miles or 1 month. I was really getting aggravated so I started to search the symptoms on the web, only to find that I am not the only one with this issue, it appears to be a design flaw with the 2006 Nissan Pathfinders and Nissan has not done a recall on them, although they did extend the warranty for the radiator assembly and transmission from 36 months/36,000 miles to 96 months/80,000 miles, including damage, repairs, replacement, and related towing resulting from this issue if you purchase the vehicle new. So this reinforces that they are aware of the issue and that they should recall or make good for the problem. I contacted Nissan Assist and they informed me that there was an issue and that they were aware, I explained that I purchased the vehicle from a dealer and that it was over the warranty mileage and they stated that Nissan may assist me anyways where I had just purchased the vehicle, and that I needed to get the problem diagnosed by a Nissan dealer and the call consumer affairs with the estimate, and they gave me a case number of 7180191. So I did as I was told hoping that Nissan would stand behind their product and assist me. I towed the vehicle to Bertera Nissan in Auburn, Ma. Where they gave me an estimate of $6360.58 to do the repairs, the service person said that this was a common problem and that they would be replacing the transmission and the radiator. I called consumer affairs and gave them the estimate and they said that a regional specialist would contact me within a day; she called me today and said that they would not do anything and that I would have to figure out how to get it repaired on my own. I think that this is very bad PR on Nissan’s part, I know that I would not by your product ever again after only owning one of your vehicles for only 3 months.

• 

  Solid Feel SUV - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Alan L - July 8 - 11:53 am

  Feels very solidly built. Interior not as cheap feeling as others. Does feel narrow though and rear seat could be larger. Horsepower very good. Steering tight making it easy to drive. Buying experience not good, very slick dealerships.

• 

  awesome to drive - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By Miffer3 - July 8 - 9:26 am

  The Z is an eye catcher. I have had other drivers follow me to my driveway to ask about the car. They want one too.I have driven the car for 8 hours at a time with stops only for necessities and did feel a little muscle sore in spots but still had a smile on my face. It is a sports car not a road yacht after all. Changing after the first oil change to synthetic oil did give me two more miles per gallon,giving me on the open road 25 and 26 mpg. One very big complaint, I took delivery of the car from the dealer with the front end out of alignment wearing out the new tires in less then 5000 miles. They have not replaced these tires after waiting 2 months already. This is a factory defect.

• 

  Lots of car for little money - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By loverboy - July 8 - 8:33 am

  Had all intentions to buy a 2009 Corolla S. Test drove a Sentra S. It was excellent! A ton better than the Corolla. It has lots more room and the CVT is quite impressive. Didnt think I would really use the bluetooth and keyless entry, but after a few days I love those features (I opted for the convenience package). Smooth transitions the whole time on the CVT, so far getting great mileage. I got a great deal on my 2008 and am quite happy so far.

• 

  Great Car - 2016 Nissan Altima
  By Denise Shaffer - July 7 - 9:14 pm

  I love my Altima! The gas mileage is fantastic, it is a very comfortable and smooth ride, and its absolutely beautiful. This is my second Altima and they are very reliable and well built.

• 

  2005 (special edition) 1.8L - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By spencer16 - July 7 - 4:39 pm

  We bought this used with only 3000 miles on it. It was about a year and a half old, an old lady must have only driven it to church or something. We have had no problems. It is at about 50k miles and we have done oil changes every 3000 miles and we have not had any problems. The car is pretty gutless on the get go but on my way home from work the dashboard MPG gauge indicated 43 MPG when going 65 MPH (Idaho drivers are slow) but it saves at the pump! The car takes at least 2 turns of the key for it to start but it always starts. Not sure why.

• 

  Early Impressions - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By LPL - July 7 - 8:50 am

  I just purchased my Altima 2 weeks ago, but, so far, I’m thrilled. Nissan wasn’t on my radar initially, but after a good bit of research (mostly on Edmunds), I decided to give it a look. I was really impressed by the overall package, the styling, the ride, the performance are all great considering the overall price. And the gas mileage ratings were as good or better than anything else I was considering, while the 2.5L engine has sufficient pep. It had the most bang for the buck of the vehicles I test drove, by a comfortable margin. Two weeks in, I have no complaints, still quite pleased with the purchase. I’m getting right about 29 mpg, with a mix of commuting and in- town driving.

• 

  I Made it to 140k Miles - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By silentrick - July 7 - 6:47 am

  I have been pretty pleased overall with my 2005 Xterra. I have over 140,000 miles on it and Im just now experiencing major issues with it. Ive had recurring issues with the O2 sensors going out more than once and now I need a new catalytic converter. I wasnt aware of the transmission and radiator issues on the 2005 models until I read this post. As it turns out, I too have an issue with a cracked radiator leaking into my tranny and now I need to replace both. I thought it could have been due to a minor fender bender a few months back but now Im not so sure, especially because I was hit in the rear. Seems like I got lucky to have made it as far as I did on mine.

• 

  Rev Happy V6 - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By NISSANONLY1 - July 6 - 3:13 am

  The truck is very fun to drive it is just the right side for what I use it for. I considered a Titan but it was a little to big for my need. The Frontier is a great truck I would recommend that anyone in the market for a mid size truck take one on a test drive before they purchase another make.

• 

  Great truck! - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By Iceman - July 5 - 3:23 pm

  Nissan engineers did a great job on this truck! The interior has more room than other 4dr trucks. The power is there for hauling / towing. The e- locker on the 4wd/off-road is nice. The body style is good. The sprayed in bed liner and utili-trac is perfect. Im pleased with it and Ive owned several trucks over the years. This is my first Nissan.