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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  A couple of exceptions - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Bubbaschill - June 29 - 11:06 am

  Overall, impressed with the entire package (HP/Torque, Interior, Styling and Price (bought the Pathfinder at invoice - thanks to the pricing info. on the Edmunds site!)We have had the vehicle for over 3 months and have driven approx. 7K miles. During that time, we have had the vehicle into service 3x for an "intake clatter" (sounds like a diesel) under load at 1.5K - 2.5K RPM. The dealers service department cant remedy the problem (blames being "behind the curve" on the new 4.0 engine)which is very frustrating. Other problems were the housing of the interior brake light fell off and w-shield sprayer inoperable. I hope they can remedy the "clatter" problem. Aside from that, love the vehicle

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  Love my X!! - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By SciFiChick - June 28 - 9:46 pm

  I love my X. Bought it in 2006 after a lost love affair with BMW. Had an X3 which I traded for the X-Terra. The X-Terra blows away the BMW. Love the stereo, though suggest if you like Sirius, get it factory installed. Love the seats, love the handling. There is a little paint drip mark on the rear gate, but I am a nitpicker. Handles like a dream, and, where flooding is prevalent, it skims over most anything. Highly recommend this SUV to anyone looking for a sporty, fun drive. Get the SE, or the Off- Road. Power doors/locks make the difference. Need to upgrade (too many guests in the car), cannot bring myself to get rid of my X-Terra.

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  Is anyone else having this problem - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Don - June 28 - 3:50 pm

  I really do like my 2.5S, but when accelerating from a stop, between 25-45 mph there is a noticeable missing and loss of power. The dealerships service dept. could find nothing wrong with it, and suggested that I had gotten some "bad gas." I upped the octane from 87-89 before they even suggested this. One of the reasons I bought the car was for its good gas mileage. If I end up having to buy super premium gas for it to run well, I have defeated my purpose. Also, there is little lumbar support in the drivers seat which makes long drives uncomfortable. Otherwise, I really like the car...

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  A fun little 4 cylinder...2 year lease - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By MD - June 28 - 1:23 am

  Ive owned this car for almost a couple years and have had zero problems with it. Regular maintenance at the dealer but no surprises of any kind (the bad kind). It has decent pep for a 4 cylinder, can keep up with most cars on the road. Not a huge fan of the CVT, but can switch to the paddle shifters. Lots of head room and very comfy seats in the SER. Needs to have VSC, tilt steering wheel and sound control on steering wheel. A little bumpy on harsh roads, but very smooth and firm on normal roads. 26.5 MPG on mostly city driving. Overall, Ive enjoyed the car, but Im getting close to 40 and need the V8 roar, so Ill be turning this pup into the dealer at the end of the leas

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  2.5SL on a 100 mile commute to NYC - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Altima Pilot - June 27 - 5:16 pm

  I bought this car primarily due to my experience with my 2003 2.5S that I bought used and drove to 130,000 miles before giving in to treating myself to an upgrade. At the time I drove 1000 miles or more per week. Yes, Per week, so I wanted some additional items to comfort my drive a bit. I opted for the 2.5SL since gas was over $3.69/gal at the time but I wanted a nicer interior and added the connection package so I could have Bluetooth. Honestly, I was disappointed in the Bose stereo upgrade. The headrests lack a forward/backward adjustment which can prove a bit uncomfortable at times. I flipped them around to solve this issue.

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  Love this car - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Kim Harper - June 25 - 2:29 pm

  So far I love owning this car. I plan on having leather installed on the seats.

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  Great car but - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Rich - June 25 - 7:43 am

  Everything is great but I am disappointed with MPG. I average 26 and do mostly highway driving. Thought I would get 30 mpg. Also, the nav system is bad compared to garmin or others. It is stupid how to save a point, forcing you to go out and around and back it to name it. Also can not access your saved points while the car is moving. I feel stopping on a highway is FAR more dangerous than accessing your saved points as you get near your destination. Stay away from remote start, 3 tries and they still can not get it right with the push button start. My suggestion is NOT to go for the technology package. Voice command does not work either. Other than that I recommend the car.

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  Reliable and low ownership costs - 2015 Nissan Leaf
  By Andy - June 25 - 5:31 am

  We bought this car in Dec of 2015 and now have 23K on it. During this time all weve had to do is take it in once to the dealer to have them do system check to comply with the warranty. All the car occasionally needs is a tire rotation. My wife drives the car 46 miles rt each day and usually has from 22 miles left in cold weather to 35 in warm. The car has been completely reliable. Its great not having to go in for oil and filter changes. We park it in the garage and use a home charger. Plugging in takes about 6 seconds. If the car is at 35 range, one hour of charging will put it up to 75. Even with low gas prices over the last two years and the higher cost of electricity in NY the Leaf is still cheaper to operate. We spend about $60 extra in electricity each month to travel about 950 miles a month. That works out to .06 cents a mile. Gas at $2.25 and 25mpg would come to $.09 per mile. Not a lot of difference but were pleased with the lower cost from not having many systems to check and maintain. We like that there arent any exhaust fumes. No belts, exhaust system, 2/3 less parts. No transmission or steering fluids to clean/replace. One thing some people dont realize is how fast the car is. We operate it in ecomode but if in regular driving mode the car is very peppy and able to keep up with almost anything on the road.

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  Practical Hauler for Common People - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By rainylake - June 24 - 2:00 am

  The Frontier is not a contractor grade truck, but it does the jobs that most average households need to get done. Pulls a small boat fine, 4wd on beach or mud is great, carries 4 adults fairly easy. Hiway ride is noisy but safe. The engine revs high to maintain speed and MPG should be better for such a light truck. The best thing about this truck is that it is easy to operate and inexpensive to own. No problems of any kind and it feels like it will run forever. Interior is comfortable.

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  My opinion - 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Ken Caldwell - June 24 - 2:00 am

  A little noisy compared to Infinity SUV, not as soft ride as Infinity, even though they are suppose to be opn same platform.