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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  An overall nice car - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By Vabdelnaby - February 14 - 10:00 am

  2004 Nissan XTERRA XE. Sporty and fun to drive. It is not as wide as some of the other SUVs out there, making it easy to adjust from a mid size car to this SUV. Only reget is not getting super charged model, I feel the pick up in speed is not as good as my camry....but that just may be me, I am still getting used to driving it. Overall I think it is a great choice for anyone driving a car and considering an SUV.

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  Transmission sudden death! - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By spirittwo - February 13 - 6:36 pm

  I bought a brand new 2009 cube, sl, 1.8 cvt, auto, with the intention of having a little fun and no maintenance headaches. At 15,000 miles, the transmission gives out! Coming out of a MiniCooper. Boy, do I miss the no hassles maintenance and service from Mini! The Cube is easy to drive, handles well, very roomy and comfortable, but I would not recommend it for its high-maintenance needs and this very major problem. Just unlucky? I dont know. Tried to search the web for others with similar problem, but found little info. Hmm.

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  I love this car! - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By jt041196 - February 12 - 8:17 pm

  I got my license in August 2013 and I immediately began shopping for a used car, when I found this one for $4000 at a used car dealership with only 93,522 miles on it! I was sold! Since then Ive gotten it up to 95,993 miles and its been my mobile best friend since I purchased it, and Ive been lucky enough to jazz it up with new air fresheners, a New York Yankees license plate frame, sports decals and fun bumper stickers.

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  2008 Versa - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By jgonzales - February 10 - 9:16 am

  Ive had the car less than a month. I really like the interior room. The power of this car is satisfactory. There is plenty of room for the kids in the back. I wish it would get at least 35 mpg on the highway.

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  190 K miles and it keeps running - 1996 Nissan Sentra
  By CharlieH - February 10 - 2:00 am

  7 year car, keep running, this is manual trans, with orginal clutch Replace only normal wear and tear items.. tires (now is the 4 set of tires) , brakes (now is on 3 set of the front disk pad, 2 set of rotor, rear brake shoe had been replaced once) spark plugs, fuel filter, etc.. The only problem is the alternator (last for 80 k miles only).. Now is on the third alternator !!

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  My new Spec V - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By Panther - February 10 - 2:00 am

  The car is very fun to drive, looks great, the ride is firm and well planted so far (have not had it in the snow yet). Overall is a great car for the price, I mean you get so many performance features on this car for the buck! Features like: 6spd trans, 17" wheels, sway bars front & rear, 11" disc brakes on all 4 wheels, limited slip axle, strut tower brace, 175hp engine with loads of torque, absolutely awsome interior and "RF" sound system.

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  xterra se super charged - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By greg pittaway - February 10 - 2:00 am

  well this is a truck.but with alot of power.the super charger helps alot.its a beauty.alot of people look.and it is a rarity too.really bad on mileage.and the trim fades after a while from common useage.but all in all its a terrific truck.

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  glacier pearl w/ cabernet leather - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By bgeguy - February 10 - 2:00 am

  had the SUV about two weeks. very nice, I get alot of comments and questions about it. very good performance. like the CVT- its very smooth. interior ergonomics are nice. I finally got cupholder that is where my hand naturally grabs for. BOSE stereo is excellent. slightly hard ride, but it is much better than the standard SUV drive. Test drove Highlander, Pilot, X5 and chose the Murano.

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  01 SE - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Robert - February 9 - 12:56 pm

  great ownership experience highly recommend, the 3.5 V6 is incredible for reliability and power.

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  Happy overall - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By VANESSA - February 9 - 12:03 pm

  I love the look of this car and all of the features. I have had some problems though w/ the keyless entry but its in the process of being fixed. Great car for first time buyer who wants a lot for a moderate price.