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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  Good family transportation - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By Zfamily - May 21 - 3:16 am

  Purchased in April of 2005. Mostly happy with vehicle. Had to replace right half shaft, under extended warranty, and rotors twice. Went to after market slotted rotors and no more problems. I get 22 mpg mixed driving and 26 mpg on highway driving 70 mph. Seats are wider and pretty supportive for most people.

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  Amazing - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Charlie - May 20 - 10:00 pm

  Trading in my 04 Altima 2.5, I was very excited to get the V6. Man, can this thing fly! The handling is superb, turns at high speed are easy and its very comfortable. I love this car.

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  Dream Car.... or is it? - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By radowns05 - May 20 - 6:40 pm

  When I was 16 I was forced to buy the ugliest car there ever could be. A 1997 Nissan Sentra which turned out to be the best car on Earth. Owning this car made my dream car a Nissan Altima. I figured if the Sentra was that good the Altima had to be even better. In 2012 I bought a 2010 Nissan Altima S. Over all it has been an "ok" car. I expected more, I guess. If you like the smell of rotten eggs and Nissan telling you that it is a "normal" smell when you accelerate; it is the way it cleans itself out, then this is the car for you! I feel that a car this new, and costs this much wouldnt smell everytime you accelerate to pass someone.

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  love my CUBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By tom - May 20 - 4:16 pm

  Bottom line: this is an econobox so dont expect infiniti luxury. However, what this car does offer is unique headturning design (people will point/look all the time), great mileage (28 so far, but only first tank), decent build quality, great features in certain packages (bluetooth, auto climate, intell key), and unusual roominess inside. This car does its job for me... Daily drive, good mileage, can load up on stuff when seats are folded, bt syncing, and above average stereo. What more can you ask for in this price range. CVT takes some getting use to. Suspension and steering is a little floaty at times. Bought the sl b/c krom doesnt have intellikey (very weird) conclusion: love my cube

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  Check Engine Light Problems - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By rjd44 - May 20 - 3:26 pm

  This is my second Pathfinder. They are nice looking vehicles and fun to drive. Poor mileage. My son has my 97 and still running great with 157K and using no oil. I now have 123K on my 2001 and is running well except for ongoing check engine light problems that no one seems to be able to fix. The check engine light has been on continuously for 4 years now. Ive had O2 sensors, mass air flow sensors, cat converters, coils, etc.. This is frustrating! With all the problems of this kind listed in these reviews, why has this not been a recall?

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  2004 Murano and my wife - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By L. Gary Shapiro - May 20 - 2:43 pm

  heavy accelerator, mirror controls are a stretch, doors are very tinny, uses to much gas for a 6 cylinder, needs more space in the rear hatch area. console does not offer much space. Heavy thumping noise when the front window are open and youre driving above 35MPH. Suspension is to hard in the rear seated area

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  05 Xterra - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By Janet - May 20 - 12:00 pm

  LOVE IT!!! I just traded in my GMC Jimmy of 10 years. Did not think I was going to find another SUV with such reliability and built, but I did. Looking forward to the next 10 years with this truck.

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  Excellent MPGs and price - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By robj80 - May 20 - 9:10 am

  I grabbed this 1.6 because I needed a car and didnt want a used one. I have never gotten less then 34mpg mixed driving. Its way better then the EPA rated. The car costs very little, insurance is hardly nothing and its so roomy.

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  Huge,Suv - 2015 Nissan Armada
  By Marlon Morales - May 20 - 2:03 am

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  First and last - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Morris Bonilla - May 19 - 4:29 pm

  Bought a Nissan Altima SV on February 2015 with 200 miles on it. Started having issue with it in July 2015. Accelerating and the car would hesitate to move, so I would start it thinking is the accelerator issue. Went to get an oil change on August 2015 and explain to the Representative what the car was doing and he notified me that it was a holiday and they were short handed so bring it back on your next oil change and they will check on it. So a month later goes by and guess what happens the transmission goes out. my car only has 10100 miles on it. will never buy another Nissan again.