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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  Was dissapoiinted - 1998 Nissan Frontier
  By nextride - February 9 - 11:29 am

  I bought this truck in 2010 in the 4WD exteded cab thinking it would be reliable and i wanted decent gas milage for a truck. It had 140,000 miles on it and the gas milage was not as good as i hped it would be average about 19 mpg. I will say that the 4WD works very good in the snow. For a while it was fine then slowly small things started to fail on it. These were not the end of the world but they were annoying. Finally the transmission went out on me on a road trip at 155,000 miles. I do not know if it was due to a fluid leak or if it just happened. But the repair will be very expensive since they only made it for two years and it comes as a unit with the transfer case.

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  My 07 Maxima SE - 2007 Nissan Maxima
  By Bruno Skerianz - February 7 - 5:56 am

  At first I thought I should have gone for the BMW 530 but after owning and driving my 07 Maxima SE for 3 months I know I made the right choice. Much better bang for the buck at 33K fully loaded. It doesnt have the BMW or Audi emblem on its tail but it sure drives and feels like one (or better in some cases, depending on which model its compared to). But for the price (including several options) this baby delivers.

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  2005 Nissan king SE V-6 Review - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By Toodster33 - February 5 - 1:46 pm

  I have had my SE King Automatic V-6 for alomst 2 years now and have put 33,000 miles with no problems whatsoever. I have to say I love it. I would have bought a Crew Cab, but they are not available in long box. 5 Foot box just is not going to do it for me. Get on it Nissan. Shift points could be a little better to get more performance out of motor. But over all not too bad of a comprimise.

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  THE NISSAN REVIEW - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By JULIAN - February 5 - 10:00 am

  THE CAR IS PRETTY FAST FOR A SENNTRA IS FASTER THAT WHAT I EXPECTED. HANDILING IS ALSO ABOVE AVERAGE. NOT TO MENITION IT CAN BE JUST AS GOOD OR BETTER THAT THE HONDA SI/

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  Dependable - 2000 Nissan Altima
  By Cindy - February 3 - 6:06 pm

  I purchased my Altima in 2001 with 12,000 miles. Today it has 158,000 and still counting. This has been an extremely dependable car. I have the 5 speed manual and it is very fun and zippy. The exterior paint has always been poor. The car is not the best looking but if your looking for dependable transportation, you just cannot beat this car.

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  Nissan Has Fallin Off from Being Premium - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By tonepearson - February 1 - 6:50 pm

  Not the most reliable car. Has a lot of mechanical problems that arises very often as explained below. Nissan pretty much stole everyones money with the make of these cars b/c I feel Toyota and Honda did a whole lot better than them with the reliability of there cars. These cars are worth lees than KIAs and DAEWOOs if you ask me. I have own this car for a year and has spent more in it than its worth. To all my fellow buyers avoid these cars b/c I promise you b4 200,000 miles it will be junk unlike Toyota and Honda. At least they recall a car that has a problem all Nissan did was pocket the consumers money and gave them the middle finger. So to you Nissan I hope you go out of business.

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  2-year test - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Eddy S. - February 1 - 4:43 pm

  After owning my Titan truck for two years, I give it a definitive A-. Its almost a perfect truck when it comes to power and creature-comforts, it could be improved in the turning-radius department - my wifes 2004 Durango (similar in size) can turn around in a substantially tighter space, also all the hoopla about the "awesome power" is somewhat exaggerated - our other 5.7 Hemi seems to move the 6,000 lb SUV more effortlessly and with less noise/strain from the engine. it is plenty adequate but nothing to jump up and down about...In a nut-shell, I would highly recommend this truck without hesitation.

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  Family Car - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By Nick - February 1 - 3:16 pm

  My wife needed a larger vehicle than the VW Beetle she was driving after having our baby. I looked at Gm and Ford, but I felt a cold shoulder from them. Like it was my duty to buy American. No sir...you dont pay my bills. We passed a Roque on the highway and my wife loved it. After looking we decided this was the right car for us. We stepped up from the S to a 360 package. These extra features set it apart from the base model. As a guy who builds bikes on time off I need style and this little crossover isnt lacking it. Im actually a little mad that I cant drive it every day.

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  Lots of Power - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By G. Harris - January 31 - 4:53 pm

  After 8 months of driving this car i have to say i don`t like it as much as i did when i first bought it,to many annoying things for example the wipers are terrible in the winter,the cd player died in week one,there are annoying squeaks and rattles from the dash area something you shouldn`t have in a car of this caliber.To much wind noise at highway speed i am constantly checking to see if a door is open.I like to drive with my front window open a crack not with this car though the water will pour in. There is also a terrible vibration in the steering wheel at highway speeds my dealer eventually got this fixed. The Honda Accord is a much better car and less money to bad it is so Blah.

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  Trouble Free - 1996 Nissan Altima
  By Barracuda - January 31 - 10:00 am

  I bought the GXE new in 1996. I have not had any problems with the car in 7 years. Ive owned a Camry and Corolla and the Altima is far superior in terms of reliability and quality. The car feels and acts solid and dependable. The only things Ive replaced are the tires. Otherwise, just routine maintenence.