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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  Not like they used to be - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By xcars - November 19 - 7:43 am

  After owning this truck for a couple of days we knew we made a mistake. This truck gave a horrible ride on the back roads. It actually made us sick. Gas mileage was horrible. Also, we couldnt wait to get rid of it so after 2 mos. We traded it in for a Dodge. They gave us a good deal thank god we have also heard these trucks are costly for repairs, a lot of people we know who had Nissan frontiers didnt keep them very long for this reason, if you buy make sure to get a 3 day money back guarantee, I will say we got all our money back and plus on trade. Good luck.

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  Made for MPG, not for YOU - 2013 Nissan Versa
  By saltsman - November 15 - 4:45 pm

  Perhaps the most uncomfortable car Ive driven. To be fair, this is a long-term rental, so I dont have an emotional attachment. With that said, I find the Versa a hard car to love. A slight breeze can be dangerous. Driving in windy Texas is especially challenging as it requires constant corrections to keep it pointed between the stripes. You dont drive the Versa, the Versa drives you. Sometimes I fell it has a death wish. Its loud and uncomfortable on long trips. MPGs are good. A solid 37.5 MPG on long 75 MPH highway stretches, but a 10 gal tank requires frequent stopping. Its not for tall people. No telescoping steering wheel and the sit up straight seats wear you out.

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  One of the worse experiences of my life - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By thebent - November 14 - 7:53 am

  I have had the center dash in my 2005 Nissan 350Z replaced nine times. The radio has been replaced three times and Im waiting to replace it a fourth time. The windshield wipers have never worked correctly and the brakes have made funny noises since Ive had the car. The worst part of all of this is the customer service from Nissan. They have been very rude and very hard to work with. When the car worked properly it was fun to drive. But that was just for a short time. I will never in my life buy an Nissan product.

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  ITS ALRIGHT - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By gotoguy - November 9 - 8:23 pm

  I thought I liked this car when I test drove it but after having it a while now I wish I would have bought a Toyota Corolla. My friend just bought a new one and it seems like such a better car than mine. This Nissans interior wears really easily... dont get if you have children! Scratch marks everywhere. It looks like I let a scared cat loose in the car. My car also had a really cheap new car scent to it. Like foam, plastic and baby barf combined. It used to upset my stomach this "new" car scent Nissan has. I tried to pull a small U-haul trailer with this car and the engine over-heated. My CD player/stereo had to be replaced the first month I bought it. Just not happy with it.

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  DONT BUY A VERSA - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By ddirschell - October 25 - 10:00 pm

  Bought this car new. Driven mostly highway miles to/from work. Bluetooth module didnt work when I bought it. Fit & finish items at 5k, same issues now but its no longer under warranty. Interior rattles out the wazoo. New Engine 24K. Tires 30K. New Transmission 59K. Replaced CV boots 59K. Days in shop since Ive owned it, 68. Still making the vibrations in the drivetrain & "they cant figure it out". Only 500 miles left on the warranty. Bet theyll figure it out as soon as I have to pay for it. Best mpg 30, worst mpg 22, average mpg 26. Owned Nissans before but NEVER AGAIN!!

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  Bad CVT at 72,000 miles - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By Bryan - October 18 - 6:23 am

  Bought this car in October of 2013. The car had 8,500 miles on it, it was a loaner vehicle that the dealership used so I knew it was in great shape. Purchased the car, and at 30,000 miles the heat shield started coming apart. The cost to replace that was 500 dollars. At 40,000 miles new brakes were needed which is normal, but little to my knowledge the rear brakes were drum brakes, fast forward to 50,000 miles the serpentine belt snapped, the cost to replace that? 650.00 dollars. Finally at 72,000 miles my transmission started going bad, at first it started with a whining at low RPMs, then it had a hard time going into reverse and on multiple occasion would disengage from drive and the car had to be turned off and started again. Finally, when I was on the freeway, the car completely lost all power and stalled (thank goodness I got over to the shoulder). I had the car towed to Nissan, were it was determined that the transmission had failed but they couldnt figure out why because the transmission oil was good and it was at normal levels. I was quoted 4,000 dollars to replace the transmission, I almost called the auto-loan company and told them to take there car back. My uncle works for Nissan, and had me make a call to Nissan USA. After explaining my frustration with a bad transmission on a four year old car, I would never buy another Nissan product or recommend Nissan to any friend or family member. The service request was sent to a supervisor, about a week later Nissan called back and covered 3,600 dollars of the expenses. It took about 3 weeks to get the car back, as there was only one tech in the entire shop who knew had to drop a CVT and put in a new one. Ive had the car back and it has about 77,000 miles on it now. Guess what? The whining came back and the car is having a hard time going into reverse. I am trading this thing in as soon as I can get the negative equity paid off on it. The car goes back into the shop Tuesday, the transmission has a year warranty on it.

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  Dont buy a Nissan - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Richard - October 17 - 8:36 am

  I just leased an Altima fron All- Brands in hackensack njin feb/05. The car had problems with the ignition switch right from the start. I brought it back twice but the dealer didnt fix anything . THEY ACTUALLY LEFT THE CAR OVER NIGHT IN AN UN-FENCED UN- ATTENDED LOT WITH THE KEYS IN THE CAR AN THE DOORS UN-LOCKED and they say theyll need about a week to fix the car.That means that a month old car will have been in their shop for more then a week.They wont give me a loaner and they wont spend the $ to get the needed part fedexd. Talk about a company that only cares about you until they get your $!-Thats NISSAN. THis is my 3rd Nissan but its my last.

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  Wont get fooled again - 2008 Nissan Maxima
  By WhatHappened? - October 11 - 10:00 am

  In the first 12k miles, Ive had: 3-4 service trips for check engine light before replacing faulty gas cap. service: re-glue interior upholstery near moon roof. It was suggested that the cause of it coming off may have been use. Use. Guess they never planned on people using it more than 3 times. service: re-glue cheap material around steering column which was splitting along the seam. Guess I wasnt supposed to use the steering wheel either. - worst car in snow Ive ever driven - jarring ride - scraped bottom going 1 mph over a speed bump. - very quick to scratch, chip, rust. - sun visor bracket came loose when I popped it off to put visor by side. started rattling. Total # uses:2

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  unhappy with nissan - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By unhappy nissan owner - October 6 - 10:00 am

  If you like to spend most of your time at the gas stations this is the truck for you engine is slugish gas mileage is terrible..and as for getting help from NISSAN lets just say they dont! this experience has soured me to all NISSAN produuts I will never buy another NISSAN!!

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  2007 Nissan Frontier Nismo - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By booter - October 3 - 5:20 pm

  Rattle trap, poor mileage, bad stereo. The interior scratches way way too easy for a truck.