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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  Love this roomy little car, but... - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Jim Beeman - December 21 - 9:37 am

  Great interior room. Amazing leg room. Incredible trunk capacity. But, had to replace CD player twice and the second replacement has gone out. Really annoying that the tire pressure sensing valves have a battery that dies and then the entire $200 sensor must be replaced times four!! As a result we just ignore the bright yellow tire pressure warning light on the dash. Have loved this car for over 8 years. Bought another one!

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  Pure sports car - 2008 Nissan 350Z
  By Steve - December 20 - 7:13 pm

  Bought a Touring Roadster about two months ago. Here are the pros: powerful, handles great, roomy for a two seater (interior and trunk), great manual transmission, decent bose stereo, easy top operation, nice stock rims. Cons: poor gas mileage, no telescoping steering wheel, road noise, strange rattle over bumps, poor visibility. All things considered, its a great car. The fun factor far makes up for any imperfections. It feels like a true sports car. It has this "brute power" kind of feeling. Its a little heavy for such a little car, but I like that, it makes the car feel solid and planted to the road. I think for the money, it is a great value. I would highly recommend this car.

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  Great car - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Moustapha - December 20 - 6:00 am

  I bought this car two weeks ago and I just love it. The driving is great, very classy and the car is well designed from inside and outside.

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  Good Enough - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By GREEN NURSE - December 19 - 3:53 pm

  I love this ride. It was a huge upgrade from 10 yr old ford subcompact. Comfortable, OK gas mileage, love the front cabin storage compartments. Sound system was good too. I purchased the S AWD. And this ride is good enough for me. I expect to feel safer driving to work during the next winter storm. Safety is the number one reason for purchasing this ride.

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  my z - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By yotzeeee - December 19 - 10:00 am

  the car is beautiful on the outside and fun to drive with good power and an extremely good manual transmission. interior a bit on the cheesy side but you have to cut somewhere to get that much car for that little money. would definately reccomend to sports car enthusiast on somewhat of a budget

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  Great little truck - 1998 Nissan Frontier
  By John Gaz - December 19 - 10:00 am

  Bought this truck new,no major mechanical problems with truck at all! Only problem I have had is the speedometer has started to intermitanly stick at 40 miles per hour. This is the second nissian truck I have had and will continue to buy thier trucks. Reliablity is great for this size truck! One odd thing is the truck owners manual barely fits into the unusally small glove compartment?

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  Well built car. - 1995 Nissan 200SX
  By BaylentheSky - December 17 - 10:26 pm

  I bought my 200SX-SE for a total of $3200 after all the repairs/maintenance I needed to do (new tires, battery...) Overall very happy with my purchase, especially in this age where gas costs over $3/gallon. Zippy at above 4000rpm, not so stellar if youre below that sweet spot. Love the sunroof although it rattles and squeaks when driven over bumpy roads. Has AC problems (wont blow at any speed but 4, common with 1995 models) but easily repaired by yourself, just locate the resistor under the glove compartment and replace it with a new one. Car feels cheap, well, it is cheap :D but I dont really mind that.

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  350 Z - Ride of your life - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By Erik J - December 16 - 7:43 pm

  This car drives fantastic, even better than the SLK350 I tried before I got my Z.

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  Fun ride; Good value - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By van29 - December 16 - 3:13 pm

  Looked at all the small performance cars under $20k and thought this the best deal. It is fast and nimble. The boring styling was actually a plus point for me. Buy it with the "racier" colors though.

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  Reliable SUV - 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Matt - December 16 - 11:00 am

  I bought this SUV new in 2004 and Ive never had one problem with it. Ive only had to replace the normal things that wear. New belts, brakes, rotors, tires and a transmission fluid flush. Regular oil changes every 3-5k miles and not one problem! Very happy with this vehicle, it was our first Pathfinder and Id definitely buy another one.