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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  First & Last - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By j. simms - November 9 - 3:00 am

  This is my first Nissan and probably the last. I have had many nuisance problems, like oil drips after each oil change. Latest shock is A/C Evaporator leaking and needs to be replaced ($1,500). At 41K miles this is unbelievable! The only sympathy from dealer is s---happens! Good bye Nissan J.S.

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  Good car, great price! - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By versatileauto - November 8 - 8:03 pm

  Car handles and rides nicely. Actually very nicely. Its surprising how smooth the ride is. I have the base model with manual transmission. The car shifts like butter, and the engine has good power delivery. Excellent cabin and trunk space. Ergonomics are good regarding controls in the cabin. Steering wheel feels good in the hand. Price point of base model car cannot be challenged by any car on the market. Seats are very comfortable and supportive and I love the height adjustable drivers seat. Very easy to get in and out of the car. You dont fall down into the car seat. nor do you have to pull yourself up and out of the car. This car is going to do well in my opinion.

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  Solid contender to the CRV and RAV4 - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By Mitchlav - November 8 - 8:16 am

  I was very pleased with the reponsiveness of the Rogue on the road. It drives more like a sedan than a typical SUV and is far more comfortable to drive or ride in than our Honda CRV. Road noise has not been a problem, and I think were getting about 27mpg highway, which is as advertised.

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  Xterra - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By Gene - November 7 - 1:40 am

  Well I have had my 2001 Nissan Xterra for about a year and I have to say that this SUV is great to drive. I was very surprised by the fact that the braking response is excellent for an SUV, there is not that much of a delay. In the snow it has been fearless. My only complaint, like every one else, is the gas mileage is horrendous. I get no more then 250 miles on a full tank...and that is a combination of both city and highway driving, but mostly highway miles. But hey any of us who buy an SUV know what we are getting ourselves in to.

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  the red one - 2016 Nissan 370Z
  By wade starnes - November 6 - 8:27 pm

  just do your homework and test them out

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  Just this one thing... - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By George Streat - November 6 - 4:51 am

  I have a 2015 purchased about 3 months ago. I find the 4 cylinder is quite noisy. It sounds like a snowmobile when accelerating and the road noise on the freeway is LOUD! Seems to be coming from all four wheels right into the cabin. This shouldnt, and probably doesnt worry Nissan, because of the great design of the vehicle and the other features. Sadly though, the road and engine noise belies the great appearance. You would expect a much better ride judging from the cost and appearance. Fix that in this 4 cylinder, Nissan, and you will have a real winner! I heard the 6 cylinder is better, so if you want a better ride test the 6 cylinder and compare..

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  Good Used Car - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By 2001_AltimaSE - November 6 - 2:43 am

  Purchased an SE preowned for $7k with 61k miles, sunroof, manual tranny, 6 CD changer. Reasonably refined with quiet engine and few vibrations, absolutely no torque steer, very little wind noise, and the interior is well executed and looks sporty in black (love the seat fabrics). The steering is well weighted but could offer more feedback (might improve with better tires), the 4 wheel disc brakes are reasonably powerful, and the engine has more than adequate power in low gears (esp. with the 5- speed). I dislike the exterior styling, particularly the rear, but have had good experiences with other higher-mileage Nissans. I didnt buy the extended warranty, but Im optimistic :-)

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  Giving it back -> lemon - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By notrockstar - November 5 - 7:10 pm

  Im returning my car on 06/01. Dealer finally settled with me on a lemon case. I had issue with the fuel gauge. It will show half tank when its actually almost empty. I went to dealer ship 5 times. Replaced sensors twice and twice I was treated like crazy. + recalls. I got so tired of owning not reliable car. I agree with previous postings, the car is good overall, but has too many blind spots. Ive managed to handle that issue well, but Nissan needs some improvement in design of the back window. Also, MPG went down to around 20 in the city. oh, well it was hard for me to check as I think I never got accurate reading from the computer. I would not buy this car again.

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  Problems with CVT - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Alex - November 5 - 5:30 pm

  Dont buy Altima with CVT if it does not have ABS. The issue occurs at speeds over 45 mph. If you slam breaks so they lockup until car comes to complete stop transmission locks up and throttle is stuck for up to a minute at a time. Nissan refused to correct this issue saying that this is intentional to protect transmission. It happened to me at intersection and I was able to duplicate this every time at will. I have traded my car and bought a new one.

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  Its been great - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By Van - November 5 - 3:20 am

  Bought new, now 74,000 miles. One service bulletin for tie rod. Paint could be better, chips easily. Creaky front end. Decent mileage on highway. Recently replaced exhaust for about $500. Brakes work great but rotors do not hold up. Will be on 3rd set of fronts next break job. Stiff, sometimes rude ride. I replaced front right speaker last year. Easy to do, ($50). Still fun to drive, even though I have an automatic. Plenty of power for pretty much any situation. Sometimes let er rip to 5500 RPMS and the car just flies - never complains. Recently on 3rd set of tires. Went for good set of Bridgestones, all weather. Confident foul weather car. Maybe mine was a good sample. Never let me down.