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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  So Sad! - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By Sad cuber - April 25 - 5:43 am

  As a first-time Nissan buyer, I was thrilled to own this new car! Loved everything about it and was its best advertisement ... until at just 1,200 miles, the transmission stopped working. Its been at a dealer for a week now, with no ETA of a replacement transmission.

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  great buy for a crossover SUV - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By Ken - April 25 - 3:30 am

  Love everything about the car especially the leg & headroom. The seats are comfortable. Acceleration is smooth and it does not feel like a 4 cylinder. Used to own a Rav4 and this car definitely feels better. The speaker sound quality is awesome. The downside is the rear seat not being able to recline. This is a good buy @ $16,990 + tax + title + dealer destination.

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  CVT Issue - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By Ron A - April 24 - 5:06 pm

  For the MOST part I love this car, but recently while on a long trip I noticed a SERIOUS problem. When I pulled off the interstate for gas and came to a stop sign and attempted to accelerate from the sign and merge into traffic there was practically NO POWER. If there had been a truck or a car that was just a little bit closer to me there could have very easily been an accident. I brought it to my dealer as soon as I returned from my trip but they just reported to me that they could not reproduce the situation. SCARY! It has happened to me several times since!!

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  wonderful vehicle - 1997 Nissan Pathfinder
  By greg leblanc - April 24 - 8:30 am

  i love this vehicle very much. it is very dependable and nice. it is extremely capable off road as well. i have to pull my friends out the mud all the time.

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  Very Nice Car - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By DK express - April 24 - 1:10 am

  I am very pleased with this vehicle. I traded in my 2003 Mustang. This car gets great gas mileage and is sporty. You get alot of car for under 15,000 dollars. Its a great commuter car! Plus I get free car washes and oil changes for the life of the car! I looked at other cars in the same price range but nothing came close to the Nissan Sentra. In price and in reputation.

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  My favorite car!! - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By bill - April 23 - 10:30 pm

  This is the first car I bought that allowed me to sell my Ninja 1200 and still have fun on the road. Since no auto could give me the power the Ninja had, I can drive to enjoy the trip. I normally put on 300-400 per day on trips-I am 61/195lbs and still very comfortable at the end of the day. Since I dont abuse the throttle, I average 24-25 mpg.

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  The Devil is in the Details - 1998 Nissan Frontier
  By angelbane - April 23 - 10:13 pm

  First 40K in first 2 years. Has always gotten 12-14 Highway MPG. Not a fast machine. First problems at 98000 ... electrical system Alternator, distributor, entire ignition system, Exhaust Manifold cracked. Passenger compartment seals started shrinking and having issues after 2 years and are now all but gone but no biggie it is a truck after it is gonna be noisy. roof liner completely fell out ofter 6 years. It prefers dry weather. Nothing has stopped me on or off road ... when I have seen other vehicles stuck

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  Maxima FOREVER - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By Maxima GT R - April 23 - 10:00 am

  Plain Great car. I am on my Second Maxima with 150,000 Miles going strong i am Aiming for 250,000. I Am keeping this car forever it will be completely restored 20 years from now. -NOTHING WILL MAKE A DRIVER FAITHFULL TO A CAR LIKE A CAR THATS FAITHFULL TO ITS DRIVER!- Maxima\MercedesBenz

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  Former Jeep Guy - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By tiger2312 - April 23 - 10:00 am

  When i got tired of my loud,hard to deal with jeep wrangler I was looking at the grand cherokees but fell in love with the style of the nissan Xterra! I love my 2000 Xterra. Get one equipped with V6 and 4WD. Also be sure to get the power package, I noticed some have the manual roll up windows (like my wrangler did) I do not miss my wrangler like I thought I would. I love my Nissan Xterra (solar yellow with over sized tires and greay leather seats make it my dream vehicle!) Test drove a 2000 jeep grand cherokee which cost $4,500 more than the Xterra and had basic cloth seating. Very happy with my purchase so far!

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  2004 murrano comments - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By David Otzel - April 23 - 10:00 am

  we looked at all the suvs and felt for the money the murrano was the best riding car in its class.