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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  Tin Can - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By 1stnissan - April 17 - 10:00 am

  Can you say tin can.....hood dented by a pine cone, numerous door dings...I think its made of aluminum foil.....the trunk lid also rattles when you close it....TIP: dont park next to any other cars or get a very low deductible with your insurance company...the engine is powerful but pulls badly to the right with quick acceleration

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  beware of gas economy - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Alan Mcsavage - April 17 - 9:03 am

  DO NOT BUY! I cannot even get 350kms per 50lt tank. My 1995 Toyota Corolla still gets over 450kms on a 40lt tank. How can a 4 cylinder with all the new technology get worse mileage than most 8 cylinder cars. I was totally deceived into believing I was getting a fuel efficient car. From now on I will stick to Toyota! DO NO BE DECEIVED!!!!

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  Updated Review - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Altima yuck - April 17 - 4:45 am

  Dont buy an Altima! 70k and over $6k worth of repairs, this has been the worst car I have owned. Batteries exploding, cv joints going out at 47k miles, seats have already faded. The air conditioning smells and the dealer says its a "known issue". The key fobs dont open the keyless entry anymore. Piece of garbage!!!

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  murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By Shane Ramroop - April 16 - 9:20 pm

  good reliability, fuel economy

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  2010 Maxima with Premium package - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By DJZ - April 16 - 3:10 pm

  Nissan put it all together with this car. It looks great and is a real head turner. The interior quality and styling is awesome to say the least. It has all the extras and they are user friendly. I love this car. It is fun to drive. Well worth the money.

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  Great Car - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By Nick - April 16 - 2:46 am

  This car has been extremely reliable. I have never been stranded. Engine is fantastic even after 150k miles. I am glad I did some research on Edmunds. My only problems were a bad oxygen sensor, a bad knock sensor, and the fan switch only works on high. I still drive with these problems but hope to fix them soon even though they are minor. This car is the best bang for your buck!

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  Good Luck - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By BDuece - April 15 - 6:13 pm

  I have had this vehicle for 2 1/2 years. Pros, Good handling, power, average 19 mpg, lots of room, exterior styling. Cons, The paint scratches and chips easily, slightly high road noise on than Highway, Relaibilty/quality is bad. Interior trim pieces come unsnaped often, Ac has been repaired 5 times. The clock is always fast. Computer is quirky, doors need to be realigned or adjusted frequently. Its had at least 6 recalls, doors rattle, strang vibration noises. etc. Service rep stated," we have had issues with these vehicles" Its at the dealership being repaired often. Nissan does little when you call in concerns?

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  Safety issues - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By sadsack - April 15 - 3:43 pm

  This car was bought new in 2002. I loved the styling, room, and power. It seemed to be a a great value compared to Toyota and Honda. Then the recall notices started. One involved the crankshaft sensor. It seemed the car could lose power while driving at any speed. It shut down while on the interstate at 65 mph. Sheer panic!! I was lucky to make it off to the shoulder. The crankshaft sensor was replaced (2005). Just two weeks ago it went out again while pulling out across traffic. I was almost broadsided. We paid for this new sensor. Forget customer service, five unreturned calls and no help. This could have been a really good car, but it is dangerous. I am trading.

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  Sold the car after three months! - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By barry5k - April 15 - 11:14 am

  Initially, this car had it all. It drove well, comfortable, fun to drive. Since then it has been back and forth to the dealer with the power steering whine, cvt issues, and other odds and ends. I had to deal with Nissan corporate. They were not helpful and after repeated call on my part, they admitted the problems, fixed all, but after 800 miles, everything returned. The cvt was sluggish and made all kinds of noise. I finally decided to take the loss and get rid of this car. Dont buy this car!

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  Great with one catch! - 2016 Nissan Rogue
  By Jlphoto - April 15 - 8:43 am

  I bought this car for its combination of features, value, performance. So far very happy with almost every aspect of the vehicle. It rides well, quiet, great fuel economy, lots of great technology and those Zero Gravity seats are VERY comfortable. It looks great and I love the panoramic sunroof.....awesome. The only issue I am having is a creaking noise in the front right strut tower when you turn the streering wheel at slow speeds. My Nissan dealer said Nissan is aware of it and working on a fix. I will admit to being a bit OCD about noises in my vehicles. I REALLY hope they come up with a fix soon otherwise i will have to trade it in sooner than I want to. I would be curious if other Rogue owners have been having this issue. But as I said, other than that issue, love the car!