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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  My Biggest Nissan Ever! - 2008 Nissan Armada
  By Jim - May 6 - 11:00 am

  We have purchased Nissans exclusively since the 1980s. Always reliable and sporty. Now that we have three young children, we found are 7 passenger 2005 Pathfinder to be too small for our needs. With gas at the time of purchase hovering around $2.80 a gallon, I was concerned about making the move to the Armada. Well, after a year, we couldnt be happier with our Armada. I was always drawn to the muscular exterior styling, but was never keen on the interior. Nissan did a great job with the interior makeover of the 2008 Armada. The quality of the leather seats is improved, the layout is logical, and all of the buttons feel solid. The information screen is really helpful. And we average 15mpg!

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  Sudden loss of power = new cvt for me - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By radkarendog - May 6 - 2:13 am

  Have read the posts here and was told my sudden loss of power was the TPS. When it was being replace, tech noticed metal pieces in the tranny pan = new cvt. The failure code did not indicate a tranny problem but evidently there is one. The loss of power happened 4 times over the past 2 years, each time I took it directly to dealership and it would run fine. This time after the stalling I started it the next day to be greeted with a very ugly grinding sound. Turned it off and waited another day and it started fine, but lost ability to accelerate about 1/2 way to dealership. Engine light was not on for this episode, but has lit up with previous loss of power issues.

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  At 58,000 miles it started to go... - 2012 Nissan Rogue
  By David Santaniello - May 5 - 11:54 pm

  Bought this 2012 Nissan Rogue SL AWD new in 2012. It is fully loaded, so the leather seats and 8 speaker Bose Stereo are really nice. Rear view is obstructed, but has nice cameras all around. Fun to drive. I dont notice the drone of the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) that Ive read about. Mileage over the three years Ive owned it so far has been OK; 26 combined, high of 30, low of about 20 mpg. At 58,000 miles - with attention to scheduled maintenance - rust started to form on the hatchback door. Dealership is fixing it for free. Also at 58,000 miles I pulled the keyless entry drivers door handle OFF while trying to open it! Expensive to fix and I was disappointed with the quality of the handle itself.

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  Mixed Feelings - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By kevymckev - May 5 - 8:31 pm

  I have been the sole owner of my 06 SE Frontier since it rolled off the lot in July of 06. The truck had a great V6 power & solid comfort and excellent affordability.My opinion changes after a serious accident with this truck. The key benefit was how well this truck absorbed a major collision. The truck immediatly lowered and reduced the impact i felt..preventing serious injury on my part. I love this truck for that.I have lost 100 miles to the tank of gas. Pre-Accident i was getting 350 miles per tank. Now i only get a meager 250. The power of my V6 has been reduced drastically.I have also replaced the battery 4 times with this truck. Only 100,000 miles on it.This truck had potential

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  In the Middle - 2010 with Auto Transmiss - 2010 Nissan Cube
  By ANCube - May 5 - 9:16 am

  Great gas mileage-drinks less gas than my former 1994 Honda Civic LX (I just put gas in at 250 miles-1/4 tank left). Driving in the wind is scary-it feels like the tires might give way and makes car swerve, badly. Great view of hood to map out lanes when driving. Bad thing that they dont have inside hooks to hang dry cleaning or other stuff. Less compartments (no compartments under seats).

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  Maxima is what it is - 2011 Nissan Maxima
  By Rob Hardy - May 5 - 3:50 am

  Good car. Better than the 2007 TL that I traded in for. Good ride and comfort. Nothing is wearing out. Only one problem is the front drivers seat is loose and can only be fixed with new parts, which are too expensive so it will stay as it is. Doesnt effect driving, just annoying sometimes.

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  Nissan Maxima GLE 1995 - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By Ryan McBride - May 4 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car used with 118000 miles on it. The first thing to go was regulator on the back window. Since, the only major repair that was done was the replacing of a starter. One pain was the cup holder position, which makes it easy to spill coffee or soda into the console resulting in the replacement of an oxygen sensor--a $26 value, but with dealer installation can add up to $170+ easily. It now has over 200000 miles and still drives like a dream.

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  Ready to Trade - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By missd - May 4 - 10:00 am

  I did months of research and the Altima was one of the ones that ranked high on my list. I purchased the 01 Limited Edition model and obviously this model was not included in the high-rated reviews I kept reading about. My car has died 3 times in one week, starter problems. I have to wait for it to die again and then have it towed to the mechanic for troubleshooting. The drivers side mirror vibrates on bumpy roads and when the CD is in use. No explanation or repair available. The ride isnt as smooth as I would like and the drivers side door doesnt want to close completely... go figure. Im going to look into a 03 Accord.

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  Great Fun to Drive - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Mark S. - May 4 - 10:00 am

  So far, so good, except for slight problem with trouble lights on dash that have been staying on after intial start up. Dealership unable to fix. Problem goes and comes.

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  My 2007 nissan sentra - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By 2.0 4 door sedan w/ - May 3 - 5:50 pm

  that i bought used Aug. 07 with 22000 miles has so far at 41000 miles has been a great car to own With the exception of a break master cylinder recall Nissan paid for. The car drives and handles well. I like the cvt trans. It rides and handles well. My gas mileage has been 29 city and 35 H way. I would buy it all over again.