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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  Murano AWD- a great cross-over SUV - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By KansasBruce - January 14 - 2:00 am

  After looking at all the crossover vehicles (Pilot, Highlander, Murano and Toureg), we selected the Murano. All the vehicles offered great rides and performance, but we didnÂ’t like the looks of the Honda. It looked very generic SUV. After owning the Murano for five months, we are very pleased. We have had no problems and we just love this vehicle.

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  Frontier Rocks - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By jakefrontier - January 14 - 2:00 am

  The Frontier really could be used on the open Frontier.

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  A beautiful ride - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By fastgrl - January 14 - 2:00 am

  A great bargain coupled with great looks and excellent performance. This is a great car if you want performance, but dont want to sacrifice a touring feel. Low end torque gives the car a punch as soon as you hit the gas. Plus, the resonant sound of the Z is beautiful! Definitely a head turner - be forwarned...if youve got good looks, the car only draws that much more attention. Dont be surprised if you gather a following! :)

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  2003 Altima 2.5SL - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By jrgibjr - January 14 - 2:00 am

  I have been very happy with this vehicle. Great performance from a 4 cyl engine, great styling, handles nicely and has a smooth ride.

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  nice truck! - 2010 Nissan Frontier
  By crew10 - January 12 - 10:56 pm

  Wow, I cant believe all the silly things people were complaining about on the 09 models. Its not a 45000 dollar truck! I have the 2010 crew cab(same as 09) se 4+4 with the 4.0 v6. You get alot of truck for under $30,000. just go buy it!

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  Lean Mean Driving Machine (3.5SE) - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By JimmyJam - January 12 - 5:43 pm

  What a great vehicle to drive! I have driven just about every sedan in its class and this car drives and handles the best. Highway mileage for this beefy V6 is unheard of! Magnussen Auburn Nissan willing to deal when other dealer wont sell below MSRP.

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  Happy we got it! - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By alb&rav - January 12 - 2:06 pm

  Our 5dr SL is a very comfortable car. The rear seat legroom is excellent! I really enjoy the smoothness of the CVT. The handling is surprising also. Im used to driving high performance sports cars, and this vehicle makes me feel at home behind the wheel. BRAVO Nissan!

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  An excellent *sport* *utility* vehicle - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By doesnotmatter - January 12 - 10:00 am

  An excellent vehicle with lots of towing power. Has better acceleration with our 3500lb boat than our last vehicle had without the boat. Very strong and smooth engine, no other vehicle compares in this category. Wish it was a little bigger and had load leveling in the rear - the back suspension is a little soft. Back seat doors are a little tough to get in & out. After 12000 miles Im still very happy with my carefully made decision. Comfortable - decent trip vehicle. Stock tires hydroplane easily.

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  Is that the NEW ALTIMA? - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By on the go - January 12 - 10:00 am

  We have owned our car for only one week and my husband and I totally LOOOOOVE this car. This is the first car we have owned that we actually fight over driving. We took it on our first long- distance trip in the pouring rain and it handled beautifully. We get head turns wherever we go.

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  SUV - 2006 Nissan Murano
  By Jorge Medina - January 12 - 8:13 am

  this suv is the best in its class. i love this suv and for the price you cannot beat it.