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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  Expected more punch - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By crepit - April 6 - 10:00 am

  From a styling point of view the car is very appealing {to most people).You get alot of positive comments from passers by and freinds.Very comfortable and roomy. Very well put together with few quality flaws.I am somewhat dissappointed with the responsiveness of the engine\transmission combo.For 265 horses I thought the car would pull stronger.I am very demanding and critical with respect to acceleration and would have expected more out of this engine.As well the tipronic upshifts to soon for my liking,shifting well above redline.The ride is firm,and the car handles very well for its size.Overall good value for your dollar

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  Couldnt ask for more! - 1996 Nissan Altima
  By Noprob96 - April 5 - 3:50 pm

  Our Altima now has 241,000 KMS on it - about 145,000 miles - and it is as solid as the day we bought it. Yes we have the little oil leak problem, but hands down this is the best, toughest most reliable car we have ever owned! We recently bought a new vehicle, but we would not part with our Altima, as I think at 12 years old it still has years of life in it!

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  Great looking car... thats all - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By mcitv08 - April 5 - 2:36 pm

  My "used to have" 2002 Nissan Altima was a great looking car, even up to the end when I traded it in last week. The comfort and ride quality is excellent. Amenities with the vehicle are to a minimum but overall the car is very nice. However this car does have many issues. The car at 97k miles had been burning oil (a qt a week) thus flooding the motor to where it cant start. 02 sensors were bad, fuel pump went out twice, recalled gas tank, very cheap interior materials. However when the car did run, of which it did very well 90% of the times, it drove smoothly and quietly.

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  Love our Armada - 2005 Nissan Armada
  By Adam - April 3 - 9:40 pm

  The car is comfortable and fun to drive. The safety features are wonderful. I feel very safe driving my family in it. The gas mileage is terrible, but the car itself makes up. Hopefully the gas prices will come down SOON. Love it.

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  221,000 miles 2004 Nissan Murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By LTR - April 2 - 10:07 am

  I purchased my car in 2006 from dealer? Great car at first until 100k miles Oil pan leak Replaced o-ring and seal twice Plastic tabs kept coming out from underneath car Tires didnt last long After 150k CV joint and axle rods replaced Back right window sticks intermittently ABS light stays on After 200k miles, everything was going Front drivers seat bracket broke, causing seat to slant. Had it welded and seat put back, power seat mechanism slips slightly Replaced radiator Replaced power steering parts Now, the car is hard pressed to go over 40mph uphill. When going over 50, drives smoothly, but unsure what the cause is...catalytic converter, fuel pump, fuel injectors, or spark plugs. All of which is costly because of the placement of parts under the engine. It has been a great car but would recommend selling around 100k miles Parts are expensive!

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  I like my little car - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By PlatinumGLE - April 2 - 3:30 am

  After having a 98 Chevy Malibu for 2 years (First car) and repairing it at least once a month.. This little Altima is a great little car. I bought it with 50k for a steal, it is a Titanium Pearl Metallic GLE with every option but ABS. It was meant to be my college car but now i am trying to get it paid off by next year since i am now a Honda employee and have discounts. I have read complaints about the braking in wet weather, when you have a vehicle w/o ABS what do you expect? Brakes lock up when you hit them... My car stops fine.. It handles great with 16" rims, looks great with clear tail lights and tinted windows.. If you are wanting a 01 Altima.. I say GO for it!

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  Great Truck - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By BStone - April 1 - 10:00 am

  Looked only at several used Tacomas until we stumbled on this bright red truck. During the test drive we were both surprised at the comfort of the ride - far less bouncy than the Tacoma - much quieter - and the seats are superb - The engine has plenty of power both at the low end and at highway speeds. The high glass line adds to openess and the tuck is noticeably wider inside than the Tacoma. This truck had 35K miles on it and the interior looked new. Gas mileage after 1000 miles has averaged 15.7 - mostly work commute so far but would expect 18 or so on highway - Have been using mid level octane and seems fine - nice truck!

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  Some good some bad - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By D.Schloer - April 1 - 10:00 am

  After 2-years and 35K, Ive generally had good luck with it, but Ive also had issues. Several parts of the vehicle came loose; such as the steering wheel, rear bumper, driver window, lft rear window, center pillar trim, and seat material. All somewhat minor; except for the clicking/grinding in the front suspension...waiting for something to fall apart. Ive also had probs with the cruise..still not resolved. Getting approx. 16-21 mpg,for cty-hwy,respectively depending on how heavy my foot is. It is really fun to drive and hasnt left me walking, so Im not totally disgusted w/Nissan yet. BTW-My service visits have not been good experiences.

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  Great truck!!! - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By jamila - March 31 - 10:26 am

  Overall, I like this truck. I receive many compliments on the trucks exterior and roomy interior. I enjoy commuting to work in it. The seats are really comfortable and a good powerful engine. Only complaints are MPG is not so good even though its a V8, and the shifting column is too long and in the way of me trying to tune the radio/cd knobs and buttons. Also the mirror could be a little larger and without the orange reflection at night time vision.

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  2006 Nissan Maxima Tranny Problem -- NOT TRANSMISSION - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By jjmarie97 - March 30 - 2:03 pm

  I bought my 2006 Maxima with 58K miles on it. Like many others, I started noticing gear shifting (auto trans) at about 98K miles, so I took it to the dealership that honored the warranty before it expired. They recommended I try a transmission flush, before the warranty company comes back and says I neglected to service my vehicle and refuses to pay for the transmission replacement. Which I did and it DID NOT fix the issues I was having (high RPM rev at random speeds, car slamming into gear, jarring forward out of 1st & reverse). Months passed and my car was in and out of the dealership shop trying one thing or another to resolve the problem. Eventually my warranty expired and surpriseÂ….I was on my own with repair cost! After several near death experiences due to the jarring and loss of acceleration at high rates of speedÂ….I called a transmission shop that was recommended to me. Within 2 minutes of explaining the issues, he said “itÂ’s not your transmissionÂ….itÂ’s the Valve Body”. He explained to me that the transmissions are pretty solid (used in several models) and that the valve body is the “electronic brain” of the transmission. Even if you replace the transmission (not rebuild it), it will mostly continue to do the same things, since you never fixed the “electronic brain”. So speaking from experience in dealing with the same problems with my 2006 Maxima that many, many others have and are dealing withÂ…DO NOT replace or rebuild your transmission and waste $5000 before you try the least expensive and most likely the cause of the issues (VALVE BODY), for $1500.00!! 