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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  The Final Frontier - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By bemak1951 - March 3 - 9:53 am

  Overall this has been an excellent truck. My primary use is to carry clients to show real estate in the mountains of North Carolina. 4 wheel drive is a necessity in the winter and to get in and out of undeveloped areas. Has good visibility and is comfortable. Reliability has been excellent.

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  Nissan 350Z Intial Review - 2006 Nissan 350Z
  By MDD - March 3 - 9:43 am

  This car is exciting to drive. When it comes to horsepower, the 350Z has 287 hp (auto),300 hp (manuel) which makes the hair on my neck stick up.

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  Big Improvement in the Frontier for 05 - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By Todd - March 3 - 4:50 am

  Just purchased a 4WD Crew Cab. This is a great new truck for Nissan. I compared it to the Tacoma and the Canyon. It is a lot of truck for the money. It was an easy decision. The V6 is powerful. The ride is better than previous years and the exterior is sharp and masculine. Finally looks like a guys truck.

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  Definitely Recommend! - 2011 Nissan Pathfinder
  By nowa - March 2 - 8:16 pm

  This is my 2nd Pathfinder. The 1st one was a 2006 and was leased. Had a Murano after that but wasnt in love with it, I missed the Pathfinder. So, here I am...with a 2011 Pathfinder Silver. Its great! I really like the improvements made to the heating/ radio controls. The inside quality is there and the styling is nice. Im averaging about 18 MPG in the city (even though its rated at 15 MPG). Its great on the hwy, very smooth and quit. Ive read reviews by car magazines and they criticized the rough ride...Im not sure where they were driving but I think its fine. Remember, its an SUV...not a Cadillac!

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  Cool truck, but not great quality - 2009 Nissan Xterra
  By cobra7 - March 1 - 8:56 pm

  I bought this truck and loved it for the first 13,000 miles or so. The RF stereo sounds great, the Bluetooth phone system is great and the potential capability of the truck is excellent. However, at around 13,000 miles, the vibrations and squeaks started making me question the long term quality. There is an odd metallic vibration that comes from the front of the truck when the engine hits about 1750 RPMs when driving. Also, while I dont mind the appearance of the hard plastic interior materials, they do scratch easily. This is mostly a problem in the cargo area, where hauling basic, normal will leave it scratched up after only a couple of times. The roof rack is fantastic, though.

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  Blindspots - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Alexandria, VA - February 28 - 9:50 pm

  Ive had my car for almost 1 year. Its a good looking car. Drives well. I have not had any mechanical problems. The blind spots are bad - especially when turning.

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  my red nissan sr after 8 mos and 14k miles - 2016 Nissan Sentra
  By Mike H - February 28 - 4:06 am

  First has a cvt trans, bad news on this is change fluid every 60k very expensive 250 to 300 dollars trans fluid 19.000 a qt from nissan only and the cvt if it goes is 5700.00 to replace they don;t rebuild them. Gets great mileage and this yr cvt is greatly improved alot less friction less wt and should go 200k.

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  Nissan 98 Driver - 1998 Nissan Altima
  By Ikondrar - February 28 - 2:00 am

  I have driven this car for 3 years now. Fuel economy isnt that great b/c the car sometimes seems to be like drinking fuel as we drink water, but otherwise its affordable and good value. I have pleasure driving it, from day 1 to day 7 and I love it dearly. Its a nice car to own. No , its not Acura but for the value I got a GLE luxury car as a first car I owned. It is my dream come true to have such an awesome car. I have 70000 miles on it right now and its 1998 model, not sure for how many more miles itll last me until my first major problem, but I cross my fingers. Noone talks good about high mileage Nissan Altima... so dont know who to listen to.

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  Love van but OH the problems - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By so-so - February 27 - 11:10 am

  Previously owned a Dodge Caravan Sport which had no problems throughout 80k miles. Loved styling of Quest,bought 09/04. Travel freqently and very comfortable on long trips. Dealer service dept. has been great however we have been there to many times. Numerous recalls/service bulletins. transmission not smooth in low gear. All 4 rotors turned twice then finally replaced under warranty. Interior fit and finish not great. Only 35k out of goodyear eagles. Squeaks, wind noise, rattles very bothersome. power window mechanism replaced already. rear hatch pistons replaced already. Exhaust system was rattling upon start up. Wheel studs sheered off almost lost rear wheel on highway.

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  solid performance - 2009 Nissan Frontier
  By holeintherock - February 26 - 7:03 am

  solid pleasing performance, have had in some serious off road situations and it has tackled them with confidence, ride is a little stiff on highway but that was expected with this truck as equipped, good ground clearance, would like to see an upgrade in OE tires, but they have done well,i could do without the roof rack that came with the truck, the only off road issue has been the side step rails that I have scraped a couple of times