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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  Very good value - 2000 Nissan Altima
  By Bridgeman - January 29 - 10:00 am

  I leased this car a little over two years ago and have put 35,000 miles on it so far with absolutely NO problems. The gas mileage is great (up to 39 mph, averaged around 28, never less than 25). The 155 ponies are plenty to haul this car quickly off the line. The cornering is second to none for any car in this class, but replace the stock tires (they suck). The interior is simple, yet comfortable with plenty of room. The ride is very smooth and quiet. Its very fun to drive and has plenty of room. It looks nice, drives nice, and is cheap to opperate. Im definately buying this when my lease is up.

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  Altima hits a "home-run" - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By car-man - January 29 - 10:00 am

  Wonderful improvement over the old Altima for the performance and styling lovers. The 3.5 is sweet and the body styling is unique. A fun car to drive and gets plenty of attention. Can`t wait to see what is coming out of the updated Maxima stable. Good value for the base car, but too costly to get to the sunroof.(no a-la-carte option here)

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  Altima Shakes & Noisy - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Sad - January 29 - 10:00 am

  My new Nissan 2.5S Altima shakes uncontrollably between 60 - 75 mph. I have already had tires re-balanced. Still a major problem. Also, if a back window is open the road noise sounds like a jet taking off. Oh yeah, the sheet metal is missing under drivers feet. What a mess. I am now making another trip to the dealer Bill Cook.

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  Good car - 1997 Nissan Maxima
  By MAXIMAGUY - January 28 - 12:16 am

  I purchased the maxima @ 60k miles. It now has 130k. This has been a very good car for me. At around 110k i replaced one individual cylinder coil, 120k i had to replace the alternator and 125k the starter. The cv joints are going, but thats not unexpected. I get around 23 mpg mixed between city and hwy. I drive too fast to get good mileage.

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  Exct vehicle, 150k no probs, idiots cant drive - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By Ben - January 27 - 6:41 pm

  Bought the 09 LE in late 2008. Had concerns about the CVT since relatively new and unproven. Only maintenance has been routine oil changes and a recall sensor replacement. No issues have arose as of yet which is comparatively amazing next to the 2 dozen other vehicles I have owned. [non-permissible content removed] The technology that Nissan loads in these vehicles easily rivals the $100K German Sedans and in case youve never owned one, you could put 5 transmissions in a Murano for the maintenance costs in the first 150k. And if you are complaining about the audio system, you should see about a hearing aid. Bose makes the best car audio systems available, from the factory or in the aftermarket. You could spend 5 grand on speakers and amps and not come close to the R&D Bose did on the system they through out. Its not the fastest sports car, its not going to win at BAHA nor will it survive an attempt to triple that group of rail road tracks on the other side of town, [non-permissible content removed], it is an excellent car for a small family or even a mature 19 year old. It is easy to drive and can be equipped nearly as well as a BMW or Mercedes, with more room than a sedan and better fuel economy than a Tahoe. It has just about as much power as can be directed through a transmission with no finite gear ratios in what is primarily a front wheel drive vehicle, and that is plenty for anyone that might find themselves transporting anything that might be difficult to replace. I was just trying to see how much more life my Murano has at 150k only to find out most of them explode at less than half that.

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  Good Sedan - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Texan - January 26 - 9:00 am

  I have the Sentra SE for more than a year. The engine is quite for its class. It is fun to drive with the regular SE suspension, not the Stage II. The highway cruise is great. The speakers and the subwoofer are good. It does have rattle and squeak, but it is not a big deal. The Bridgestone tires are awful. The Pirelli tires replacement make the ride much better. The steering is tight and precise. The ABS and 4-wheel disc brake are wonderful.

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  Manual midsizes, a lonely club - 2013 Nissan Frontier
  By chriscmore - January 26 - 5:37 am

  I chose the Frontier over the Tacoma, because the Frontier is 5% smaller but with a larger bed, and a larger engine with better economy. Its also noticeably a few years fresher in design. I got the now-discontinued PRO-4X with 6sp manual, which had to be shipped from Oregon to Nebraska. The 6sp is a lot of fun, but the reverse gear is hard to find and should have been to the left like German autos. The tailgate extender is nice because its easy to remove. The bed divider is functional but a bit obnoxious in that its not an easy one-side affair to move or get out of the way. Love the step rails and tie anchors. The cruise control didnt work and I have an oil leak to have serviced.

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  New Titan vs Old Titan - 2017 Nissan Titan
  By Rooster - January 24 - 8:57 pm

  I had the older version Titan so I tried for the newer version Titan. 6 months in these are my opinions. At first I thought exterior looks were hands down Old Titan but after driving it I give the new bold, big look a tick under the Old Titan. Interior wise hands down goes to the New Titan. Spacious, lots of storage, comfortable all the way around, materials are great, layout is great just flows with you. Electronic wise the New Titan is upgraded but still has some of the bluetooth glitches occasionally and USB work great if you have an iPod or iPhone. But still has the Rockford Fosgate system that is way better than the Old Titan. I did have to replace front sonar sensor only after 2 months of owning. So I call it a draw. Power wise the new V8 dusts the old V8 and I thought that was a strong motor. The 7 speed tranny takes a little getting use to. Towing is off the chain and 4WD is a beast. Reality hurts when it comes to MPG, but my Old titan wasnt much better. I drive a mixed run of city and hwy and typically every tank of gas is 16.5 to 17.2 depending on if I drive more than the other. I have taken it on multiple road trips and it is by far a better ride, and power than the Old Titan. My only serious grip is that the New Titan does not turn sharp and is awkward in tight spaces where as my Old Titan never had these issues. Overall I recommend it over Tundra, Ram for sure. Just a simple test drive puts it over these two easy. I have driven a 2017 F150 and Silverado 4WD, in my opinion, Titan is very comparable to the F150, maybe a tick above in some cases but a tick below in others, but both of these fall a little short of the Silverado, which right now is top gun in this class. My deal came to financing, in which Nissan had the upper hand. It really is an opinion based, drive them, go from there. The New Titan has definetly come along way.

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  Still going. - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By JD - January 24 - 6:53 pm

  I bought this car with less than 23,000 miles now I am over 60,000 the car is smooth and still fun to drive. As for mechanical issues I have had a few my transmission was changed out at 53,000 due to harsh down shifts usually between 2nd and third luckily the car was still under warranty and had to replace a rear wheel bearing recently. Otherwise I still love the car my average mpg is about 22 in the city and 29 on the hwy. It seems that the only major issue that people are having is the transmission (which cost a fortune to replace) otherwise the car is solid. Maybe Nissan will own up to there defect.

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  options - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By cataldo - January 24 - 10:00 am

  optional equipment not readily available and very high priced not a lot of options to gingerbread the vehicle would like to see more