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:

• 

  Never had a problem - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By RebeccaD - December 13 - 10:00 am

  Except for the recall on my windows, Ive never had a problem with my car. Carries everything back and forth from college. Rides rough, but makes up in comfort. Needs airvents in back seat, riders complain of being hot. Stadium seating is a very nice feature, but hard for adults to climb up into. Easy to keep clean, seats resist stain. Gas hasnt been a huge deal, it gets good mileage.

• 

  2005 Nissan Quest - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By ML - December 12 - 11:10 pm

  When we purchased this van, we considered an Odyssey and a Sienna but settled on the Nissan based on the better negotiated price. While overall it is a nice van which meets requirements, the maintenance costs, problems, and fuel economy are not as expected. Plan on replacing tires and rear brakes (under normal city driving) at 30,000 miles and paying $800 for the same service. Tires we found much cheaper elsewhere costing $470 vs. $800 at the dealer. Also the power doors dont always work which the dealer cannot figure out. Using regular gas causes it to ping, so plan on using premium and getting 16 - 18 mpg. Best we could muster was about 23 highway. Third row seat is extremely heavy.

• 

  Bomb Proof Dependability - 1996 Nissan Sentra
  By Ray-ray - December 12 - 10:33 pm

  This car doesnt ask any questions. Turn the key and drive unlimited. Worst fuel economy: 24 MPG Best: 42 MPG Average: 33 MPG. Top speed: 110 Snow driving: like a snowmobile but dont turn while braking. Miles driven in 14 years: 243,300. Black is a hard color to keep up. Had some Alternator troubles. Rebuilt alternators are hit or miss. Fast driving will blow the valve cover gasket. Not worth going over 80. better to sit in than an Altima. Good rear visibility, not like newer cars.

• 

  Rust streams in the paint after 1-year - not covered under warranty?? - 2012 Nissan Altima
  By kkostelic - December 12 - 9:42 am

  I love most of the car; however just after a year rust started streaming down the trunk lid just under the horizontal chrome piece above the license plate. Obvious this is resulted from either poor assembly, or poor workmanship. One would anticipate that this would be a warranty issue, however trips to the dealership, their body shop (that shared the same opinion as I), plus calling the 1-800-Nissan1, the answer was we don’t cover this. Ive had 18 cars, and buy two vehicles every 3 years..this being my first Nissan. Nevertheless, Ive never had paint issues such as this!! I won’t be buying Nissan again..not because of their vehicles, but their poor warranty .

• 

  Good car but has its defects and damage upon delivery - 2014 Nissan Maxima
  By drcofwc - December 11 - 5:37 pm

  I have about a 1k on the car and it handles, accelerates, brakes and looks great. Its 2014 sport and the suspension is stiff. The interior is clean but dated and when it was delivered it took me a day to find that the control panel for the navigation damaged with multiple scratches. The car was basically not detailed on delivery and I later noticed it was damaged (see suggested improvement section). Check your Maxima over with a fine tooth comb before you sign the paperwork. They wont help you if you find something wrong later or they will make it difficult for you to the point where its not worth going back. Also the paint has dirt in it in some spots, clear coat is already separating

• 

  endless recalls - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By tropicalcube - December 11 - 12:20 am

  less than a month of buying my Cube I hear of recalls tire sensor nuts (defective in cold weather) rear door handles need replacing according to a recall listed on the internet, rear brake drums defective recall, steering sensor gone bad on some Cubes, warning lights going off for no reason, I am sure the list will grow in the next few months and hopefully there will not be any fatal accidents due to defective parts from Japan. Makes me think the USA is involved in parts. Better yet why didnt Japan test the parts before exporting the Cubes. Are the ones in Japan also getting recalls?

• 

  Titan Review - 2009 Nissan Titan
  By Jeisun - December 10 - 4:00 pm

  My Titan has 600 miles on it now. Got it with 6. Very quick off the line! Nice growl to the exhaust and handles great! Took it on the highway for the first time and before I knew it I was cruising at 90. Truck drives Fantastic! Even at 70 had plenty of room for acceleration and passing power. Very comfortable and roomy if not more roomy than the Dodge Ram. Sound system is nice. Its no aftermarket system but for stock, its decent.

• 

  Not the "family" vehicle... - 2008 Nissan Xterra
  By Family Guy - December 9 - 8:36 pm

  No question that the Xterra is fun to drive; it is rugged and has presence. Keep in mind that this SUV is built for an active lifestyle and all of its features and capabilities are on target. Vehicle handles well, sport-like in how responsive it is when weaving in and out of traffic. Smooth ride, even on uneven pavement. Truck-like in that the engine is more than enough output, very quick acceleration, powerful V6. Interior space is a bit tight, comfortable for 4. Cloth seats are comfortable and make sense for those X-treme adventures. You are seated high in the cabin, but rear seats are too upright. Lots of plastic used in the interior, but its the best (real) SUV bargain.

• 

  GreAT Value - 2016 Nissan Sentra
  By Phillip - December 9 - 10:37 am

  I wasnt expecting to get the MPG that Im getting, EPA rated at 39 highway, And on my drive to work I average 40! Very Quiet, the only complaint I have is the location of the usb, I had to buy a longer cable to charge my phone. Other than that, for the price the car was, its stunning. The dealership I bought from was incredible, if any body is in the santa barbara area, stop by the local Nissan Store and ask for Ryan, incredible service, like a 5 star restaurant.

• 

  Good Car.....For the Most Part - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By NR - December 8 - 12:06 pm

  I bought this car 2 1/2 years ago with 37,000 miles on it. Now it has 63,000 and running strong. I read some reviews and heard it was a pretty good car, so I thought Id try it. So far its been pretty good. I like the power and the exterior styling. The 222hp really gets it up and going for a bigger car. But it has some down sides too. I think the interior looks kind of cheap. The dash set up looks pretty plain but the seats are fairly comfortable. So far Ive replaced/fixed the exhaust(55,000), 1st coil(57,000), 2nd coil(60,000), and an O2 sensor(61,000). Right now I think the passenger side window motor is going bad and a a/c is acting up. Overall you get what you pay for.