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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  Decent Car Overall - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By KG - January 15 - 6:16 pm

  I traded an 04 Impala in for this car. It is smaller than the Impala and gets worse gas mileage, so Im not sure if I made a good decision or not. The keyless start is nice, but if you lose your keys it is very expensive to replace. Its an ok car overall, but sometimes I miss my Impala.

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  Great Car for The Money!! - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By ChadO - January 15 - 12:46 pm

  Car is amazing!! The Altima is built tough and has plenty of features on the base model to make it practical for everyone to use!!

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  3 month update - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By sdhk - January 15 - 12:16 pm

  The Frontier crew cab has nice road feel - stable and solid, a comfortable ride and great space utilization options behind the driver seat. I think with a few improvements/options it could fit the needs of lots more customers than it currently attracts and could be a perfect choice for those of us looking for an all around vehicle with versatility and dont need a truck for towing or offroading.

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  nice suv... - 2006 Nissan Murano
  By ramesh - January 15 - 8:50 am

  purchased 06 Murano last week, fun to drive and I love it. Drove Lexus (expensive with the same options) and Honda Pilot before buying this and guess what Murano is the best...

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  noisey sunroof - 2005 Nissan Armada
  By kevin+carmen - January 14 - 6:23 pm

  This a fun ride with plenty of power performs very well in interstate trafic . The sunroof is anouther story, It sounds like you have a window cracked open. we took it back and had a wind deflector installed a the dealer an it helped a very little.If i was going to buy anouther Amarda LE 4+4. I would not get it with a sunroof.the climate control doesent seem to work right either, and the mirrors hav blind spots this could han been easly fixed at the plant, the trucks have the right mirrors.

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  Love it - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By Marisa - January 14 - 10:56 am

  This car has been a pleasure to own and drive. I have a long commute every day and this vehicle very comfortable-- smooth ride, spacious, comfy seats, low cabin noise. This car has TONS of trunk/storage room, way more than I expected and also has lots of head room. It does great with gas mileage and has plenty of pick-up on the highway. The SL is definitely worth the extra money. It has a much nicer interior and a center console (S does not).

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  Excellent car, excellent value! - 2008 Nissan Maxima
  By bobafett14 - January 14 - 10:20 am

  Only negative is the turning radius. 3 point turns and squeezing around tight spots (i.e. parking lots) can be tricky at times. Othewise, this is a great car at a great price. Holds up well, repairs are minimal. I went with a Nissan Maxima after years ago vowing never to buy chevy after seeing a fleet of salesman (company) cars (1/2 the sales force picked Chevy Mailbu 1/2 picked the Altima, 6 Malibus and 6 Altimas go head to head over a 3 year run). Basically the Malibus ALL started shaking, rattling, needed "front end" work..ballbearings needed repaired, brakes/rotors...you name it...all went after about 24K to 26K..the Altimas didnt need any repairs until into thier 30Ks.

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  Solid Truck - 1998 Nissan Frontier
  By jcdavis94 - January 14 - 2:00 am

  Bought it new. Ive yet to have any major mechanical problems. The initial set of tires were defective (bridgstone I think)but the dealer replaced them and upgraded with michelins at no charge. The 1st radio quit at 12K miles, but the dealer replaced it under warranty. Second radios light failed about 1 year and 12K miles later. I had to replace the battery and headlights at 40K. Other than that, I have had no problems whatsoever with the truck. I get approx. 22 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. Acceleration is decent, but handling feels a little sluggish. Overall, for a dependable truck, I highly recommend this truck.

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  SPEC V A BARGAIN - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By SWEETPEE - January 14 - 2:00 am

  BRAND NEW W/ 65 MILES 3 WEEKS NOW AND 850 MILES IN IT SO FAR SO GOOD, JUST WAITING FOR BRAKEIN RIDE IS ROUGH THOUGH BEC. OF SPORT SUSPENSION AND 17 TIRE 1.9% FOR 60 MONTHS $ 18500 OUT THE DOOR INCL. SUNROOF WHAT A BARGAINNOW FIND ME AN ACURA, HONDA OR TOYOTA W/ THE SAME PERFORMANCE ON THIS PRICE RANGE

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  alot of bang 4 the buck - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By tissda1 - January 14 - 2:00 am

  I must tell you i love nissans and even though this car is the bottom line of nissans vehicles you get a lot for under 19k. Rides good sporty lookin and fun to drive. Reliability should not be a problem at all and there are so many extras you can purchase for this car.ie: cold air intakes,exhaust systems,pullys. You can make this car a little more fun to drive with a couple of xtra $$s.