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:

• 

  Sentra SE Limited - 1999 Nissan Sentra
  By Jacob Dodge - November 22 - 11:13 am

  The Sentra has been an ok little car. The alternator died once, leaving me stranded. Both keys have broken, one is still in the trunklid. Front passenger window motor is going dead. Eject button broke off of cd player. Muffler rusted apart. Also, just recently, the fan speed selector only works on 4, 1-3 do nothing. Despite those problems, it is still faster than my freinds Civic and Corolla. It has a sunroof, which I am ever thankful for. And keyless entry, and white faced gauges. And fog lights. The Sentra now has 140,000 miles on it, with me putting around 40,000 miles/year on it. Considering this, I think the car is holding up rather well.

• 

  Loving it - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Ester - November 22 - 9:13 am

  Bought it 2 months ago after our first kid, and love it. Spacious, quick, and not a minivan.Lots of good features, feels & looks like a luxury vehicle. Great value for the price I paid.

• 

  Great buy! - 2013 Nissan Cube
  By Caroline Rodriguez - November 22 - 12:01 am

  Roomy and easy to find! Great on fuel!

• 

  Love it but - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By jing - November 21 - 4:56 am

  I like my Nissan Sentra ...its fuel economy, performance is pretty good. My only complaint is that the mirror, plastic vents, which are all in its interior, are not well made. Im not doing anything that can be abusive to my automobiles. Except I have high mileage because I commute at least 150 mi ea day..i replace my automobiles at least 2x a year (i have 2 autos). I also hate the fact that changing brake lights (rear lights) are not DIY. By the way for the last 10 years my autos are all Nissan (Xterra, Altima, Pathfinder, and currently I have Sentra and bought another Pathfinder)..Love the Nissan brand =)

• 

  Unsure of issue - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Carlos Baro - November 19 - 4:40 pm

  I have a 2004 King Cab and I love this truck. I just dont like the noise coming from somewhere whenever Im making a turn as I come out of our driveway or the parking lot. It seems like its a steering or brake issue, Im not sure. (Only noticeable when the engine is still running for under 2 minutes or so.) Ive read about people often changing their brake rotors and pads. I remember having a brake judder when she was still about 5k miles. But I took it to the dealer and they corrected the problem. Im not sure if they replace the rotors and pads though. I plan on keeping her and will replace the pads and rotors to aftermarket ones if I have to.

• 

  Bad Truck! Bad is good here - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Biggen - November 18 - 3:50 pm

  I traded my 2004 Frontier supercharged truck in for the Titan. I did my research on the Titan and was confident that it would be a good choice to go with it over any other 1/2 ton on the market. I was Right on the money. This Truck will smoke any stock Dodge Hemi with 1000 lbs in the bed of the Titan and the Dodge dry. If you are in the market for a full size 1/2 ton truck I suggest you dont even waste your time on Ford, Chevy or Dodge and drive a Titan. You will want to buy it on the spot!! The only issue I have had with the Titian is the common front brake rotor problem. Nissan is sending all dealers beefed up replacement parts for the front brake issues.

• 

  better than average, great reliablity - 1999 Nissan Altima
  By fo - November 18 - 10:00 am

  Not the fanciest or prettiest but a car that gives you 0 problems and is easy to drive.

• 

  01 Maxima - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By tobyperk - November 18 - 10:00 am

  I would not hesitate buying another Maxima with the experience I have had with my 01. Very solid and sporty car for a family sedan.

• 

  a car youll learn to love... - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By urkbgan - November 18 - 10:00 am

  nice design exterior and interior.strong engine and the cvt is great.good choices of colors that could match your personality..

• 

  too good - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By tom - November 17 - 7:46 pm

  Great fun car. Power, handling, brakes are excellent. Suspension is stiff but this is what you get with a car that is glued to the road. Great combination of straight-ahead speed and cornering capabilities. When applying the brakes, watch out for cars coming from behind you; no way they can slow as rapidly as you can. Exhaust sound is cool - reminds me of an Austin Healy 3000! You have to 50 years old to remember that car. Only problem is that on the interstate I cant tell if Im going 70 or 90 mph without looking constantly at the speedometer. Too many speeding tickets verify this comment. By the way, 70 to 90 acceleration is way good!