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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  Nissan Maxima GLE - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By rd - December 31 - 2:50 pm

  I only had the car for 3 months. boght it brand new. It is a great car. You dont hear it on the street. It is just the radio, no engine noise. Very quiet for a V6.

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  350Z - 2006 Nissan 350Z
  By georgetown59 - December 31 - 1:03 pm

  excellent auto; just puts fun back in driving; what an affordable GT should be; really love this one

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  The good the bad the ugly - 2007 Nissan Maxima
  By jennifer - December 31 - 10:00 am

  THE GOOD- looks good, lots of power, love the heated seats and steering wheel. the back up sensors have me spoiled. THE BAD- shimmies all over the road on acceleration. anything above 50 my steering wheel shakes. when you shut the doors it sounds like they used sheet metal to build them. replaced the timing chain already. the speakers have a short in them. there is a squeaking in the front end but the dealers mechanics never hear it. car shudders after i start the engine like its not getting fuel, but only of the afternoon when i am leaving work not in the morning. UGLY- the chrome is faded. poor poor paint job. 2 mo after i bought the car pain started chipping. carpet coming up.

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  Not Up to Par - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Pat - December 31 - 10:00 am

  This car is not up to par for the cost. New was well over $30,000. I have had brake problems, the CD player skips, the a/c has stopped all together, and now it is making a knocking noise. I will be getting rid of it because I do not want to sink more money in it. It is a shame that Nissan did not pay as much attention to the Maxima as the Altima. If I had it to do over again I would have saved and bought the Altima. Now I will never buy another Nissan, i dont care what they are selling.

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  First car - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By John - December 31 - 10:00 am

  Its a simple little car nothing special but I have gotten from girls that its cute and they like it. It even has a cute name. Great for the price.

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  Good overall car - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By hogan - December 31 - 10:00 am

  Bought my Altima with 35,000 miles. Ran great for awhile. Had a major problem with transmission not shifting and I could not get the car in Drive, or Reverse. Turns out this is a common problem. There is even a little thing in front of the shifter that can be popped open and then you are supposed to push your key in it to disengage the shifter so you will not get stranded. I did not know this so I had to get towed. Whole time the rest of the car was flawless, ran great. Shelled out $600.00 and the garage put new sensor in, but said problem could come back at anytime. Google it and you wont believe how many people had same problem. Other than that great car.

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  Our guardian angel - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Repeat buyer - December 31 - 10:00 am

  The Altima is a great car. Very reliable with minimal maintenance. Very quiet inside and no noise engine. The CVT is great...gives the vehicle excellent acceleration and no noise. Very stylish and extremely safe. Our entire family (including baby and young child) were in a severe car accident that totaled the car, and we all walked away without injury. The outside of the car was crushed on three corners yet the inside was in perfect condition. Great car for the family as its roomy enough for baby seat, booster seat, and another child in the back.

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  Much better than CRV, RAV4 - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By Emre - December 31 - 6:10 am

  This is a great small SUV. It handles excellent. It has also very nice packages such as leather and awd premiuim package. I test drove it and felt in love and I bought immediately. But I test drove many other cars before this. And this is much better choice than even best selling CRV. You must test drive it. Words cannot do enough justice.It is very luxurious car at very affordable price.You could fill the cars tank around $40.

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  Issue at High Speed - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By ferice - December 31 - 2:59 am

  I have a 2013 Altima 2.5s. I feel as though I am loosing control of the car when I reached 65 MPG and up. I am scared that I will cause a serious accident because I dont feel like I have control of the car at times. The car is also wobble when driving on the expressway at a lower speed. I am wondering if anyone else is experience the same issue. Ive driven my wife ford fusion for a month, and I have never had that issue

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  Always enough room - 2007 Nissan Armada
  By Cindy in SouthernCal - December 30 - 9:23 pm

  Purchased my SUV over a year ago and just love it. Parent with teenagers, always room for all the kids and bikes. No problems with anything and the Nissan service dept is excellent for regular maintenance. I recently purchase a small car (another Nissan) for gas purposes but refused to give up my Armada.