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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  Excellent Vehicle - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By Johnny101 - October 13 - 10:00 am

  I love my new Silver Xterra. I love the ride height and the stadium seating in the rear. Controls are set out thoughtfully. Great Sound system. Very quiet ride and great handling. I had a Dodge Durango and the Xterra kicks its butt in all categories.

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  Awesome! - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Jdrv291 - October 12 - 7:16 pm

  This is by far the most fun I have had driving a car.. I dont understand people saying it gets bad gas mileage.. i am averaging 26ish around the city I dont know about the highway but I bet its better. The only issue I dont think is great is the gas pedal is a little shaky at 2800+ rpms but its a 4cyl so what do you expect? Ill take the gas mileage all day over a little vibration! and its got cruise so its great!

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  Answer to the Noisy Comments - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Ryan - October 12 - 6:36 pm

  I too really thought the road noise was too much. I also really disliked the traction on wet or snow covered roads. I finally bought new tires at 30,000 miles, and the noise and traction issues went away. The OEM Continental tires are poorly designed and are the root cause of the problem. The Good Year TripleTred tires I put on make the car quiet on the interstate and give me an incredibly secure feeling around corners.

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  Great SUV - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Joe - October 12 - 11:13 am

  This vehicle is the best, in my opinion of all vehicles in its class. With roomy interior and a very handsome exterior, Nissan went over and above in the Pathfinder design. I also own a Titan, which I normally pull my 23 foot, 4000 pound, wakeboard boat with. One day I decided to use the Pathfinder, I was impressed! It pulls with ease. Much better quality in all features than the Envoy, and Pilot, way better than Durango and Jeep. This thing is solid! Its the perfect combination of a powerful SUV, sporty handling and quickness. On the highway smooth and quiet. Fuel economy is better than I expected. I believe this is the SUV the other manufacturers try to copy.

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  All around great car - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By PHA - October 12 - 10:53 am

  After trying all the competitors, I bought this car for 2 main reasons. 1, the ride is better than with any other car its size. When I have passengers for the first time, that is what they usually comment on. It rides like a larger car. 2, it offered more features for the money. When accelerating, I try to keep my RPMs below 3,000. My average MPG is 32 in the summer, 31 in the winter. Ive gotten as high as 36 on the freeway with cruise. How a person drives makes a big difference on MPG. The CVT is smooth, but not that fast on takeoff. If you want speed, buy a sports car. The stereo sounds great. The car is very comfortable and roomy. I really felt I got the most for my money.

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  Not A Fod Truck Man....Anymore - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By G. Owens - October 11 - 5:16 pm

  After owning several Ford Trucks and getting great service out of all of them(100 to 200K) I made the mistake of driving the Titan. I will prewarn you. Dont do this unless you are ready to buy. This truck is awesome. Like others the power and handling is great. Love the Stereo (even if it really is a Panasonic and Fosgate by name only.) The bed liner and utilitrack system are nice add ons as well as the small but functional side storage compartment. This baby is a pure joy to drive. It even lets me meet new people at all the gas stations I get to stop at. Yes the milage is not great, but I knew that going in so no big deal!!! I highly recommend this truck

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  Our second Armada - 2006 Nissan Armada
  By Dave and Karen - October 11 - 12:00 pm

  #2. Our 1st Armada 04 was great until the emissions went bad (what a Nightmare dealing with Nissan NA) However we purchased another. Best SUV weve owned and weve owned them ALL. At 17+ on Highway loaded with 3 youngins and luggage you cant ask for a better vehicle. Towing capacity surpasses any other SUV on the Market. We tow both 8K lb TT and Horse Trailers. As for problems we had a first year 04 Armada and Nissan is working out the Bugs. Maintainence is Mandatory. If you invest the $$$ in this vehicle maintain it! Youll be happier in the longrun. If it breaks on a warranty item fix-it immediately. Keep records of ALL services no matter how minor. Get on the Good Side of the Service Dpt

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  I LOVE this vehicle! - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By dee - October 10 - 2:56 pm

  I read a lot of the previous reviews and I think the main issue here is maintenance of a sporty vehicle. I usually get 28 MPG in town and 30-40 MPG on the open road (averaging over 80 MPH). Other than regular maintenance and fixing the suspension parts that my kids have bent over the years, I havent had any problems. I do replace tires nearly every year because I have the suspension set tight, nearly race ready (remember this is the same suspension the Mercedes Compressor has). I am an aggressive driver that loves to drive at high speeds on the open road. I have had the recalls done and my grill is still great. I am finally putting spark plugs and a K&N filter in it after nearly 90k miles.

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  Great offroad but also a excellent grocery getter - 2011 Nissan Frontier
  By mystro - October 10 - 9:56 am

  Nissan should have named the 4x4 the Mountain Goat series..the Frontier out performs every other truck in its class. Built like it looks.

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  People need to take better care of cars - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By thunder - October 9 - 7:23 pm

  When I bought the car it only had 55,000 miles on it. Now 2 years later it has 78,000 miles. I only had to change some wear and tear parts. With Nissan Sentra, like any other car, if you dont keep up on the maintenance the car wont perform or run properly. Little problems turn to bigger problems. If you keep having head gasket problems let up and quit horsing the damn car, and if you are having radio problems keep the volume down or get a hearing aid. Factory radios can only take so much power on any car not only Nissan.