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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  Rattles, Rattles, Rattles - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By Shelly - December 24 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle over a year ago. I have had horrible problems with rattles. On the left front of my dash to the left of the steering wheel, in the center council near the gear shift, on the right dash and the worst one is in the far front where the dash meets the windshield. It is very frustrating, because I have had my vehicle in for rattles several times and they cannot figure the far front dash rattle. My girlfriend has the exact same murano and hers just started with the same rattle at 20,000 miles. I thought they fixed it, only it came back after 3 days. I have read many sites where others are having the same problem. Breaks squeak bad

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  Great Light Duty Pickup - 2003 Nissan Frontier
  By yader84 - December 24 - 1:57 am

  I test drove all the light duty trucks before I bought this in 2007. Tacoma was small, lower to the ground, and more bouncy. Mazda felt loose, Ranger couldnt touch the interior space. The Nissan is stable, feels larger than others, has great towing capacity (3000#), and I get 27 mpg. For the size, it has power you wouldnt expect. Best of all, it has had no major problems, and thats at 175,000 miles.

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  Sentra has poor fuel economy - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By Gene - December 23 - 9:23 pm

  Just bought the car and have only 900 miles. Rated gas mileage is 29 city and 36 highway. My average mileage has only been 20.5 mpg for local driving primarily in the suburbs. The dealer tells me the car needs to break in and good mileage will be realized after 7500 miles. I have never had this experience with other new cars, at least not to this degree, so I am very concerned. The dealer cannot find anything wrong. I noticed that the new CVT has a braking effect at all times and I suspect this is the reason for the bad mileage since the car does not coast like a normal car. It is like being in D1 all the time.

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  370 Z a"Winner" - 2009 Nissan 370Z
  By JPK - December 23 - 8:50 pm

  I traded in my 2005 BMW 330CI with the sport pkg and sequential manual tranny. It was a quality vehicle and fun to drive. I test drove the 370 Z and felt it was more me than the BMW. It looks great, (turns heads)has rapid acceleration, shifts easily, and corners like it is on rails. I,m 511" and weigh 170. The seats are comfy, head room is ample and leg room is good. I now have over 1200 miles on the car (mfrs break in period)and engine and tranny feel much better. I live in East Texas and the temp has been in the mid 90s and low 100s since Ive had the Z. 240 degrees is the highest the engine oil has gotten. The Z engine is noisy but seems quieter as it breaks in.

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  Great Van! A++ - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By MGriffin - December 23 - 4:13 pm

  I got mine as an 04 left over in March of 2005 with 70 miles on it. It has ben a great van so far. Nissan extended the warranty for 04s from 3 to 5 years because of some minor bugs ie doors(which is bound to happen with any new model year)if this tells you about how they stand behind their vehicles. Looked at Honda and Toyota and got a MUCH better deal even if it hadnt been a left over. If your looking for a van definatley take a look at the Quest. The 06 seems to have even more features. If I still find I need a van in a couple years when its time to trade mine in I will go with the Quest again!

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  wonderful - 2016 Nissan Rogue
  By Laura - December 23 - 12:41 pm

  I. Love being up and able to see the road. I got the Rogue with safety package and love it.

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  Excellent purchase - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Darryl - December 23 - 2:26 am

  I love everything about this car. It was an impulse buy for me but have no regrets. The moment I saw the car I knew I had to have it. The car drives very smoothly, and has some get up and go power. The gas mileage is remarkable!

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  Nice Design, Lots of Power - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By Neal - December 23 - 1:16 am

  After looking at both Toyota and Nissan, I felt the Nissan had better features, especially the bed channel system---of which has proven to come in handy for securing cargo with the short bed. After 1500 miles, Im very pleased with the quality and reliability to date and would definitely recommend this vehicle.

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  Exactly What I wanted - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By AL - December 22 - 7:43 pm

  The Murano SL is exactly what I was looking for in an urban SUV. It is fun to drive, comfortable and has all of the cargo room that I need. Personally, I enjoy the smooth acceleration provided by the CVT. I enjoy the layout of the instrument because everything is in front of me.

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  A Solid Car... - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By mrcarfan2014 - December 22 - 11:58 am

  Reading these reviews, it seems almost like someone only does a review when theres a problem. I have had my 13 Sentra SR since around the first of January 2014 and have put 21,000 miles on it during that time. Thats a lot of miles but I bought it primarily as a commuter car. I can tell you that I have had no problems, it runs and drives just like when new. Gas mileage averaged around 31 when new and started averaging 35 (about 65% highway overall). After owning 9 Nissans Ive found they dont start getting their better mileage numbers until about 12-15K on the odometer. I think it would average about 3-4mpgs better if they didnt sell 10% ethanol gas where I live (North Louisiana).