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 - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By JIM JR - July 24 - 2:00 am

  AN EXCELLENT VALUE, HOWEVER INTERIOR MATERIALS NOT NEAR QUALITY OF MY 00 MAXIMA

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  Good Car, Room for Improvement - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Byamba - July 24 - 2:00 am

  Overall a very reliable car. Nice looking. Strong and fast, probably one of the strongest 4cyl (175 horses) engines Ive seen. Fun to drive. Roomy. Interior needs a lot of improvement though. Something could be done to lower the noise. A very good car that needs some refining, so I am looking forward to the 04 version (with standard ABS).

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  2005 Nissan Xterra Off Road 6MT 4WD - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By Raj - July 23 - 6:53 pm

  For the price, its quite a roomy SUV with quite a powerful engine. THE CONS: The transmission is quite noisy and feels like driving a truck. Shifting is not as smooth as it would be in a car. Noise carries inside especially when shifting gears. Lacks the smoothe ride of a car or a luxury SUV. The dash is very dreary. Front passenger seat not very comfortable. The vinly lined cargo are tends to get scratched. Bad at handling corners. THE PROS: Fun to drive, especially on straight roads. Good performance(0-60 in under 8 sec). Pricing. Cloth seats have a unique fabric that give it a rugged look. Descent fuel efficieny when you take into account that its a SUV and has a 265hp engine.

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  Lovin My New 2016 Maxima! - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By Anonymous - July 23 - 12:06 pm

  Ill admit, the Maxima wasnt even one of the cars on my list to consider, since I was so hell-bent on getting a Lexus IS 250, Scion FR-S, or Lexus NX300h. I really wanted a sportier car that was fun to drive with great gas mileage, as I commute everyday, but needed one that could fit at least 5 people. The Lexus NX300h was at the top of my list since it could easily fit in 5 people and had all the features I wanted, but was a bit out of my price range. The Lexus IS250 was a lot more cramped and had a lot less features.. and though I REALLY liked the handling and driving of the Scion, much like the Lexus, it had a lot less features and was even more cramped in the rear seats (leg room was next to zero) and was even worse than the Lexus. As I was looking at the Lexus the dealer had in stock, I noticed a Nissan Maxima, which only had caught my eye because of the beautiful color (Bordeaux Black) I went to test drive the Lexus and Nissan and I was completely blown away by the interior, handling and performance of the Nissan. I test drove the Nissan first and then the Lexus. The Nissan had so many features that the Lexus didnt that I was sold after I had finished driving the Lexus. The interior is amazing, and I love the blind spot indicators, as well as the excellent mpg, and the handling in sport mode is awesome! This car is definitely a head-turner and I always get compliments, especially on the color, styling and interior. The only downsides to this car: 1.) Does not fit 5 people comfortably 2.) The Bose sound system is a little off, as the music tends to fade out at random times while playing music, without messing with any of the controls, but could just be my system. 3.) Navigation could be a little bit easier to use, since it can be dangerous trying to go and type through all the manual input information in different sections for the city, state etc while driving. I find it easier to use the nav on my phone than the one in the car, where you can just enter the address easily.

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  STALLING ISSUES - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By plogan97 - July 22 - 11:21 am

  my sentra sr is stalling on me when i start my car in the morning,, i always warm it up for 10 min, and lately it has been stalling on me in reverse,,idles below 1 and makes a real weird whinning noise kinda like a old honda...when i come to a stop the idle just drops below 1 and then it dies like it ran out of gas,,electric is still on brakes dont lock up but seems to be getting worse,,going to the dealer tomorrow.

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  New Owner - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By bmilburn - July 21 - 2:03 am

  So far jury is out. Several issues I am concerned about. Gas mileage averaging 23mpg. At this point lower than advertised. Today took vehicle to dealer for cargo rattle. Set up appointment and leaving dealer gas gauge dropped to zeroe flashing and check engine light came on. Vehicle is at the dealer now and it will be interesting to see how dealer/Nissan handle this. Fun car to drive but I am a little concerned. I will respond with feebback on how this turns out as I am a major airline pilot and focused on the technical side of things. I am hopeful this is a minor bump in the road.

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  After 4 Months and 5000 Miles Later - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By 5HOLZin1 - July 20 - 9:50 pm

  For your money, the best 2-seat sports car on the market. Great styling with close to 300hp to back it up. The last 4 months and 5,000 miles down the road, I enjoy getting behind the wheel each and every day that my wife lets me. We are both very happy with our purchase. We bought the Z and Murano SUV at the same time. The service at our dealership is excellent and we dont regret our decision on either vehicle. The Z leather interior is comfortable and the Touring package seating is fine for 2-4 hour drives both in the city and on the freeway. The Z gets plenty of compliments from lookers and the only thing I would add would be a 19" chrome wheel package.

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  Best buy ever - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By LuvMyMurano - July 20 - 2:10 am

  I was initially lured by the Muranos design, then fell in love with how it drove. I bought it new in January 2004 and have never regretted it. 170,000 miles later I am still impressed with its reliability and build. I have only paid for routine maintenance, and continue to enjoy consistent performance. No issues with things falling apart or breaking. Friends comment that it is still "like new". Either I got lucky with a perfect car, or the Murano is just close to perfect.

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  Cheap to Keep - 1998 Nissan Frontier
  By Steve McGill - July 19 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Nissan Frontier new in 1998. It now has 136,000 miles and has been very reliable. The fuel gauge became erratic and was replaced under warranty. The plastic tailgate handle broke and was replaced for $35.00. Water pump replaced at 68,000. Gas mileage averages 25 mpg. (mainly highway miles) The engine is adequate for light hauling. Dealer service has been excellent. Great truck!

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  Love it, but hate it! - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By Motor - July 19 - 10:00 am

  I love my truck and wanted to buy a Nissan for the dependability. Ive owned a Nissan Hardbody in the past and there was no stopping this truck. So ofcourse I wanted the Frontier. So far the sunroof leaked really bad. One of my speakers had to be replaced. A radiator hose leaked. As if all this wasnt bad enough, the paint is peeling off and Nissan says its because of rocks. They are absoutly wrong. My service consultant laughs everytime I go in for service. He says I need to trade it.