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:

• 

  Some quirks, love this car though - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By CRM - September 6 - 10:00 am

  Bought my Altima used 6mths ago. I feel for the price I paid its well worth it. However, only 6,000 miles after buying it the crank shaft/cam sensors both went out. Ill just say the attitude I got from Nissan was less than caring. I dont want to feel discouraged from my car choice though due to that. My family has owned various Nissans and previously had good experiences. I wish the rear view mirrors bent back on the car. The previous owner had tinted windows and a Sirius radio installed so I enjoy that a lot. :)

• 

  Love my Sentra! - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By Keith - September 6 - 4:13 am

  I bought this care new with the upgraded Synergy Package and used it for service, I have had it 4 years and have 150k plus miles on it. I have no no problems with it, but the transmission does chirp from second to third gear shifts up and down both, but it hasnt affected the performance of it. I run it hard and its been a wonderful car, I havent even changed the plugs in it yet. It eats front brakes up about every 35k but I want to keep it and put 400k on it!

• 

  Try it - youll like it - 2011 Nissan Versa
  By mrpelick - September 5 - 1:51 am

  I bought this car for my daughter to drive. Its comfortable and spacious inside, looks great outside (red hatchback with tinted windows and spoiler....zoom), rides and handles very well, gets great gas mileage, not to mention lots of cargo space and all this at an affordable price. I like it so much Im considering getting one for myself.

• 

  Great Sporty & Luxury Car. - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By Luis Arzu - September 4 - 2:54 pm

  If u want these 2 qualities u got a winner here. Affordable car that gives u both. Many sport cars dont have an interior that looks this great. With this V6 u cant go wrong. CVT n all. Once u put your foot on gas pedal u will see what I mean!!! Get compliments all the time. Deep Blue Pearl baby!!!

• 

  Incredible fuel economy - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Max_speed - September 4 - 12:53 pm

  Traded a basic black 1995 Maxima for a red 2005. Few family sedans are fun to drive. The Maxima is fun, handles well, has tight steering and suspension, attractive. Its very fuel efficient when youre not tempted to take advantage of its great acceleration. Drivers who have a Maxima with manual transmission have a much more exciting, yet economical, car than those who drive an automatic. This is a car that must be driven with manual transmission to fully appreciate both its fun factor and its economy. Worth it to learn to drive a stick shift for this car.

• 

  Very Nice Car - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By Nice Nissan - September 4 - 9:33 am

  I bought this car brand new in April 2006 and it has been solid mechanically. The only feature I dislike is that my electric controlled passenger side mirror had to be replaced due to the adjustment not resetting correctly after placing the car in reverse, which still did not correct the problem.

• 

  Gas mileage; - better than expected - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By Brunte - September 3 - 9:40 am

  We have had Nissan cars before, so when we decided to get a truck the Frontier or Titan were the options to consider. After test drive of a Frontier, the choice was real easy. We have just over 4000 miles in two months - no issues what so ever so far. First cross country drive, (1600 miles) towing a 1000 LBS trailer with a 4000 LBS load we got 17 MPG, second longer drive (no trailer, but a SNUG bed cover) we got 21 MPG - Im sure well see 23-25 MPG when we have put 20,000 miles or so on it. By the way, all my driving is at max legal speed, but from a stand still I dont floor it, I can spare the lost 10 seconds.

• 

  Great Car - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By cclobbyist - September 2 - 5:13 pm

  I did alot of research, even tried to look at the American cars, but it everyone in America has the 300m. Thus I decided to break it down to two final cars. I Looked at the Avalon before I purchased the Maxima SL, got the Onyx exterior and black interior. The Maxima was a far better choice than the Avalon. Got the SL with the drivers pref.pkg. The car rides great, and yes I did notice the turning radius issue that was discussed on this site and yes it begs for improvement. But hey I have yet to find the perfect car that will make everyone perfectly happy. I like the car a whole lot, and was happy to trade in my 04 Camry for it. The heated steering wheel is perfect for the cold Chicago winter

• 

  2004 Nissan Maxima SE - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By ColoMtnHiker - September 2 - 3:10 pm

  Driving the car here in Colorado is flat out fun. The car has performance to spare even at altitude above 10,000 feet and it runs great on regular gas. I have had fuel mileage approaching 30 mph on interstate driving. I do use Mobil 1 which in my case does help fuel economy a bit. Only downside has been a faulty oxygen sensor which was replaced by the dealer but with the suggestion that I stick with Nissans air filter instead of a high performance air filter.

• 

  ZGO TRIPIN - 2007 Nissan 350Z
  By Gregory C! - September 2 - 2:06 am

  My son and I drove 260 miles to get this car new. Actually he drove 250 miles; I drove the last 10 miles. It was the exact color combo I was looking for, and I managed to drive it off the lot for less than a used one. I had been looking for months at convertibles that I could feel comfortable in and still have disposable monthly income left for savings and eventual retirement. I looked at the 2 pricey Porsche, the mild mannered miata, the 2 large Corvette and the Honda s2k my sons dream car, which he eventually bought. I believe I got the best of all four cars in my z: speed, luxury, great looks, reliability and affordability!I will be zgo tripin for years to come!