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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  2005 murano - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By james - November 11 - 8:30 pm

  this is our second murano our first was in a accident so we bought another one nissan makes a great product the drive and styling is wonderfull the gas mileage is really our only dissapointment it is alot lower than sticker says but all the other goodies make up for that the technology package is worth the cost this car goes when you ask it too

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  25,000 great miles/2 years - 2006 Nissan Murano
  By Ron - November 11 - 7:23 am

  Had this car for all most 2 years, 25,000 miles. Everything is great, no problems, Milelage is 27 hyw. with A/C on, 18/19 city in the summer. Would buy again!!

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  Nissans have poor paint jobs - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By timothy - November 11 - 3:43 am

  My paint job is horrible and i got luv bugs on it , and in just a couple of hours it took the paint off, my dealership will not fix it it is a cheap paint job

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  Should have a mechanic as an option - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By celejao - November 11 - 1:32 am

  Bought my 2004 new. Have put on at least 3 to 4 brakes, and 3 sets of tires. Currently has 170,000 miles and is stuck at the dealership, was towed there. Right now needs motor mounts, catalylic convertor, front brakes, burns oil, a trans leak (so the dealer says, I do not have any leak spots on the ground), four tires, a belt: $6,000. in parts and labor! Really? I just replaced the CV joint on the drivers side. 350.00, an independent friend replaced it, probably double price at a service station. Nissan dealership is basically telling me to junk the car, so I will buy a new one. They tell me the engine may be bad, the transmission may need to be replaced. Dealership is scary.

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  A great bargain - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By cedric - November 10 - 6:26 pm

  Well built, powerful, and easy to drive in tight quarters. High seating position gives a commanding view of the road, but the short wheelbase means it can park where the soccer-mom Suburbans cant.

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  Good basic truck - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By t - November 10 - 4:33 pm

  I bought a lightly used Frontier and have driven it from 27,000 miles to 45,000 miles so far, and have had no issues at all. I got the most basic edition - manual, no power anything, V4. I average 22-24 mpg per tank. After trying out some American cheap 2 door trucks, the Nissan felt like luxury. The interior is nothing fancy, but its just comfortable, well designed, and not bad looking. The "back seat" is small and uncomfortable to sit in, but great room for storage. Only complaints. very limited visibility when looking over your shoulders for blind spots. Also the turn radius isnt great, kind of hard to park.

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  Do your research - 2008 Nissan 350Z
  By CJ - November 9 - 11:16 pm

  I had the base badboy for 6 months before it was totaled in the rain from doing 45 in a 55mph zone. All I have to say is that this was one of the best cars that I have ever had, I dont think a Porsche would have made me much happier but no matter what you tell yourself it is really only a sunny day kind of car. You already know why you like the car but here are the problems. Base model means no lsd something which is inconceivable on a rwd car of this caliber. Secondly the brakes stink compared to the engine power. Luckily the 370 fixed this issue. The car comes with hid which is nicel and same power as the top end models. Even nismo. . But no LSD or vdc and no brembos. Im looking into awd

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  Major flaw - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By hogheavenfarm - November 9 - 8:03 pm

  Gas mileage 33 as advertised, tank is small though, requiring frequent refills. Defroster barely adequate in cold weather, road noise a big problem with windows down. Biggest problem is that is gets blown around the road in the wind. Anything over 35 mph and you need two hands on the wheel, especially when a truck passes. Wont buy this car again, and road tests should include wind tests for this problem.

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  Our best Maxima ever! - 2011 Nissan Maxima
  By franc - November 9 - 4:47 pm

  Just this week bought our 4th Maxima (2011). This 2011 Maxima is by far the best auto that we have owned. The car drives great and the ride is very comfortable.

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  headlights - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By shelly30 - November 8 - 10:14 pm

  I bought a 2013 Nissan Altima sedan back in November. I traded my 2012. I noticed that whenever the headlights are on that there is a smudgy place, which later found out it is a shadow from the lamp. I did talk to my dealership and they said all the headlights were like that. I called and reported it to consumer affairs nissan. She wrote up a case number and all and asked me to send pictures. I did that and she sent them to the engineering department. She called me back and told me that its the lamp and that theres no solution to correcting this as of right now. My question is did whoever make this car not look at it before sending it out on the market. You buy a brand new car