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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  Just a Few Minor Setbacks - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By James - April 5 - 11:06 pm

  Bout my Altima brand new in Jan.06, my first brand new car purchase. Since purhasing this car, Ive truly understood why indiviuduals are loyal to their brands. I was a previous Honda Civic owner (1997 & 2002, both coupes) and I was looking for more when switching to Nissan. Not excited about the drive at all. The peppy 4cyl engine has great power but is pulled back significantly when running A/C. Ive had mine in for service numerous times. A/C & radio stopped working after 3 months...still no diagnosis but repaired. Transmission light continues to come on occasionally while driving, and seems to jerk on a start up and go move.

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  Very good buy - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By mike - April 4 - 10:50 am

  I really like this car. I would rather have had the 3.5L V6, but given the fact that it takes premium fuel, gas prices, blah blah blah you get the picture. Very good A to B car in style, and somewhat fun to drive. Creature comforts with the convenience package are very nice. Car is very sophisticated looking for the price. Its my first new car, and I will keep it for at least 5 years provided that no idiot(s) run into it and break it.

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  Transmission Problems - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By kano1017 - April 3 - 5:58 pm

  After reading all this reviews I decided not to wait and / or pay a lot of $$ to get this fix, so what we came up with is totally different cost effective and it works great, I know that this is a problem with the Nissan design but I bought it so now is my problem here goes, we cancel the lines that go thru the radiator and put an independent oil cooler to the side of the radiator with this little gadget you can be sure that you will never ever have this problem again and the transmission oil will be more cooler with this modification so the tranny will work better, cost to do this = 60 buck for the oil cooler, 15 buck to add transmission oil to the oil cooler and thats it well + what you

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  Best SUV for the $ - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Hillcoach - April 3 - 5:50 pm

  Ive owned this 06 Pathfinder a little over a year now, 18,500 miles. Excellent vehicle. Lots of power allows it to pull a trailer and/or full load of stuff with ease. With kayaks and bikes on the roof it averages about 18 mpg at 65-70 mph. Mileage as high as 22 without gear on the roof. I would highly recommend this vehicle to anyone who tows and/or carries lots of toys on their roof. Lots of fun to drive daily and comfortable on long trips.

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  Love my car, but I think Nissan lied! - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By Justen Ramirez - April 2 - 2:54 am

  Ok so my car is a 2.5SL I have push button start LED taillights, steering wheel audio controls, Bluetooth, leather seats, but I dont have power or heated seats no heated steering wheel. The standard radio and hubcaps! How is this an SL? When I see S models with power seats??? I think they just stuck S, SL, on anything in 2015. Wont catch Honda doing that if its a EX-L it has alloys, sunroof and leather For sure!

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  Indifferent - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By JW - April 1 - 10:16 pm

  Deep down, I do like my car. However, at 30,000 +/- miles, both front and rear brakes needed replacing. Ive had a flap fall off the underside of the car because the bolt holding it in just fell out. Does not do well with cold weather starts, nor with any sort of snow build-up in wheel wells. Car is not designed well for a cold- weather environment. (Handles alright in the snow/slush with the right tires) Conversely, I love to drive it in the summer, it zips right along, fun to drive, looks great rolling down the road. Just wish it got better mileage, and was a better winter car.

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  out and about where you cant find me!! - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By The Chadd - April 1 - 10:00 am

  I am or better yet "WAS" a die hard 4- runner fan. Now after the luxury craze took over our beloved suvs I had to look else where to replace my 1993 4- runner with the same ruggedness that an suv should have. The Xterra fit the mold perfectly. The Xterra has been everything my older 4-runner was and more.

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  Armada - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Christopher Lalucis - April 1 - 10:00 am

  The Armada is great in performance. The interior has plenty of room for everyone. Exterior styling is not to bold. Noise inside the cabin can be a little loud.

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  What a great car! - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By LmSpencr - March 31 - 10:40 pm

  I drove this car for a route that covered 300+ miles per day. I put over 200k miles on the car in roughly 2 1/4 years, with only the most basic maintenance. I then let the car sit for 8 months. The car still drives like new! The Sentra is indestructible! Even as the fuel economy is solid (I usually averaged 30-32 mpg), the car is not miniature. The acceleration is very good for a 1.8 liter engine, and the tranny is solid. I have a certain sadness as I am trading the car in. I am convinced that it will go another 100k+ miles, but have to move on. I wish the car would meet a happy road ahead, but at 235k miles, I have my doubts. I would not hesitate to recommend Sentra to anyone.

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  Excellent choice - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By walsh03 - March 30 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Max with a 5 speed SE trim model. This was by far the best car I have owned with very few complaints. It had goo power for a "family sedan" and handled well especially with a few do it yourself modifications. The 5 speed trany was very easy to drive and the road feel was excellent.