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 Titan: Quality is now there - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By mutthead52 - October 24 - 4:23 am

  With 1000 miles on Feb 05 build date CC LE 4WD fully loaded (everything possible) Titan, Im happy to report I have had perfect quality and performance so far. None of the well- known initial quality glitches have shown up, and my Feb 05 truck was cleared of all known TSBs except the "permanent" brake fix, which is still reported to be a couple of months away. Mileage is not good, but already better than the Denali AWD it replaced, or its stablemate Audi S6. DVD, Satellite radio, Nav., RF radio all perform perfectly. Time and more miles may yet tell a different story, but as of now I can assure 05 buyers that Ghosne and the Nissan team appear have cleaned up the situation completely.Go for it.

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  Great Crossover w/All Wheel Drive - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By Mark in Mass - October 23 - 2:50 pm

  Ive had 3 Maximas, an Altima, a 300ZX, a Datsun 240Z and a Sentra, so Im a true Nissan customer. I wanted an AWD Maxima but none offered yet and I wasn’t going to an Acura. I tried the LE and fell in love. 2,000 miles later, I’m still very happy. The driver’s door open button stopped working, but I’ll have that addressed on my first maintenance visit. I’m very happy with the vehicle and I get a lot of compliments on its looks.

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  My Favorite SUV to date. - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Gaptozak - October 23 - 10:00 am

  I traded in my 2001 Toyota Sequoia for the 2004 Nissan Armada. Reason, the design was excellent, has tons of power has all the features I wanted for an SUV for a whole lot less (cheapest in its class). I love the heck out of this truck.However the build quality is not up to par with the Sequoia neither is the ride quality. But the loaded Armada LE cost a whooping $8,000 less than the loaded Sequoia. I guess you cannot always have it all. I am happy with my buy and so far I have had no issues with it and I look forward to paying off the truck, keep for my 5yr old for his prom night when he graduates high school.

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  Best car Ive ever had - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By EllieM - October 23 - 10:00 am

  I wont change this car for a fully loaded, most expensive high end car!

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  Best truck ever - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Jose Luis Mondragon - October 23 - 10:00 am

  Finally I truck worth driving. I was shopping around for a long time but after lookin into Nissans new Titan there was no doubt about it that it was the best Ive seen in trucks.

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  The best car I have ever owned - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Kris918 - October 23 - 10:00 am

  I had a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder which I had nothing but problems with. I went to Riverhead Automall and I fell in love with the Altima, I get easily over 400 miles to a tank of gas. The car is comfortable to drive and feels like you in a cadillac! At first I was scared going back to driving a car , after owning my Altima for 3 months i would not trade for any SUV.

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  2nd Gen 1st Yr (2002) Nissan Altima - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By R.Bruce Hiddleston - October 23 - 2:50 am

  The 2002 Altima underwent a big design change resulting in many new and some not so improved or appreciated changes.New body is nice, but too low. The interior is appealing and comfortable. The interior lights need to be much brighter, as in the Sentra. The heater in our car has had problems since we got it at 14,000 miles. The car is taken to the service dept at least once a year to make it work as well as my 95 . Nissan PU,so far to no avail. Our car has had several recalls and problems peculiar to 2002 Altimas. Exhaust header replacement recall at 30K mi, muffler recall at 60K mi,front converter selfdestructed at 88K & Killed eng ($3.5K) The 100Kmi $2K warranty was a wise choice. purcased

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  New Car Nightmare - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By JulieQ - October 22 - 9:20 pm

  Since owning this car the following has taken place - both tail lights had to be replaced, carpet replaced, door seal replaced, defective sunroof wind deflector replaced, sunroof drain clogged & caused excessive moisture damage, which resulted in having part of headliner glued back in place and interior musty smell, trunk seals not installed correctly which caused the trunk lid to rub grooves into the bumper, hood had to be adjusted to fix large gaps, console became loose drivers side window seals have gaps, sometimes car idles so loudly it sounds like a diesel. I could go on. In April of 2010, I contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs. Today, they called as said the problems are normal.

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  Great Truck Overall - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By PV - October 22 - 3:03 pm

  I bought this truck used off of my father because my lease on my Mercedes was about over. I drove this truck when visiting him and I really loved it. I never considered myself a truck person, but now I dont know how I could live without one. I use it for all sorts of things. Home projects, carrying bikes, moving large items. The interior is nicely appointed and this truck is fast and powerful. Ive out run respectable performance sedans entering the highway where two lanes go down to one with 4 people. This truck has the optional Big Tow package and 4WD. Ive moved some heavy items with this truck without issue. Reliability has been good, except for a radiator leak at 30k miles.

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  Not our first choice - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Jim Anderson - October 22 - 11:20 am

  My wife and I were shopping for a Grand Cherokee. After looking at the Cherokee, we crossed the street to take a look at the Pathfinders. It did not take long for us to fall in love with this SUV. The Pathfinder pretty much sold itself.