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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  MY mistake - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By bugman - October 21 - 2:00 am

  I feel I made a mistake buying this truck, I was in a hurry and thought I was getting a deal on it. I bought it used, thought at first it was a good truck, it is a good truck, but for a person who put 120+ miles on in a day it is not that good of a truck. only get 18 mpg in 2 wheel drive but the weird thing is in 4WD I get 22 mpg. Just not the right truck for me

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  MY mistake - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By BUGMAN - October 21 - 2:00 am

  I feel I made a mistake buying this truck, I was in a hurry and thought I was getting a deal on it. I bought it used, thought at first it was a good truck, it is a good truck, but for a person who put 120+ miles on in a day it is not that good of a truck. only get 18 mpg in 2 wheel drive but the weird thing is in 4WD I get 22 mpg. Just not the right truck for me

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  BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By PeterWL01 - October 21 - 2:00 am

  I test drive many vehicles before I purchase. I am in no way an impulse buyer. This is one of the fun to drive SUVs, which provides the most utility for your dollar. Plenty of room in the back. 4 whel drive is superb. Recently, we had 24" of snow fall in my area. This SUV cut through the snow like a hot nife through butter. No problem what so ever. Highly recommended.

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  Should have gone for that Subaru - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By Sara - October 19 - 9:50 pm

  After a bad run with several used cars, I decided to go for a nice, reliable new car. After seriously considering a Subaru Impreza and a Honda Civic, the Sentra 1.8S Special Ed. was so well equipped for the price that I couldnt pass it up. My fathers 87 lasted 150k miles, so what was there to worry about? Well, here it is: in less than 24k miles Ive gone through 1 front door seal, a rear wheel bearing, 2 belts, 1 fuel pump, and out of nowhere, the rear brake drums went off-round (lots of meat on the pads 1k miles ago). Otherwise, the car is what I would expect from a low-priced compact car: zippy enough, passable steering and a semi-comfortable ride.

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  Beware of the CVT - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By considerate128 - October 19 - 4:43 pm

  Bought this car used with 50k miles on it. After about 6 months I noticed a rattle sound from the transmission at low speeds @1,500 rpms. I did some research and it sounds like its a common thing for their transmissions. I was very disappointed and the cost to repair looked to be steep. I knew there were mixed opinions about the transmission and I wanted to give it a chance. Last Saturday a truck rear ended me, totaling the car. It may be a blessing in disguise due to the transmission needing repair and I was able to go out and get something else. I will not buy another Nissan again if it uses the CVT technology.

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  So reliable! - 1997 Nissan Maxima
  By bemmoftn - October 19 - 1:40 pm

  Nissan built a fun to drive, ridiculously reliable vehicle in 1997. We are the original owners of this 13 yo car, and never had any major issues. It has always performed, never let us down, lots of power under the hood, and there are absolutely no complaints here. It was the most eye popping exterior design year for the Maxima, but it has to be one of their best in durability. I have loved it from day 1, and I still love it on day 4,655. We finally decided to get a new car. So what did we buy? Another Maxima! And it will be ours for the next 15 years.

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  great value - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By Two Nissan Man - October 18 - 2:03 pm

  Ive had my 01 Altima since June/01 and have about 9000 miles so far. I have the GXE automatic and even in Houston, where we have to run the a/c often, it has plenty of power for a small 4 cylinder. It is fun to drive and easy to maintain. Mine came with the Limited Edition package at a great price and rebate. My only complaint is the usual bumpy ride with the stiff Nissan suspension. Other than that it is great!

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  My Reliable Baby!!! - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By Delighted Owner - October 18 - 1:40 pm

  Ive owned my baby for only a little over a month and the only thing I brought it to my mechanic for was to scan the engine for the check engine light problem. Thats it. Turns out to be an anti-knock sensor and an EGR sensor. (Emissions sensor). He told me not to worry about it and since it runs like a TOP, not to even bother spending the $800 for these 2 sensors installed. Drives like Im on a cloud! He said he could just pull the bulb out so the light is always out! Id rather do that for the $35!!! Will not affect the performance or ride if he did this. This car is so quiet, sometimes I forget its on! Ill never part with my baby! I strongly recommend this car to anyone!!

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  Love My Coupe - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Charlie - October 17 - 11:26 am

  Ive had my 3.5 SE coupe for 6 months now and really love it! My favorite feature is the CVT in the shift mode - lots of fun to drive out here in the country. Havent had any mechanical problems but only has 5,000 miles on it. Drove it all winter and had no problems with the snow (live in Toledo Ohio so weve had our share). Everyone in work loves the way it looks - precision gray with black leather. Car is a little nosier on the highway than my Monte Carlo SS was but this is my first foreign car so I guess I need to get used to it. Salesman didnt tell me the car needs to run on high test gas - gets about 21 mpg city/hw

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  ITs EHHH - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Gary - October 16 - 1:20 pm

  Got it in 08, three days later new transmission, thank god it was under warranty. Slowly other parts started wearing out, motor mounts, inner tire rods and ac compressor have to be replaced according to the dealer all this comes up to 3k. I never again will buy another Nissan, Ive had Hondas all my life. Stick with acura if you want upscale quality that wont dissapoint you. Im waiting a little longer before I jump into a tl.. Oh yeah turning radius is terrible! A semi does a better u turn!