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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  Love this car - 2014 Nissan Pathfinder
  By tykes - October 12 - 6:19 pm

  Bought my 2014 SL 4x4 in Aug. 2013. I already have 21k miles on it. We bought this car for the incredible leg room and the towing capacity & we had previously owned a 2007 pathfinder & had no problems with it. At between 3k - 5k miles we did experience the shudder, took it into the dealer, they fixed it & we havent had any problems since. This is a great car. Smooth ride, great features, love the leg room, good gas mileage, fun to drive, reasonably priced & we have had tons of compliments on it.

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  2017 ALTIMA 2.5 s - 2017 Nissan Altima
  By Immi B. - October 12 - 4:01 pm

  I have always loved every model of the Altima. I think that I have had every model from 1995 to the 1999 to the 2017!! Nissan gets better & better. I adore my new Altima, it has everything that I am looking for and more. It handles the road flawlessly and the design is sleek. It catches a lot of eyes and I am happy to show it off!

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  2017 ALTIMA 2.5 s - 2017 Nissan Altima
  By Immi B. - October 12 - 4:01 pm

  I have always loved every model of the Altima. I think that I have had every model from 1995 to the 1999 to the 2017!! Nissan gets better & better. I adore my new Altima, it has everything that I am looking for and more. It handles the road flawlessly and the design is sleek. It catches a lot of eyes and I am happy to show it off!

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  Love My "Z" - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By Jewelryboy00 - October 12 - 7:23 am

  "Z" That says a lot based on the history. The car handles like a dream on tight mountain curves as well as the informal race track "I-64". The ride is a bit stiff as one would expect from a performance car. The sweet 3.5 litre V-6 cranks out smooth, even power. She is sleek in design and easy on the eyes with a wide stance and flaring fenders. My silverstone "Z" isnt vain even though she has a platinum name.

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  D&Cs Rogue - 2016 Nissan Rogue
  By David Parker - October 12 - 6:05 am

  This is our sixth Nissan vehicle and our second Rogue. We decided we wanted a top-of-the-line vehicle. We picked this car with the help of our salesperson who was extremely knowledgeable about cars. We like the styling, the color (white) the ease of viewing the instrumentation, the safety features, backup camera and extra safety with seeing all round the car and the alarms which will sound if we come to close to another vehicle or human being. The camera has an excellent field of view. The car is easy to drive and is handles nicely and much better than our first Rogue.

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  Slightly Impressed - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Ally - October 12 - 5:53 am

  Went around looking at every car in the mid size range that you can think of, I tried so hard to avoid the Sentra. Look at everything Corolla, Jetta, Hyundai Accent etc but they just seemed dull. Then my parents talked me into it taking a look at Nissan. I couldnt believe i had avoided it for so long. I had to opt for the S because lets just face it, the base was bland. So far getting great mileage, if you are considering the Sentra go for the S and add the convenience plus package for a few dollars more. You wont regret it

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  Reconsider before buying 6-spd manual - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By dont_buy_the_6-speed - October 10 - 6:13 pm

  I have owned this car for 10 months and it drove superb when I first purchased it, but the Edmunds.com editor was correct when he says that the 6-speed manual transmission should be avoided. In the winter, the gears began to grind, crunch, pop. I tried a dealer recommended synthetic oil and it helps slightly but even in the summer there is considerable gear grinding. Master clutch cylinder had silent recall; clutch pedal made reverberating "socket-wrench" sound until this was replaced. Nissan consumer affairs lacks technical knowledge and unhelpful and would not offer any suggestions to correct gear-grinding, it seems to be a common problem so please avoid 6-spd and go with the CVT

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  the max - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By jamaicanlovrboy - October 10 - 5:00 pm

  i jus recently bought my nissan maxima. i had a 89 bmw 325i before, and the maxima is cheaper to maintain. only problem i had so far is the rear calipers locked up on me. has a very responsive V6. this car has tons of dress-up, and performance parts. ive already changed my Y-pipe, intake and exhaust, lightweight flywheel, clutch, had my ECU flashed by JET, and oh man this baby moves. this car wont win a gas saver race, but i know i have fun buring the gas and hearing that 3.0 scream.

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  Its a great car - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By ehales - October 9 - 6:33 pm

  I got my 2005 Murano brand new and now it has 117K on it. Believe or not it still runs like the first day! I take care of it and do not miss any due service or oil change. Recently passenger door lock/unlock stopped working. Rear pass door has the same problem but not all the time! other than that everything is great. Its supposed to get 18 city-24 highway but on country road I get 26-27 and in city hardly 18. I highly recommend this car to all buyers who are looking for a comfortable, good looking reliable car. I would definitely go for new one.

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  Babjis Review - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By Babji - October 9 - 10:00 am

  The vehicle is really fun to drive. You love it when you overtake other vehicles at traffic lights and after tolls. One can really enjoy driving this vehicle. The contol of the vehicle and the road grip is pretty good. Though, the sound system claimed to be the premium quality, you would not find it extraordinary. The vehicle shakes a little when there are gusty winds.