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 Truck - 2014 Nissan Frontier
  By J.Robbin Hajek - October 1 - 10:27 pm

  This is another winner from Nissan.After owning a used 1993 Hardbody D21,I was determined to upgrade to a crew cab Nissan Frontier (my Hardbody smoked my old Toyota,with way better off road performance).This truck even impressed my wife,who hated my old Toyota,with comfortable seating (were short people),logical controls,and especially visiblity.The model we bought lacks power windows and power door locks,but after our hunting trip to eastern Oregon,in which we locked ourself out a couple of times in the Chevy,I can do without such conveniences.Be prepared to battle the dealerships,who will way overprice these popular trucks.Arm yourself with Internet knowledge and roll up your sleeves and be prepared for a three hour ordeal.We got close to our target price.We love this truck.I added a receiver hitch,that required no drilling of the frame (WOW) to mount.Update:so far a great little truck,absolutely no problems,and does everything we expected.

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  Superb vehicle and value - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By cme4brain - October 1 - 7:47 pm

  This is my wifes car but I drive it mostly. I have owned 2 Benzes, 2 BMWs, 2 Volvos, and this is the best of all them. This car has the style and horsepower that betters all of those vehicles. The interior quality and transmission are excellent. Its driving feel is just a tick below the Germans, but its reliability is head and shoulders above them- all my German cars cost me $$$$ to keep on the road. And watch for $300 M-B oil changes! Nope, this is a wonderful car.

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  Problem Pairing Voice Connect with iphone - 2015 Nissan Rogue
  By hbjohn - October 1 - 2:20 pm

  I am very happy with my 2015 Rogue SV with one exception. When it works the voice connect is great, but Voice Connect loses pairing with my iphone 5 with ios 8.3 I have followed directions for pairing and even tried a factory reset. Voice connect worked for the first two weeks then it called a different number than the number the system displayed. The dealer had no idea how to fix. Up until yesterday it worked by magic. Now today I get The message on my phone is Connection Unsuccessful Make sure "My ROGUE" is turned on and in range I have followed directions for pairing and even tried a system reset I have been to the dealer twice. He says the system does not support IS 8.3

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  BEWARE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET ..... - 2000 Nissan Altima
  By former nissan lover - October 1 - 12:30 pm

  Was very happy right up til recently when my air intake manifold gasket was found to be leaking, causing the car to have a rough idle and possibly burn the #4 cylinder due to an engine hotspot. Great. Engine light will come on, and repair bill will be around $800, as it is an 8-9 hour job my Nissan dealer told me, and will happen again and again as the hot spot in the engine causing the burning is not able to be fixed.

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  I feel like a 16 yr old with 1st car! - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By Lee Kincaid - September 30 - 11:30 pm

  I bought this after looking at Audi Q7, Infiniti FX, Lexus. This has more bang for the buck and is just plain fun to drive. This interior is awesome, great leather. For those of you who are complaining that you cant listen to the radio unless the car is running - if you push the Start button twice without putting your foot on the brake, all your accessories will work. (this from a 60 year old grandmother). I love the heated seats - kept them on low on a 560 mile drive and my back felt great when I arrived. I make excuses to drive it! Gas mileage is right wt EPS est. so far (4000+miles).

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  Reliable Transportation - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By Joseph - September 30 - 10:40 pm

  I do my part, oil changes, tires, brakes, etc. and this car keeps humming along. I drive 70 to 80 miles per day at 70 plus mph. during the week and take the occasional Georgia Mt. trip over rutted red clay trails-never a problem! Tough and reliable transportation.

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  Love my 07 SE - 2007 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Eugene - September 30 - 8:23 pm

  This is my fourth Pathfinder. All have been excellent vehicles. This one is the best yet.

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  Dont lease a LEAF!!! - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By pangarkar - September 30 - 4:18 pm

  At first when I leased my 2012 Leaf it was the coolest car around. I told all of my friend and before I knew it 6 of my colleagues at work had also leased the Leaf. Man do I wish Id have waited!!! Now I cant even use the car because of range anxiety. I am getting about 40 miles per full charge for a car that only has about 9000 miles on it. Ridiculous!!! Not even close to the 106 miles on the New car sticker. And yes Range anxiety is REAL- believe me when the meter starts to get near the red mark and you still have about 10 miles to go you get real nervous very fast!! I would NEVER lease another LEAF again.!! Nissan says that this is normal for the car!! Really! 40 miles for a charge!!

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  Fun Truck Get One - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By Chris - September 30 - 2:33 pm

  I had a 2006 XE and loved it so much that i traded it for the NISMO, same truck just lots more fun!!! If there are any complaints its the gas mileage. My XE got around 22 for work and back, now on the NISMO i am gettin on average 17. The upgraded stereo needed a boost so i added an infinity subwoofer to the rear. lesson learned if you disconnect the dash lights for the airbags, dont start the truck without them connected: trips the computer into a fault code (dealer FIX) Overall, would recommend this truck to anyone, it is good looking, fun to drive and an overall good deal.

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  Highly Recomended Truck - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By Truck guy - September 29 - 3:26 pm

  I bought this a year ago great truck so far taken it off road, commuted, towed, and snow. Not disappointed yet I once slid into a ditch in the snow just put in reverse and 4wd low and came right out. No body damage extremely tough truck can be used and abused high reliability. Only things I dont like I knew about going in was going to buy a Tacoma but Toyota wouldnt negoiate price and had a sticker of 27k configured same as the Frontier got this brand new for 19k sticker was 25k.