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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  Not the Best Car in the World - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By Scott15 - November 18 - 10:00 am

  This 01 GXE was my first new car. Problem is, now Im having lots of little problems w/it. First off, the rear shocks bottom out over speed bumps. I took it in under warrenty and they played stupid like nothing was wrong. Then the CD player quit working. It just gives me an error msg. The steering wheel radio controls only work when its hot outside.

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  solid truck that wont disappoint - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By NC Truckin - November 17 - 11:23 pm

  The 05 Titan is a fantastic truck that any full-size buyer should investigate. I was on the verge of buying an F-150 during the great summer deals (also a nice truck) but I decided to test drive the Titan before I bought. Boy am I glad I did! The Titan has a MUCH more impressive driveline than F-150, even with the bigger Ford V8. Torque and HP numbers dont mean much...its how the vehicle feels that matters, and Titan feels great. Ive had it 6 months, and there has only been one small problem; the dealership took care of it immediately. Yes it has poor gas mileage, but that shouldnt be a surprise to anybody (just look at the size of the thing!). You wont be disappointed w/ Titan.

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  Road Warrior - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Robert Carrell - November 17 - 9:46 pm

  This has been an excellent car for the $; I travel a lot for work; consistently drive 90 or more on Hwy; at that speed only get @ 21 or 22 mpg; at 70 get 26, at 60-65 @ 31;

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  Fun to drive, with a few caveats - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Wasim - November 14 - 8:00 pm

  I had a 6-speed manual version with HLSD. The car looked great and was so much fun to drive, but it had lots of small problems. Individually, none would have been a big deal, but it all adds up. I had to turn the rotors every few thousand miles because they kept warping, replaced the Bose radio three times, and had to replace a wheel bearing all within one year of owning it. The squeaks and rattles get on your nerves after a while, and the big turning radius makes it annoying to park and make U-turns. That said, the manual was pretty nice, the car was FAST, and it handled great - the SE really has a nice suspension. And the interior was nicely appointed in my fully-loaded version.

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  Outstanding large family van - 2013 Nissan NV Passenger
  By deltasierra - November 14 - 10:34 am

  With the expected arrival of our 6th child, our Toyota Sienna minivan was going to be too small for our needs. The thought of diving a huge 12-passenger van did not appeal to us. The choices for a long time have pretty much been either Ford or Chevy, which have limited features, and the Mercedes van, while nice, is just too expensive. So we were very pleased to learn that Nissan has started selling 12-passenger vans, at about the same price as the Ford and Chevy vans. When we saw all the options available on the NV, we started to get more excited about it. And after about 2200 miles, weve been very pleased with it. It drives surprisingly well for a large van. I highly recommend the NV.

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  Nissan Frontier - 2004 Nissan Frontier
  By yeadan - November 13 - 10:00 am

  Disappointing fuel mileage. About 21 mpg. 4 cyl has low power for getaways.

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  I dont want to complain, BUT......... - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By gee-rizz - November 13 - 5:56 am

  Car is great fun to drive, but there have been LOTS of minor issues that negate that - audio system sounds great, but repaired twice (not under warranty); crappy placement of 12V outlet and cup holders (cant use radar detector!!); driver side auto-close window doesnt work, tires replaced twice, thumping passenger-side seatbelt, etc. Anyone owning the 350 certainly recognizes these problems BUT.....to drive this car is to forget these admittedly trivial issues (theyre not that trivial, but I get very forgiving once behind the wheel)........

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  Good Car - 1997 Nissan Altima
  By Good Car - November 12 - 9:46 am

  I have had this car for 9 years. I have had transmission problems. Its on its 2nd one. The alternator and brakes have been replaced. Overall it has been a really good reliable car. It needs to go in the shop about once a year. Its been on a few road trips. Its a great car for city driving.

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  lightly driven. - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By Joe P - November 11 - 12:43 am

  I got this car as a spare in the 2009 cash for clunkers. drove it just now and then. I started driving it every day, 2 month ago, 20k miles on it. My thoughts are that my base model came with no arm rests, luckily after market ones are easy to get. Also, the electronic steering wheel causes constant interference on the aftermarket AM radio. The worst thing about this car is the front wheels are so far out in front, that there is no weight on them, trying to accelerate into traffic causes tire spin even on dry roads, almost impossible to pull out into traffic on wet roads. I am still on factory tires so this might get better if better tires are eventually installed. 10/2017, car now has 33,000 miles and got the first new set of tires. Good, name brand tires made a great difference. Comparing the two tires side by side, the original tires have very hard rubber, almost like soft plastic, new tires have soft rubber, easy to deform with fingers. Handling is better, ride is softer and traction is better. Just got notice that the Air Bag is included in the recall, will have to wait several months for the dealer to get parts in stock to fix.

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  A great all weather vehicla - 2010 Nissan Xterra
  By ChrisR - November 9 - 7:13 pm

  My previous car was an 07 Saturn Vue. I looked at Toyota,Honda & Kia before going for the XTERRA. I am so pleased that I did. It is excellent for the money. first Nissan I have ever owned. A day or so after I purchased it we had the worst snow in NJ for many years followed by heavy rain storm and high winds. The X performed excellently in all conditions. It has an excellent heater. Very good visibility all around. Steering a little heavy when maneuvering in 4WD but not an issue really. It provides and excellent feeling of security in bad weather conditions.