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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  excellent - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By jesiminn - September 22 - 10:00 am

  it is soooo fun to drive and youll always get a look, even from other convertible drivers. It should have been an 8 cylinder but you cant have your cake and eat it to. The only thing I dont really like is the breaking on this car. It doesnt seem to break smoothly. Besides that buy it!

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  bumpy but ok - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By michael g - September 22 - 10:00 am

  I recently purchased this car. Havent had any problems yet. The engine, altho only 4 cyl, is powerful. However, the ride is quite harsh b/c of tight suspension. It is roomy emough.

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  Not Bad! - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Mangtas - September 22 - 10:00 am

  Owned it for 3 weeks now so, I think its time to write a review. I was a bit disappointed on the the first 3 days after I picked up the car. I found a broken (split) rubber molding on the upper right corner of the rear right passenger door. I was surprised that Nissan didnt catch this problem while conducting their quality assurance on this at the factory. But the staff at Extreme Motors really did an excellent job of fixing the problem. They ordered the part for me right away and fixed the problem as soon as the part arrived. The quality of the repair was excellent.

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  2012 Nissan Altima 2.5S - 57,000+ miles - 2012 Nissan Altima
  By whf1957 - September 22 - 9:39 am

  I purchased my car used from a rental car company in November 2012. It had about 32,000 miles on it. They did a great job of making it seem new. I have 57,500+ miles on the car now and besides replacing the tires and having the oil changed, no issues to report. I have averaged about 28.5 mpg between city/hwy driving. I did make a trip to Omaha, NE in May 2013 and when I filled up I had just over 34 mpg (hand calculated with a calculator 3 times). I was driving about 72 mph with the a/c on. The MPG listed on the dash board has never been accurate. Just because I am old school I do get the oil changed every 5000 miles instead of the 7500 recommended by Nissan.

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  More Trani Problems - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By SUVgirl - September 22 - 8:50 am

  Pathfinder was my first new car! Loved it, until the problems started. First the fuel sending unit sensor went, but was under warranty, so it was fixed (2006). In 2009, with 75,000 miles on it, the transmission went. Same prob Im reading about here - radiator leaked into transmission and ruined it. Had it fixed, but have since had problems with a solenoid and have had to have it towed two more times. And just when I thought I had had enough, the fuel sensor has gone again! Is there any recourse out there for us? This is our family car. Our 1992 Honda Accord is great, but its had its hey day - not really comfortable putting the three kids in it to travel anywhere far.

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  Review after 5 years, 80k miles - 1999 Nissan Sentra
  By t-bizzzle - September 22 - 8:03 am

  I bought this car with 60k miles on it and now it has 140k. Its been good to me, but it has its quirks. Im 6-2, 230, and I find this car comfortable. Its been a pretty reliable car too. The only breakdown was when my water pump went out. Beware that this car has trouble starting at high altitude. I need to put my foot on the gas when I start my car or it will stall and will not start up again. If I forget to put my foot on the gas when I start it I have to floor it and crank the engine for about 60 seconds. Ive only forgotten to hit the gas about 3 times, so its not that big of a deal to me.

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  Wonderful car - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Gerri - September 22 - 6:13 am

  I went from a large SUV to this Versa. I love it! I get twice the gas mileage with comfortable sized interior, good power, great styling & features! I have a sunroof & bluetooth, CD stereo pkg. Hatchback has easy entry trunk w/ fold down back seats.

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  Great SUV for the money!! - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By jeep53 - September 22 - 2:33 am

  Im writing this review after having just purchased this SUV today, but I just wanted to give my first impressions of it. After wanted to purchase the Murano, I decided to test drive the Rogue. After only a few minutes of driving, I was very impressed with the options and the way the car handled. It drives like a car, except with the height and comfort of an SUV. It has a very smooth ride. We opted for the SV with the SL options. It has everything we need, including navigation, and cost over $8,000 less than the Murano.

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  Decent, but not quite good - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By Ted Smith - September 21 - 2:23 pm

  I purchased the 1.8S Special Edition package, which had a killer stereo system, (in-dash 6-cd changer, 9 speakers (incl sub in the trunk), and the stock cd player. Unfortunately, this was by far the best quality of the car. Within the first 3 weeks of owning the vehicle, the rear strut was replaced & within the first 6 months, the gas tank (& other parts corresponding to the fuel intake) were completely replaced due to a recall. It has also been in the shop at least 4 times since then due to an unaccountable loss of transmission fluid, which has yet to be resolved. MPG has never gotten over 24 city or 28 hwy. Id say overall somewhat reliable, but needs work on the mfg end of things.

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  Great Car so far - 2011 Nissan Maxima
  By austin1982 - September 20 - 9:10 pm

  I have had this car for a little over a year and I am very impressed with it. It gets a little better gas mileage then the 2010 Lacrosse that I traded for it, but the power is sooo much better. I can actually merge into traffic now. Yes you have to use the Nissan Synthetic Oil (about $90 an oil change) and premium gas. So it is expensive to maintain, but it has never had an issues, is beautiful inside an dout and has plenty of power. Its is well worth the extra cost.