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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  FUN!!! - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By Gibby - October 7 - 10:00 am

  Love my Maxima! This was the first maxima I had ever driven. After the test drive, I was convinced. The 3.0 L V6 is phenomenal! So smooth, and so torquey! With the manual tranny, this car is a blast to drive. I felt the suspension is a bit soft and allowed too much body roll, so when my struts went 94k miles, I went with aftermarket struts/springs, and now it handles like a dream. Really fun car with plenty of room for the family!

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  Lemon Beware - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By T H - October 7 - 10:00 am

  My Quest has only 8K miles on but has been towed in twice already. The engine just wont start in the cold wet day. The right powered door squeeks. The backing sonar quit working intermitantly. So far the service people doesnt know what going on. All they do is just re-calibrate the engine and it run again. There is must be some thing wrong for the engine out of calibration heh???

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  Love the truck, hate the radio system - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Big man - October 7 - 10:00 am

  I love the truck. Have the 4 door version which provides me and my family plenty of room.

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  What a sport truck - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Kevante - October 7 - 10:00 am

  Have done my homework on buying a truck. For the money you can t go wrong. The motor and 5 speed trans. are worth the money alone. It is so roomy inside, you can really fit anyone inside the front or the back seats. You will get a lot of looks and get into long talks with people at car washes. I live in Az and still had to get the Galaxy black. what a color. Great overall. I have the LE model and love it.

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  Good Car with some issues - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By Livin in my Cube - October 6 - 9:00 pm

  So far the Cube has lived up to expectations (which were not all that high to begin with considering the price). The road noise gets a little annoying on the freeway. The heater fan went out within the first 6 months. But biggest negative was having to replace the brakes after only 16,000 highway miles. Didnt see that coming. The service tech said that lighter cars come with ligher brakes, so it can be an issue, so beware! Cool car though, and lots of people staring wondering what it is!

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  Best gas mileage car ever!! - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By sentraowner - October 6 - 4:36 pm

  This is my 3rd Nissan Sentra. The first 2 lasted 240k and 320k. This one is heading for 400k if the body will hold. With the 1.8L engine, manual 5 spd transmission, Amsoil 0w-30 full synthetic oil, full synthetic in both the manual transmission and the transaxle, this car averages 38-44mpg with cruise control on and at 65 mph. I use my Garmin Nuvi to sync my speedometer and find it is 3mph slow. Bad points: Slow acceleration Good points: Great in the snow, even in WNY winters. Very reliable. Only dealer service I have had is having the belts (timing, alternator, water pump) changed every 60k. Oil changes at 10-15K miles using Amsoil filters.

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  Great vehicle if you need it - 2006 Nissan Xterra
  By sky_captain - October 6 - 9:30 am

  I bought my Xterra with 4wd used in 2010, and have since had it for 2 and a half years. It has been a fantastic vehicle in terms of reliability and performance. The problem is the gas mileage. If you do not need to haul heavy things, pull large objects, or you do not frequently encounter bad weather, then I do not suggest this SUV. The back seat is cramped for adults, and the interior lacks a lot to be desired in terms of comfort. Combine those aspects with the very poor mpg, and it makes this SUV difficult to validate. HOWEVER... if you do need such a vehicle, I could not suggest a better one. The reliability is up there with Honda, and off road/ working performance is great.

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  First Car - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By CTM - October 4 - 9:00 pm

  The only problems I can recall having are with exhaust pieces rusting and falling off and with frozen rear calipers. I bought this car when I was a young man and, as it was my first car, it was easy for me to love its crazy, enthusiastic spirit and the surprising power of what I thought was just another dependable Japanese family sedan. A word of caution however. The GXE mixes the same big powerful engine as the pricier models with a tall and loose suspension, long-throw manual and no limited slip, sporty tires, ABS, traction or stability control. It instills a sense of adventure in me, not confidence.

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  Build Quality Good but Not Great - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Desert_Al - October 4 - 6:10 pm

  Bought SUV late 2005; excellent, powerful albeit thirsty engine (average 19.8 mpg hwy; 15.9 city); reliable interiors, some spotty irritants - weatherproofing on front driver door detaches from B pillar often; air pressure light turns on when temperature changes; tested off-road in Sedona backroads including 30 degree incline rocky hill - addressed hill spectacularly;

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  2003 Altima w/ 15000 miles - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Mike H - October 1 - 10:00 am

  Wanted to check in after 15k miles. Ive never fixed anything and the car drives as nicely as the day I brought it home and is actually quicker now. Even with the 4, this car picks up nicely and is an effortless highway cruiser. Ive found the build quality to be good and the car to be very reliable. Make sure that you get one with the alloys so that you get the Bridgestones instead of the Contis that everyone hates. I understand the criticisms of the interior but have found the functionality and comfort to be quite good.