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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  Great, so far - 2010 Nissan Versa
  By Ken in MI - March 6 - 6:23 pm

  Have 3000 miles after 3 months. No defects (that is the way all new cars should be). Getting decent highway mpg - last trip about 34. Quiet, roomy, comfortable seats, easy to reach controls, nice instrument panel layout, adequate acceleration, intermittent wipers and washers front and rear - nice! adequate a/c, bright headlights with excellent width/range. Engine quiet at idle and not too noisy during acceleration. Seats four adults comfortably without needing to adjust front seats (awesome!) Standard speakers in stereo not so good - have not been able to adjust treble/bass good enough yet. Cloth seats are lint magnets - will need to get a lint brush.

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  Wonderful First Car - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Anon - March 6 - 9:03 am

  This car is wonderful, it has lots of power, great pick up, nice exterior design, many standard features and more. If I had the choice between the Altima, Camry, or Accord I would buy the Altima with no hesitation. The interior could definitely use a change, especially some of the material that is used. But at this price, who could complain? Brakes wear out quicker then some other cars, but that is just wear and tear. Engine is great, first thing in the morning it does sound louder then usual, other than that I have not had any problems with this car!

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  Exceptional vehicle! - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Doug M - March 6 - 4:53 am

  Love my Pathfinder! Very comfortable and has been extremely dependable. Absolutely no service/dependability issues except for a broken latch on the center storage bin (which I accidentally broke). Covered under warranty. Looks terrific and great performance. Second row seating is adequate but would be tight for taller/larger people. Third row is good only for kids, but thats a given. Only disappointment has been mileage - about 15 mpg combined - and relatively small gas tank. But would still strongly recommend to anyone and would buy again without hesitation!

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  Great small car - Poor MPGs - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Dean - March 5 - 7:23 am

  We bought this after looking at the Corolla, Vibe, Fit and Yaris. By far the most room and comparable ADVERTISED MPGs. First 30 miles the tire pressure light came on. Dealer fixed and never came back on. Up to 1500 miles now and only averaging 25.5 MPG overall. Never got more than 27 mpg. We consciously never go over 3000 rpms in an attempt to get better mpg but to no avail. Fuel economy is why we bought a new car and this one does not add up. Everything else is great but without the mpgs Im very disappointed. I have the CVT and maybe it would be better if the transmission was tightened up some?

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  2001 Quest GLE - 2001 Nissan Quest
  By swapper9 - March 5 - 2:00 am

  Fully loaded GLE with 3.3L V-6, leather and burlwood trim interior, plus 6-CD changer w/upgraded sound system, VCR (should a been DVD), power everything, with driver seat memory, and other stuff too numerous to mention. City mileage improved considerably from ~15 mpg to ~20 mpg after about a year. Electronic mileage fuel calculator is a joke, not even accurate. No major issues thus far -- knock on burlwood. Warranty will expire in a couple months and I have seen a few service advisories I would like to get checked, such as side-window latches that loosen, noises from rear suspension, seat belt recall. No issues regarding tire quality.

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  would i buy another nissan? - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By kcook - March 5 - 2:00 am

  Love the looks and performance from the 4 cyl. Car is a little larger than i like.It feels lite on its feet. The interior is nice but could use a little sprucing up. Alot of car for the money and gas mileage is pretty decent. It handles well for its size. When i bought it I compared it to the accord and camry. It had both beat in looks and performance. It just looked like a much more expensive car.

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  Compare apples to apples - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Mr. Outacontrol - March 5 - 2:00 am

  What most of the econosport reviews say about the spec-v is generally on target (among the fastest but not as refined)...BUT...what they gloss over is that they are comparing the spec-v to cars costing thousands more.(Mine cost $14,500). Yes, its a bit crude compared to a Mazdaspeed or Si, but compared cars with the same price such as a mid level corolla, mx3,or civic, the level of performance and FUN is outrageously better.

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  love it & hate it - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By love it & hate it - March 5 - 2:00 am

  saw it said "yuck", drove it said,"hum! took husband back that evening, he drove, said,"ok". Took it home. Talk of the town, lots of stares & inquiries. Unfortuneately, weve encountered several problems with 1 being a constant repeat problem...dome lights come on by themselves a lot!!! The dealer has had mine for 55 days! Tying to find out the problem. Told,5 differents reasons so far. My husband keeps asking"why did we trade in our OLDS. SILHOUTTE that had no problems?" I call it "MY THANG",its like a muscle- car-van-suv. Love the idea, hate the 1st year glitches.

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  2005 Roadster Touring - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By John Black - March 4 - 12:43 pm

  Great car. Only problem was motor on window failed at 18 months. Dealer fixed it under warranty. Love the convertible, sounds good w/ good acceleration. Easy to damage or scrape front end on curbs, etc. due to low front end. (Part of the appeal of this car, but something to be aware of). Aluminum hood can be damage easily just by leaning on it, or in my case damaged by hail. I understand it saves weight, but again, something to be aware of.

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  Great for now, but... - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By JJ san - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Ive done 70k miles in this car in under 2 years and I must say its been very reliable, no problems other than wear and tear stuff (beakes, etc). However, Ive noticed the engine has gotten a little noisier in the past few months, only to be told by nissan that its normal for a car with this mileage. Surely a car isnt over the hill at 75k!! Also, the handling has always been a little clumsy. I find the throttle unsresponsive and use the brakes a lot. Drove a rental Max SE (2002?) this week - thru the mountains of Oregon - and it was a joy to drive. Perhaps they worked out the bugs on my model...