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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  rebirth of the AMC pacer - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By scott johnson - October 2 - 7:16 am

  the rebirth of the AMC pacer,not sporty,not utility,a front wheel drive rear wheel assit pacer wagon,too heavy for the 3.5 engine, CVT not responsive, no nismo parts available, murano doesnt know if its a sports car or utility vehicle, does not represent either one very well, would never reccommend this vehicle to anyone

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  Problem with CVT - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Jim DiRosa - September 26 - 3:13 am

  I purchased the car in march of 2013. It is 2 years old, it has 66,000 miles & the dealer tells me it needs a new transmission. Nissan has refused to offer any financial assistance, because the car is 6000 miles out of warranty. I will never recommend Nissan to anybody. I definitely never purchase another Nissan!

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  Not confident with Nissan reliability - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By mred72 - September 24 - 1:01 pm

  Had a review I previously submitted and Edmunds never posted. My SL now has close to 18,000 miles on it. Within the first 500 miles the Fuel sending Unit failed. I had to wait 2 months to get the part and I had to get Nissan Consumer Affairs involved. Good style inside and out, but poorly executed. Quality control is all over the place with Nissan; no consistency with different loaners I was given to fix other issues. CVT transmission among the worst built CVTs in the industry. Now having trouble with rear drum brakes.

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  Just got an Altima - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By stevengreen - September 21 - 3:20 am

  Worst car Ive had. Road noise is terrible, whistle in transmission, drivers seat is worse than a park bench, low beams are ok up to 50-feet, useless further than that, high beams are not even. Dark and light spots, just a horrible car. Check this out carefully before thinking of buying one. Better yet, buy a Toyota.

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  Maxima Minima - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By 90max - September 13 - 12:53 pm

  The 2002 Maxima is an extraordinarily frustrating car. Power and handling are terrific, and superior to anything in its class. Nissan should have hit a homerun with this car, but failed to touch the bases. While the drivetrain merits superlatives, the drivers seat/ seating position warrants expletives. The seat is TERRIBLE (to put it mildly), and the seating position is a mess. The Maxima is a confused amalgamation of world class engineering and inept design.

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  TRANSMITION PROBLEM - 2007 Nissan Pathfinder
  By risoti - September 10 - 10:38 pm

  Please, Please, Please dont buy 2007 Nissan Pathfinder. It is a piece of garbage. especially the transmition. all of them the transmition will get bad after 80k mile. mine was 88k mile when antifreeze filled up in the transmition. when I took to the transmition shop, there were another five Nissan Pathfinders with exact same problem. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS CAR

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  Poor servide - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By phobbs1 - September 4 - 12:18 am

  Do not buy a Nissan if you ever expect to need parts. Tree limb fell on car damaging roof. Have been waiting for roof and attenna for over seven weeks. At four weeks wrote Nissan customer service but no response. Also talked to dealer where I purchaes Orland Park Nissan Illinois and was told nothing they could do. Its now 8 weeks and still back order.

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  Brakes, nuff said - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By dannyry - August 31 - 7:11 am

  Im going on my 3rd set of brakes in 2 years. Front brakes I should say. Ive owned various cars through my life, drive mostly highway miles, and regularly check my brake fluid. I cant say I recommend this or the refresh model based on this. Its getting a little costly to say the least. Ive owned a prior altima to this and had no issues, and drove in the city at the time. If you search it, its a common problem which has not been issued a recall, so I guess its not as known or common as it needs to be for a recall. I can without a doubt say this is my last altima, and I will always wait 2-3 years after the refresh and do proper diligence prior to buying a car.

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  typical - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By jische - August 30 - 10:00 am

  This car has been in the shop at least 1 or twice a month being fixed since I bought it. I willnever ever buy a nissan as it is obvious that they have not learned a lesson since they were datsan

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  I really wanted to love it - 2017 Nissan Rogue
  By Linda - August 21 - 10:24 pm

  Ok The absolute truth here. I rent cars by the month for the past year. I have driven many different cars. I loved the Nissan Altima but prefer an SUV so I assumed the Rouge would be the comfort of the Altima in an SUV. I now have the Rouge SV model and I have to say the difference is night and day and not in a good way. The Altima I had was the SL model with leather trip and those zero gravity seats. The Rouge is not leather and the seats are terrible. I dont mind cloth seats but these seats are weird and I cant get the driver seat adjusted properly. I do not get where all the great comfort reviews come from. This seat is small and not supportive at all. The worst part is I cant reach the top of the steering wheel. If I move the seat forward my right knee is in the dash. It is a very uncomfortable drive. I have to drive 10 hours in this thing. So my reason for the review is to just warn those considering this vehicle. Go sit in it. Test drive it. Comfort is relative to each individual. I had very high hopes for the Rouge and maybe the SL model would fix the issues I am having but I cant request that in a rental pool.