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 Too Shabby - 2004 Nissan Altima
  By PJ - June 10 - 10:03 pm

  Bought the car slightly used, and Ive only had two minor problems with it, both outside of warranty. First, the radio, which Nissan replaced, rather gave me a gift certificate to Circuit City, which turned out to be a better deal. Second was the CPI, which Nissan fixed at a highly discounted rate. The car has been a true workhorse for me. Multiple trips almost the length of the East Coast and one cross country trip. Ive put a little aver 80,000 miles on the car in less than 4 years. Other than the radio and CPI, I have yet to do more than just regular upkeep on the car, and I am very hard on cars. Id definitely recommend the Altima to a friend, and would definitely buy another.

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  My Fairlady - 2006 Nissan 350Z
  By 06fairladyz - June 10 - 10:26 am

  Ive had my Z for 6 months now and it runs great. It gets quite a bit of attention anywhere you go. Ive had lot of compliments on how good the car looks more than anything. Most people who dont know about the car think its a $40,000-$60,000 car... I guess it does look that good :) Thats one of the main reasons why I decided to purchase this car over others.

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  Worth the Initial Investment - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By CO Defender - June 9 - 2:00 am

  Ive had The Tank for almost 6 years now, and the first 95K were absolutely trouble free. Since then, Ive replaced the radiator core, A/C condenser, and most recently the right side exhaust manifold, not cheap, but considering the 108K of extremely hard driving, and $4K price tag for repairs, its been well worth it. Im on my 3rd set of tires (last two Bridgestone)...fuel economy is still brutal, but considering 6 years and over 100K, Id buy another if Nissan would continue to build them.

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  Titan is the truck - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By TITAN IS THE TRUCK - June 9 - 2:00 am

  I have a 2007 SE loaded... Power, Power, Power... A half ton that does the work of a three 1/4... 312 HP, plenty of torque and pulls like my 2001 Ford 350. Fuel mileage is not the best but hay its a real truck. I like the old Fords but I think they are missing the boat. Wake up Ford "Please"

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  Bad Sentra 2011 2.0 SR type - 2011 Nissan Sentra
  By borinken - June 9 - 2:00 am

  I bought a Nissan Sentra On October 31, 2010. As I am driving the vehicle in less than 20 miles p/hr I could hear a jurking sound from the engine compartment. I took it to the dealership, 5 times in less than a week, nobody could detect anything. I had no choice to downgrade a brand new Nissan Sentra 2011 to a 2010 Model. The funny part is that Nissan states in the Owners Manual that same situation. Apparently, its a ABS system doing a "self check". Funny how they sell vehicles that are not fully secure, yet the dealership did not want to cancel the contract. I will never buy a Nissan again.

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  Noisy vibration - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By bab12078 - June 9 - 12:24 am

  Love the riding quality and comfort of the interior. But the noisy vibration when starting to accelerate is overwhelmingly annoying. When the rattle is louder than your radio something is wrong. We have taken it to the dealer and they are going to replace the drive belt and tentioner in the transmission. They have already changed the exhaust pipe due to finding the O2 censor cross-threaded in the pipe. This however did not fix the problem. Hopefully changing the belt will. Apparently Nissan is recognizing the problem and trying to find a solution. We were much happier with the old CVT transmission and one less mpg on fuel mileage.

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  A Nice Little Package - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By SHIFT_COOL - June 8 - 11:30 pm

  I just bought this car last month and I am actually shocked how much I like this car. It wasnt my first choice but ended up with it because of price. Well I consider myself lucky because this car is a blast to drive. Its like driving a go cart as it hugs the turns very nicely. With this very taught suspension you do sacrifice a smooth ride. It does not handle the bumps very well at all but you wont be too disappointed when you see how this baby handles. It has plenty of trunk space for me and my buddies golf clubs. It gets around town with decent gas mileage and highway miles arent bad either (23/27). It has wonderful get up and go and you will love zipping around the traffic.

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  The Armada is great - 2008 Nissan Armada
  By Jim - June 8 - 3:06 pm

  Its everything I need in a big SUV. I have a boat that I trailer to different lakes and need dependable power. I like the big, brawny ride and I like sitting high in traffic. The ride is very good. I enjoy running around in the Armada.

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  Love that Titan - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By Craig - June 8 - 11:33 am

  I have been a Ford owner forever and have never found another fullsize truck that suited me other than the Ford till the Titan It has been a pleasure to own and the most fun truck i have ever had. In addition to that I recently had my first and hope last major accident and the Titan did just what it was supposed to. it crumpled where it should and didnt where it shouldnt. The air bag was like hitting a pillow. I wiped out a telephone pole dead center of the front and was able to drive it home then shop for a repair shop. Last but not least The Box frame is built in welded segments that allowed a proper repair with little to no bending of the existing frame. GREAT TRUCK

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  Fair vehicle, could be better - 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Chris Kent - June 7 - 8:06 am

  I always loved the design on the Pathfinder, and this vehicle is no exception. Rides smooth, good ergonomically inside. We have the LE Platinum Addition so it has almost every option you could ever want.