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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  MPG hoax? - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By dml817 - August 12 - 8:36 am

  As I drive all highways to and from work, I thought the MPG rating made this Altima the perfect choice. Rated at 38mpg highway, I figured worse case Id get mid 30s. Ive had the car since October and have yet to break 30, in fact I average 27 mpg. Highway. Dealer told me "you need to drive it 12,000 miles before getting that high". Really? A full year of driving? I dont think so. They also could not hear the interior rattling sound that I heard driving in, and driving out. Rattling coming from the inside of the panel between the drivers door and back door. All in all, I do love driving the car. Comfortable with good acceleration (4 cylinder). Fix the mpg and it would be perfect.

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  Made to last!!! - 1998 Nissan Sentra
  By niss4eva - August 12 - 12:38 am

  I loved this car!!! I brought it with 76k miles in 2004 and paid $3000. I had to replace the starter and the radiator. Other then that I gas and went! No oil changes, tune ups, NOTHING for the entire 8 years I had the car!! And I drove it to 225k miles and I sold it for $600 to a mechanic that drives it daily!!

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  Excellent truck - 2017 Nissan Frontier
  By Rob Gunner - August 12 - 12:01 am

  Nissan Frontier is an excellent truck. Extremely reliable.

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  Awesome... Murano Lite - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By Sexysnoopy614 - August 11 - 9:23 pm

  This is a fun to drive vehicle which looks like a Murano, it is spacious and has lots of storage space in the back. Good for families. It has a kickin Bose 6 cd changer sound system with a subwoofer. It is a great car! Cannot wait to go to work in the morning and show it off.

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  nice suv - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By gunn - August 10 - 10:00 am

  the truck has been great, except for the horrible gas mileage. the engine is nice and quite and the truck handles nice in the city and on the highway.

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  Great Truck with a few problems - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By fisheye - August 10 - 10:00 am

  This a very roomy truck. Great for hauling the kids around. I have not towed with it yet. Fuel mileage is very bad though. As you can see below the A/C is under powered for this truck. The ride is stiff but that is why I chose this truck over the Toyota Sequoia. I have about 5500 miles now and have discovered a few issues. Read on..

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  good suv - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By 04silver - August 10 - 10:00 am

  this suv is good for offroading..gots good ground clearance. but has a few minor problems that the engineers has to work out..I only got less than 500mi on my X and my check light is already on..and its not the gas cap..ill have to take it back to the dealership to get checked out

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  Average value for money and problems with family package - 2015 Nissan Rogue
  By ck_123 - August 10 - 6:43 am

  I have the SV with Premium and family Package. The car is okay. The Premium Package features are good - the around view camera makes parking so easy. The other features are also very good- infotainment system is also very user friendly, lots of space in the car and the back seats go down completely in case one needs to carry more stuff, the powered lift gate is very convenient and so on. I also have a couple of problems: the major one is adjustment of third row seat The strap mechanism can cause back pain and injuries if you have to use frequently. I have provided this feedback to both the dealer and Nissan but so far do not have any solution.

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  This is a very good car. - 1995 Nissan 200SX
  By Just another owner - August 10 - 2:00 am

  We are selling our 200sx/se after 10 years of flawless reliable service. Alternator replacement is the only major mechanical issue in 10 years. Maintained as recommended. The car is anemic with the A/C on when entering the freeway, though in the winter the heater is warm as toast after 2 minutes. We had the 5 speed-in my opinion the only way to go (fun factor). The mileage is phenomenal-I pulled 32 city consistently, 40 plus on the highway (are you listening Detroit??). After 10 years, it was time to move on but Im sure theres another 100 thousand miles left. I would recommend this car as a used car anytime to anyone.

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  Hurts so good . . . - 2003 Nissan Frontier
  By Richard911 - August 10 - 2:00 am

  Nice rig. I had a 1994, same setup, 4cyl 5spd. Very dependable. Had a problem with the seats on long commutes. The seats would cut off circulation to my legs. I wound up retro-fitting some 280Z seats. I thought they had this solved in the newer rigs. No way! This is not the car for a 6 tall man.