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 confident with reliability/would never buy Nissan again. - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By mred72 - August 9 - 12:17 pm

  The GOOD: Interior/Exterior design and fit and finish. Ride quality excellent for highway which is what I mostly do. Stock SL sound system is ample. Voice activated Bluetooth is great! LED accents make the car look better. Thats about where it ends. The BAD: CVT transmissions are just terrible in general, but Nissan JATCOs are probably the worst built out there. I wonder if mine will last. Terrible wiper design. Driver side wiper too long so its trying to clean off too large an area that leaves a smeared mess on the passenger side. Driver wiper also is half hidden/half protrudes. Continued below...

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  Carmens experience with NISSAN MURANO - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By From Experince - August 9 - 7:10 am

  I am an owner of a 2005 Nissan Murano.Since i have this SUV I can not imagine driving a diffrent car.It has everythig you ever expect from a great vehicle.My husband has a mercedes but I will never change my car with his.It handles really well in bad weather conditions and has a great power and a beautiful design.The only suggestion that I have to improve this vehicle is use more powerful head lights.Try it and you will belive it.

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  Fantastic Travel Car - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Don Douglas - August 9 - 4:33 am

  We wanted a vehicle which offered comfort first and economy second for our retirement travels. Our 2009 Altima has exceeded expectations. It is as comfortable on the open road as our 2003 Tahoe and gets 32 mpg at and 5 mph above speed limits with AC on. Also pleasantly surprised with 29 mph around town. Has sufficient power to climb I70 from Denver into the Rockies with ease. Bought the Altima after extensive comparisons to the Camry, Accord and Hyundai Sonata. Altima won for riding comfort and power in the 4- cylinder group. Cannot be more pleased with our selection and would recommend this car to anyone.

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  Loving my Pathfinder!!! - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Sonia99 - August 9 - 12:40 am

  I bought my 2006 Pathfinder back in Sep 09 with 34k on it and so far I love this vehicle. It has proven so far to be pretty reliable. When we had the big snow storm in DC I had 2 feet of snow in front of my truck and I didnt even shovel in front of the truck because just wanted to see how strong my truck was and proved to be a monster and just drove right over it in 4WD low. It has good pickup and takeoff power as well. The truck tire pressure light came on and I was worried because didnt see no problem but sure enough 2 weeks later I had a flat tire from a nail so the sensor was right to come on. The only drawback is that I only can put 16 gallons of gas in it and the 3rd row is small.

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  Altima Quality Car for the Price - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By kdc - August 8 - 1:26 pm

  I have a 9 year old Nissan Maxima that I recently gave to my son. Only has 160,000 miles on it. I purchased in its place a 2008 Nissan Altima with the SL Package. So far with 2800 miles I am very well satisfied. Doesnt curb as well as the Maxima but for the difference in the Price, I can live with it. Im getting about 30 miles to the gallon on average.

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  Initial overall value attractive, then a disappointment - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By panthers98 - August 8 - 10:05 am

  I bought my 2012 re-designed Versa sedan in November of 2011. Initial overall value appeared excellent, but shortcomings are becoming evident, hopefully they have engineered-out these problems. This was the first vehicle I have owned with an automatic transmission, let alone the CVT, so I opted for an extended warranty. Thank God I did since it had to be replaced at 80K miles. Have replaced every exterior bulb at least once. Tire pressure sensor light goes on and rear right tire goes flat about every 2 weeks unexplained. Plastic dashboard attracts lint like I have a cat sitting up there. CVT/engine combination sounds like it is going to blow up when strong acceleration is needed.

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  Very good car - 1996 Nissan Altima
  By mkarias - August 8 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car used and have had it for 2 years. I did have a couple of problems at first: check engine light and air bag light. The check engine light came on twice and it was the oxygen sensor. Faulty and needed replacement. The air bag light has come on 4 times. The last being about 10 months ago. The airbag module was replaced twice. I was fortunate that the dealer covered these problems. Other than that, it runs great and have had no problems. Love it!!

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  Great Car if you are under 6 tall - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By sharkie - August 8 - 10:00 am

  We havent quite had it a month yet, but we love it. One thing, well maybe two. I am 63" tall and weigh over 250 (Relatively muscular 250) and it is a snug fit. My legs are pretty cramped and there is not a lot of room on the sides. I know it is one of the stronger V6 motors for this size vehicle, but the mileage is pretty week. I have a big V8 Chevy truck and it gets just a few miles less per gallon.

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  Great Buy! - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Abbiz - August 8 - 10:00 am

  WHAT A GREAT BUY! WE HAD TEST DRIVEN PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING IN ITS CLASS, AND STILL KEPT COMING BACK TO THE NISSAN! BEST BUY, GREAT INCENTIVES, LOTS OF EXTRA GOODIES!

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  Great SUV...the greatest... - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By pathlover - August 8 - 10:00 am

  Car-like riding... style...strong engine and great handling...best SUV under $30K ...