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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  Fun, fuel efficient. Limited cargo. - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By Dan1 - March 7 - 6:36 pm

  Our experience while we owned our Cube Krom was a good one. We purchased the vehicle while my wife was pregnant and it was extremely easy to get in and out of. Unfortunately once the little guy was born it made the space feel limited. I was more concerned about safety once he was born.Does not have lots of power but sufficient considering the fuel efficiency. Averaged 28 city, 33 hwy. Surprisingly spacious for 4 passengers, seating 5 adults might be a little tight. Very tight on both sides if placing car seat in middle. Trunk space can also limit the amount of cargo you bring along. Ipod interface was not very user friendly. Lots of cup holders. Will catch lots of attention. Male 26 yrs.

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  very reliable - 1999 Nissan Altima
  By szefo - March 7 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Altima from a salvage auction. Everything was ok except for the engine. I replaced the engine from a year 2000 Altima. So far I havent had any major issues with the car, got it at 32k miles now it has 62k. I do oil changes every 3000 miles. It runs great and has a neat pickup as for a 4 cylinder engine. I put 17" rims on it and now it handles like BMW. The radio broke when I played self recorded CDs. I guess it was not designed for those. I would recomend it to anybody who wants low maintenance and reliability. This car might not be too luxurious but its main parts are well designed and should last many years.

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  Cramp My Style - 2003 Nissan Frontier
  By captain - March 7 - 2:00 am

  I like the overall vehicle. Its a very nice riding truck. All that have driven in it thinks it rides like a car and not a truck. It has a good style on the outside but lacking on the inside.

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  Middle aged Xterra owner. - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By ROADING - March 6 - 4:00 am

  I really love driving this vehicle! Love the stiff suspension, quick tight responsive steering and the added horse power.

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  Good car - 1998 Nissan Sentra
  By Mephisto - March 5 - 10:00 am

  A solid reliable car.

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  Got beauty & brains; Needs brawn - 1997 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Kirk B - March 5 - 10:00 am

  Having a short highway commute shows the major flaw of this SUV; lack of horsepower. Merging and passing can be a chore. Other than that, its comfortable, rides well and is built pretty well. So throw in a K&N air filter, a few other tweaks and this SUV will get you where you need to go in style....albeit not very fast.

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  Its an OK Car - 1997 Nissan Altima
  By Rams - March 5 - 10:00 am

  I have this car for 6 years 98 K miles, no major problem but always some minor problems. Alternator died at 72 K, front brakes at 75, muffler at 84, rear break at 92. Car is very reliable so far. What i dont like about this car is its noisy, gear shif is not smooth, pick up is not smooth, power steering is not firm and there is a lot of vibration at high speeds (these are not just my car, i have some friends who have the same complaints). I would rather pay an extra 2000 and buy an accord.

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  Great value for the money - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By Olliemax - March 5 - 10:00 am

  The Maxima is a great car for the money. The engine is the best - incredibly smooth and revs freely. Im not as impressed with the auto transmission as it sometimes hesitates and seems tentative when accelerating after coasting at a slow speed(under 20 mph) Not terrible but sometimes annoying. Shifting is silky smooth under hard acceleration above 4000 rpm revs - very impressive. Comfortable cabin. Ive never had a maintenance problem. A very well made and fun to drive sedan.

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  Nice Car! Fun To Drive! - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Cones - March 4 - 11:03 pm

  I just bought the 07 Altima 3.5 SE with the CVT. Nice car inside and out. A little bit of a gas hog for mixed driving. But good gas mileage on the highway. Has good acceleration when and if you need it. Its fun to drive in manual or automatic mode. I get a lot of stares esp from the ladies!

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  Good Decision - 2012 Nissan Armada
  By D.E. - March 3 - 8:49 am

  Leased at year end 2012. Best value full size SUV - GMs seemed over priced, Fords seemed out of date, German 3 row SUVs just not practical. 40,000 miles into this one and no complaints really. Overall MPG is about 15 but gas is cheap for now. Steering is heavy. Some low end plastic in interior. Bottom line is that it has plenty of space for passengers, dogs, gear etc. More so than with GMs (Tahoe etc). Its almost at the Suburban level in this sense. No mechanical problems to speak of. Second row bench seat with flip and fold is very good - better choice than buckets in my experience. More than enough power. Be aware that factory roof cross bars are under engineered and that the roof rack side rails are tricky to mate up with Yakima/Thule systems but it can be done.