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 as expected! - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By subzeropr - June 2 - 8:53 pm

  The car has little more than a year with over 19,000 miles on it and it has already been in the dealer 7 times. 3 of those times was because of a short circuit that burns the interior and taillight fuse. The other four because of the struts. Service is horrible and they have not found the problem of the short circuit. The car moves well but the turning radius is really bad. Thinking of dumping the car and look for a more reliable car like the new 2007 Toyota Camry.

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  I Sold It After 3 Months! - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By Sarah S - May 28 - 10:00 am

  Purchasing a Murano was not one of my better ideas! The estimated city fuel economy rating in the sales brochure proved to be a figment of Nissans imagination. I got 2/3 of the estimated fuel economy per tank. When I took it in for its first check up, the dealer fixed none of the 3 items I identified. They had "never" heard of its repeated tendency to lock & unlock its doors all by itself, even though this is listed in the Lemon Aid book as a common problem. Driving this vehicle was like driving a luxury "boat", very comfy and quite but nowhere in the realm of fun! It has been replaced by a Mazda 6 Sports Wagon!

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  Traded 15 Murano for 17.5 Rouge - 2017 Nissan Rogue
  By Tx Driver - May 27 - 6:35 am

  As far as road noise the Murano wins over the Rogue but not by a lot. The Rouge sits taller than the Murano but the Rouge ride does not feel as solid as the Murano. All that said, I prefer the Rouge over the Murano. The overall cabin features and ease of controls, armrest, USB, etc seem easier to navigate to me. The rule economy in the Rouge is a big plus, it just does not use a lot of fuel in "Economy Mode".

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  2005 Nissan Pathfinder - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By nissanhater - May 26 - 1:37 pm

  Vehicle has plenty of power and is fun off-road and in the snow. Downsides are the door handles on rear doors are mounted to high for kids to use - plan on opening doors for them until they are about 7yrs old. 3rd row seating is ok for kids and adults the size of kids. Fuel sensor and window switches fail ealry-on. On many pathfinders the radiators are defective and leak coolant into the tranmission. Plan an extra $6500 for trany/radiator replacement. Get ext warranty and sell vehicle as soon as warranty runs out.

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  Update on Titan - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By James - May 22 - 7:56 pm

  Initially I thought I was getting an awesome truck with great quality. I was wrong on the quality!!! I have numerous ghost rattles and squeaks that cannot be found in door panels, fenders, dash, seats, center console. I detail vehicles part time,and this TITANs paint is losy at best. the clearcoat is super thin, the paint stains with a few hours of bird droppings in the shade. Yes, I keep it clean and waxed. The OEM tires are a joke. The front end alignment bad from the factory and chewed up four tires before they figured it was the alignment. To bad they didnt listen to my suggestions on the alignment. Brakes repaired/replaced three times, and they are only average.

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  CVT is an issue - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By ttheroux - May 15 - 1:45 am

  I run a fleet of vehicles including 5 of these. We typically run our cars between 40k-50k mi. per year. Of the 5, 2 of them had the CVT transmissions fail within the 1st year. One of these now needs a second trasmission replacement at 82K. Our local dealer, Harte Nissan in Hartford, CT, is working with us the best they can with the replacement costs but Nissan is not stepping up to the plate. Nissan knows their CVTs are problematic and have extended their warranties on other years/models, but not this one. I will not be buying any more Nissans for our fleet. BTW, even when they work correctly, the CVT is a annoying transmission especially with a small, low torque motor.

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  Great car - Bad Paint - 2003 Nissan Maxima
  By joe_121212 - May 14 - 10:00 am

  I love the car. It has great power and handles great. Im 64 and have good room except for the gas and brake pedals are to close. Also after you start washing and waxing your car your notice many new chips after every wash. The paint quality is the worst Ive ever seen.

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  RUN AWAY............FAST! - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By joe-joe tucker - May 13 - 10:40 pm

  Nissan has lost its reliability and will not stand beside the customer. 5 years of listening to a sqeeling serpentine belt, tough to re-start after the car has been drivin... Tough to start when the car is cold and now my headgasket is blown with 59,000 miles on it. Now im finding out that there are Major problems with headgasket failure and Nissan is ignoring it. Ive owned 3 nissans over the years and anything over a 2002 is gonna break your pocketbook. Sorry Nissan but it reminds me of a washed up prize fighter who once stood tall and then took a great fall.

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  No Mo Murano - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By roadrunner - May 10 - 3:50 pm

  The Murano is a good looking vehicle, and really nice to drive. The seats are comfortable and the drivers compartment fits like a glove. Everything you need to control the car and comforts is within easy reach. I always enjoy driving it.

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  not too great - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By dfs - May 7 - 3:46 pm

  this suv is good for offroad, if u plan on driving everyday make sure u have ALOT of extra money for gas. It is unbelievable how much gas this car eats if i would have known i would not have purchased. It slides all over the place in the snow unless u put it in 4 wheel drive! even if its less then an inch of snow!!! u def. cannot fit 3 people in the back seat unless they are super skinny! so unless ur specific use for this car is off road i dont recommend it