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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  beautiful but uncomfortable - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By stox29 - February 10 - 10:00 am

  Beautiful, fast, excellent fit and finish,lots of looks. However, gas peddle is too far to the right for me and edge of seat digs into my thigh. Very uncomfortable in about 1/2 hour of driving.Im 175 lbs and 6 ft tall. No fat butt.Sitting on piece of 2" foam rubber now. Seems to help.

• 

  good car - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By yooo1234 - February 10 - 10:00 am

  just recently bought a 2.5s, i like bc its fast,comfortable, and really stylish but i think the handling is bad it keep on pulling to the left and it jerks alot but beside that its a good car overall and a head turner

• 

  Not sure what to think - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By Jordan - February 9 - 11:46 am

  I bought my 2007 Sentra 2.0 with 6 speed trans, last week. I spent a lot of time deciding between the Sentra and the Civic. I went with the Sentra because the price was right, I needed a commuter car and didnt want to spend a lot. For the price tag, you do get quite a bit. However, this is a very base model car except for power windows, locks, and AC. I am 63" and have had terrible pains in my right leg from driving this car, unfortunately the seat does not go far back enough, and is not height adjustable. For that reason, I may be selling my Sentra in the near future. Otherwise, its a peppy, fun car to drive that doesnt cost a whole lot.

• 

  Luxury "Minivan" in SUV configuration - 2017 Nissan Pathfinder
  By John Dylewicz - February 8 - 12:50 pm

  test drove used 2016 base QX60 with low miles side by side at same dealership for comparison, fit and finish on Infiniti noticeably better and comfort subtly better. the used Infiniti at ~$3K less than a new loaded Platinum PF with most (maybe all?) of the safety features of brand new QX60 = PF won. the fit, finish and ride were nice but not differentiated enough to be an offsetting factor for this consumer. comparing the Platinum PF to a brand new QX60 (which we did not test drive) with similar options, the ~$10K difference was not enough to justify. advise to use online tools to get best price (bought for WAY under MSRP after all rebates included), essentially exactly the Edmunds price quoted by dealrship for the new car and using an unbiased condition assessment of our trade-in based on Edmunds value as well.

• 

  We Love It! - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By cbraschl - February 6 - 6:03 pm

  After we purchased the Quest, we did have some of the issues that have been listed on other reviews. We had what we thought was a door rattle, and that turned out to be that the latches that hold down the rear seat were rattling. This may be something that the rest of you may want to investigate if you havent resolved the problem yet. The dealer couldnt solve the problem, so I placed electrical tape around the latch pins and the rattle went away. We also had a fuel pump failure within the first 2,000 miles. The dealer was very responsive in fixing this problem. Overall, we are extremely impressed with the Quest.

• 

  Lemon - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By Lawrence - February 5 - 9:56 am

  Purchased the car in 07/2007. Its been in and out of the shop the whole time I have it. Issue has been truned over to the (BBB) better business bureaus,inc. The rubber molding on the back door had to replaced, the drivers seat had to be replaced, the transmission had to be replaced and now just had to replace the air/fuel ratio sensor and sensor asm. Who knows what will be next on this car.

• 

  Yeah, a good choice. - 2014 Nissan Rogue
  By paul1944 - February 5 - 5:22 am

  Traded 2010 Tucson Limited, what an upgrade! RAV 4 too much black plastic on ext. Weird door panel design on interior and felt smaller. Ford Escapeescape looks like a Tucson and Ford Touch not easy to use, I have it in my Mustang. Mazda C5 just too small, lacks refinement. Rogue just has a very classy look and it seems larger. Rogues Lexus like interior really well done, tasteful and comfortable. Most Knobs & dials within easy reach. Apps,sound system, blue tooth, touch screen very easy operation. Raised rear seats nice touch, rear passengers can see where we are headed. I rated reliability avg. because it is new. Fun to drive? Not a sports car, but a refined, comfy ride.

• 

  buy this car - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By rio man - February 4 - 10:00 am

  if u r looking for a cheap reliable car with great gas milage look no further. the only thing u r going to have to do is get rid of the firestone tires and go with performance yokahama. they r not cheap about $100 a tire but its like driving a different car.i also like getting 31 to the gallon on the highway.

• 

  Blown Engine at 3700 miles!! - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By J.S.S. - February 4 - 10:00 am

  Took the vehicle in for the first oil change at about 3700 miles and left dealer 40 minutes later. Drove about 5 miles and had the engine blow up. About a week later, a brand new engine was installed and found out that a connecting rod had come loose, gone through the oil pan and caused all engine oil to leak out, causing the engine to seize up and blowing a hole in the engine block. Had to argue with the dealer just to get a loaner car while the vehicle was in the shop. I was told Nissan does not give out loaner cars, but eventually one was given to me to drive for 11 days. The dealer was Rosenthal Nissan in Tysons Corner, VA.

• 

  Poor fuel economy - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Tom Karelin - February 4 - 10:00 am

  Excelent car. Great handling. Fun to drive. However , I can not get better then 18.5 mpg on a highway. Also, Id appreaciate more convinient position of the power outlet(cig. lighter). I cant plug in a radar without a wire mess.