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:

• 

  1st Timer Loves The New Pathfinder! - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By 1st Timer - July 13 - 5:40 am

  I love the new 2005 Pathfinder. I considered getting a 2004, but was sure of the 2005 once I drove it. Not that the 2004 is bad, but the 2005 just has more room. I got the LE 4x4 and am amazed every day how great it is. The gas mileage is 17 in town so far, which is not great, but what do you expect when you buy a rugged mid- sized SUV? Maybe automakers will improve the gas mileage some day. Until then, this is decent. Lots of room. Nice leather interior. Excellent safety features, as the LE has the front, side and roof airbags standard. Lots of cargo room in the back. I wanted a SUV that didnt guzzle lots of gas and didnt drive "big". This one fits great.

• 

  Poor Radio Reception - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By TOM - July 12 - 7:23 am

  If you buy a 2016 Altima SV with the Navigation package be aware that the radio has terrible, non-existent reception in the upper AM frequencies. Nissan is aware of the problem and it affects ALL SV,s with the Navigation Radio, and they say that this is NORMAL for this car and they will not do anything about it. Nissan states that there is no other manufacturer for the radio that will fit into the SV and there is NO fix for the problem. Update: July 7 2016. Nissan is sending the Regional Tech Support to meet with me next week to listen to the radio and determine if there is anything that can be done to fix it.

• 

  Love it - Hate It - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Darlene - July 12 - 3:50 am

  Since I bought this car in April and the sun was shining in upstate NY that day, how it would handle in the snow and ice was the last thing on my mind. Well, I found out. Not good going up or down hills and since I live in a valley, the only way to get to work is UP. Ive had some scary times with it already. Im in search of a really good gripping tires for the front. I fell in love with the car style (love the rear), the leather, the moon roof, etc. The keyless thing was supposed to be a selling point, but I wouldnt buy another one, Ive walked away forgetting to shut the car off! I find Im losing my keys more often too, since you dont have to have them close by.

• 

  Inherent transmission problem with 06 Maxima - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By jaware - July 11 - 5:32 pm

  As others have stated - there is an inherent transmission problem with the 06 Maxima and other years as well. At 62k miles my transmission started to slip and the car jerked when shifting. I brought my car to a local transmission shop and they told me this is a common problem with Nissan vehicles. On their suggestion, I opened a case with Nissan customer affairs. They instructed me to bring it to the dealership for inspection and guess what? My car needs a new valve body and transmission for an estimated cost of $6,000 - a gross over estimate! Nissan contacted me to say they would offer no assistance. Everyone with a similar problem must join the class action suit underway!

• 

  Nothing but trouble - dont buy it - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By GreginNJ - July 11 - 4:13 pm

  We bought a demo model of the Quest which was fully loaded (DVD, navigation, wireless headphones, leather, power everything, etc..) Its back in the shop for the FOURTH time as the rear lift gate arm keep breaking off. Now Nissan has to replace the entire rear lift gate and arm (the bolt the lift arm connects to is integrated into the entire door and is stripped). The dealer tried repairing it 3 times previously, replaced the lift arm twice, and every time it breaks of within a matter of weeks. The quality of the components is very, very bad. We had the cover on a power outlet break off, same with a handle on the middle seat. Now were scared because it just went beyond 36,000mi.

• 

  Great Car - 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid
  By Tropo - July 11 - 12:46 pm

  Just picked ours today. I drive a 2007 Atima SE V6 MT, and my "Better Half" 2001 Audi S4 was getting to be too expensive to maintain. We have the sunroof and Tech package. It is a fun car to drive and the price and tax benefits are better than the Toyota Camry Hybrid. After driving the Audi S4, we were wondering about the feel of the hybrid, but so far, the acceleration is great and with the money that we save over MTC of the Audi and 50% better fuel, this car will pay itself off in tree years.

• 

  Great Truck - 2009 Nissan Titan
  By Buddy - July 11 - 10:56 am

  My son owns a 06 Titan...I fell in love with its spacious cab and excellent features and power! I have mostly owned chevys but when I started looking for my next truck I tried out both...no comparison. The Titans features, styling, power, and handling was just much better. Then came the price...almost $5000 different. I mainly pull a 19ft. bass boat and a lot of this is on back country roads....I dont know the boat is back there and the handling is like a sports car. I have found that I can get 17.5 mpg combined driving,,,,20.5 highway if I stay at posted speed limits. When towing the boat it drops to 14.5 - 16 mpg. So far I am well pleased with everything about my Titan. Love the room.

• 

  98 Maxima - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By dan - July 11 - 6:53 am

  Ive had 2 BMWs, 2 Buicks, 2 VWs, 4 Olds, 3 Nissans and a Cad. This is overall the most dependable and driver friendly car Ive owned.

• 

  VERY NICE VEHICLE -OVERALL - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By elp - July 11 - 3:46 am

  We bought this vehicle after looking at and driving many competing suvs. After 2 months and 4000 miles of assorted driving I find that I am overall satisfied with the Murano because it does what we bought it for, larger size, 2 rows of seats with plenty of room between them, ease of entry, and a fair load of features as we have it equipped. However, I find several small items on the Murano that I would like to be improved to make it great. Just my suggestions which I will list below. This SL has premium, technology, and leather packages.

• 

  my friend the nissan - 1999 Nissan Frontier
  By jjracer - July 10 - 10:00 am

  i have driven this "super" truck over 150,000 miles. i have had no,no no! problems at all!!! i will buy a new one in o4.