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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  2007 Sentra 2.0 SL Sedan - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By Chris - January 27 - 9:50 pm

  We leased this car from the dealership I worked at in July of 2007, replacing my wifes 2006 Honda Accord. This car is way above the Accord in fit and finish, build quality, interior quietness and other things too. This car is smoooth sailing the whole way through. Excellent power delivery with the CVT, although gas mileage is nowhere near the advertised 29/36. Hopefully it will improve once we pass 7500 or so miles. With ~5000 miles on the car, its been great. 6 speaker prem. audio system rocks, and my iPod interfaces with the radio nicely. Bluetooth is a nice feature to have too, as well as the ABS brakes.

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  New Z Owner Impressions - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By Kangster - January 27 - 5:10 pm

  After thinking long and hard about it, I decided to get this car over the Subaru WRX STI. I dont have kids yet and when I do, I know I wont be getting another sports car until theyve grown. Ive had it for about 2 weeks now and am very pleased. There is no Performance model for the 2006 model year, I guess they wanted to sell more Track models, but by far I think this has the best features (DSC, VDC, auto-dimming mirror) for the price (dont need to pay for leather, bad bose stereo, stock GPS etc). For those who want more HP out of this thing its fairly easily done with aftermarket performace parts like a twin turbo. Ive seen you can get it to 500HP if you really wanted to.

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  the little engine that could - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By brianna - January 27 - 1:12 am

  there is nothing flashy about this car, so if you are looking for something more than standard, you should look for something else. My 2004 Nissan Sentra has been a godsend as far as reliability goes though. I bought this car from my parents when I was in college, and I am still driving it today. My parents bought it brand-new in 2004, and although it has had a handful of fixes over the years, it has remained steady. This car now has over 220,000 miles on it, and every time I bring it into the shop for its oil change, I think that they will tell me its on its last leg, but they always say quite the opposite. I always get a good report with this car, and they tell me that they think it will keep going for more miles! Good job, Nissan!

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  04 Nissan Pathfinder - 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
  By ownedshow - January 26 - 8:53 am

  Overall, its a well built vehicle. Very good ride quality and fun to drive. Its not a true 4x4 so its still a little squirrely on ice or slush.

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  I like it better than civic and corolla - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By ahsan24 - January 26 - 3:23 am

  I drove all small cars possible in inexpensive brands, including civic and corolla. The car with a CVT runs smoother and quieter than corolla and civic. Handling is good, except at 70 mph vehicle rocks back and forth like a boat, i.e. head dips and tail rises. I use it for a daily commute vehicle and try to keep at 65 mph.

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  Worth the price - 2000 Nissan Altima
  By RJ - January 25 - 12:23 pm

  I purchased the car new and had not had any real problems. The Firestone tires wore out in less than 35,000 miles. The first brakes are VERY loud for the first few miles. I would recommend this car to anyone. I have 70K and it is still running strong.

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  Good mid sized truck - 2017 Nissan Frontier
  By Martin - January 25 - 2:49 am

  driver leg room less than my 2012 model though specs say theyre the same. Turning radius is poor.

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  Nice Car - 2013 Nissan Sentra
  By happyinnj - January 24 - 5:44 pm

  This is a nice car. Ive been reading the other reviews about the brakes, and I found out, almost accidently, that the rear brakes were recalled. They were fixed in less than an hour. The brake pedal does travel a bit more than normal, but we got used to it Generally, its a nice car and gets very good gas milage. I average about 32 mpg, and thats a combination of city and highway mileage. The car is very roomy inside. 5 adults fit very comfortably, and the ride is smooth and not too noisy

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  Things to watch for.... - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By Nissan meh... - January 24 - 5:20 pm

  2006 Nissan Altima: automatic 48,000 miles. Gas mileage: 29 mpg highway. Its only my second car ever had and I am so unhappy. I find the transmission to be very harsh while shifting. Its hard to drive the car smoothly. The brakes constantly squeal and grab while driving at slow speeds even after I had them completely replaced. My car also seems to need a wheel alignment every 1,000 miles. Now I understand why the previous owner sold it. Im not sure how well it held up in the beginning of its life but at near 50,000 miles it seems like its about to just give up life. My 1994 Mecury Sable with 100,000 miles, with a failing transmission, shifted more smoothly.

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  Nissan service is horrible - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By ray fitzgerald - January 24 - 4:00 am

  I had a fuel gauge issue on my truck repaired by me mechanic using Nissan parts I received a recall letter a week later. In order to reimburse the bill Nissan insisted on reworking the recall issue, The rework has been done three times and is still not correct. I have been on the phone with Nissan service and consumer affairs they never call back and have do not check or follow up on their work.