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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  After 2.5 years of driving the Titan - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Bob - December 18 - 6:56 am

  I spent quite a bit of time researching full sized trucks before choosing the Titan. I am not a contractor or towing sort. My two choices ended up being the Titan or Ridgeline. After kicking the tires and test driving, I went with the Titan. Wifey liked the Titan after driving both, which surprised me since the Ridge has the independent suspension and better ride. Roomy, definite power, great sound from the Fosgate and exhaust (if you like that sort of thing), nice amenities with the LE model. Overall, I am pleased with the Titan after 2.5 years and 15k miles.

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  Reliable at 120,000 miles - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By maxima155 - December 17 - 1:31 pm

  First purchased my certified pre-owned Nissan Maxima in 2008 with 62,000 miles. I currently have over 120,000 miles on the car and is still reliable. The car is not as fun to drive as a BMW 3 series, but has been very affordable to maintain. Most of the repairs I have had done is wear and tear items. Brakes, rotors, exhaust, radiator, tires. Engine and transmission are utterly brilliant. Tip top shape and are extremely quiet. The car does have a few problems: service engine soon light has a faultily sensor, failing speed sensors cause the TCS to come on and off, and the BOSE subwoofer shorts out sometimes. Also, leather rips due to heated seats.

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  gas mileage is terrible - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By ewing20 - December 17 - 2:00 am

  When i first bought this vehicle i didnt do alot of traveling but a few months ago i got promoted and now i travel alot for sales and this is not a traveling suv. The gas mileage is just terrible. Its costing me over $300 dollars a month just to drive it. Thats why im going to trade it in for a subaru. For the gas mileage gains and the fact that the area i live in i still need all wheel drive or 4wd

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  truck necessities - 2001 Nissan Frontier
  By lumpdog - December 17 - 2:00 am

  The market for a midsize pickup is extensive. My requirements were 6 cylinders, man trans, 4wd and extended cab with one of those sliding rear windows. To find exactly what you are looking for takes time. I liked the nissan for the clearance it offered off the ground and the supposed good mileage while still havin a little bit of ass to it. So far it performs well on the beach, i did get it stuck (had my cousin pull me out) but that was due to pilot error. It has the necessary power, but mileage is not ideal. ive only had it a couple months so im still finding the ideal gear spots. it tends to be a bit noisy in the low gears though.

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  Good Car - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By KRomine - December 17 - 1:53 am

  I bought this car when I was in college because it was fairly inexpensive, and I thought it would be reliable. The car now has nearly 120,000 miles on it and still performs well. The gas mileage is goood, not great - I average around 30-33 depending on the season. The car has had very little maintenance problems. Early on, it had to be in the shop a few times for recalls, but other than replacing brake pads and tires, it has been really cheap to maintain. Performance is what one would expect from a small 4-Cyl. - it does just enough to not get run over by bigger cars. It does suffer from windy days, and it could be bigger, but really, it is a pretty good car.

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  Disappointed overall - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Sad in KC - December 15 - 8:16 am

  Bought brand new 2004 was a great car until it needed tires rotated from that point on we had a shimmy in the front end. Steering wheel vibration very bad on highway at 50+. Dealer changed struts, we changed tires with good year, then GY took back and made allowance on new tires still had vibration. No matter what it had to have tires balanced every 1000, 1500 miles to not vibrate. Also breaks make noise all the time even after have them changed at dealer. Turning radius is awful, dont try to park the car without backing up and pulling in again every time. Love the car, hate the problems, traded for a Toyota Avalon 2008

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  Not bad, but not my favorite - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By JacobPlano - December 15 - 2:26 am

  I have owned many cars, M3, G35, and a CLK430, all of which were 2 door sport cars, but this time around I decided to go with something more logical for college. This car is a love hate relationship, I love that I can tote around 5 friends comfortably with a truck full of junk. But I hate the way it drives when I am alone, its quick for its size, but tire spin, turning radius, and handling are lacking majorly. Also is lacking with the toys, all my last cars have little nooks and crannys with something cool, this car is plain jane. Though, it is a great car for a family, or if you need something for easy city driving. But for fun, its not so great.

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  Junk - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Paul - December 15 - 12:56 am

  My first impression was very favorable - fun to drive, enough power for 4cyl, good MPG. Comfortable inside, although noisy. I drive to work 150 miles each day. After 12K miles problems started to come up like ants. Fuel gauge, airbag sensor, "service engine", battery, suspension, not to mention numerous other smaller problems. Several times, when I picked up the car from the dealer with one problem fixed, I would have to turn around and drive back because another problem popped up while I am taking car home. Talk to the dealer, talk to Nissan - they do not care. Going to trade it and never buy again.

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  Luxury without the luxury nameplate - 2016 Nissan Murano
  By Joe Schweickart - December 14 - 7:57 pm

  We were planning to get a compact SUV and looking at the Toyota RAV 4, Mazda CX5 and Honda CRV. My wife has a bad back, so we put a premium on her comfort. We went to an auto mall with all 3 dealerships and she sat in all 3 cars and deemed the CRV the most comfortable. They all drove well. As we were leaving, we decided to stop at the Nissan dealer as we had heard about the zero gravity seats in the Murano. She sat in one and the decision was made. The pros were seat comfort, more interior room, better color choices and combinations, luxurious interior that rivals the luxury brands and nice exterior styling. The cons were about $8K more expensive, lower gas mileage, little extra cargo room over the CRV considering how much bigger the vehicle is, leg room could be a bit longer.

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  2014 pathfinder transmission - 2014 Nissan Pathfinder
  By rob267 - December 12 - 12:22 am

  We have the shudder problem at 20+- miles per hour and on our forth attempt at a repair the car has been in the shop now for seven days and they are still waiting on parts ????? . I will post again when I get the car back .