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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  Competent and reliable - 1996 Nissan Altima
  By oldsport - December 11 - 2:00 am

  Reliable. Conservatively iconoclastic styling. Very competent handling. And did I say reliable? Ours is about to turn 100K, and all weve done is change the fluids, plugs, and timing belt at normal intervals.

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  larrys nissan - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By efurd - December 11 - 2:00 am

  I bought this truck used with 47500 miles on it and added custom wheels and a k&n air filter and a stero upgrade.It has 61000 miles on it now ,have had no problems.

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  Paint Problems - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Raleighrebel - December 11 - 2:00 am

  My Nissan is Glacier Pearl Whilte. It has been hit twice in the last 3 months and no body shop can correctly match the paint (painted 4 times now)! Even though the Paint Code is on the vehicle there are 6 variations of the color and then the color must be custom blended. Even on the parts that were not damaged there is factory color variation. This makes it next to IMPOSSIBLE to match the paint to the existing body parts! Gas milage is NOT 20/24 its usually 16/20. Fuel sensor is defective occasionaly lights up and says its out of gas when it is not.

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  our car - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By pam thomas - December 11 - 2:00 am

  i feel that it is the best preforming car that i have owned. being a sedan its hard to believe that when you are driving that your in a family car and not a sports car. it has a classic style of the cars that was made in the 50s. over all a very nice car.

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  Wow, this is fun to drive - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By j7469 - December 11 - 2:00 am

  I decided to try a Nissan. I went and test drove a 3.5 SE Altima. Just 30 seconds into the test drive and I knew this was the car for me. I immediately appreciated the drive by wire accelerator, I also couldnÂ’t help but noticed on my first turn how well the Altima handled and the lack of body roll was impressive. The car is sharp, looks like an expensive sports car. The comfort of the vehicle is good however I have yet to take a road trip of more than 2 hours. The leg room is impressive. If youÂ’re looking at a mid- size V6 car then do yourself a favor and at least test drive the Altima, you wont be sorry.

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  My Favorite Car of All Time! - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By AMFM - December 11 - 2:00 am

  Great car and especially the perfomance and handling!! So easy to drive!!

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  Enjoying the Stares - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By thornwall5 - December 11 - 2:00 am

  I bought my red 2004 SE in September and although this is my first Nissan car, it certainly will not be the last. For months I considered buying a G35 and even had a black one one on order. While waiting for the G, I discovered the new Maximas and it stole my heart. It seems to fit my 62"/200lb frame better. I must confess that Im also enjoying all of the stares, thumbs ups and compliments Im getting as well. Deliriously fun to drive!

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  All Good Until Now - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Roman M - December 10 - 7:58 pm

  As long as you perform routine maintenance you should have a long lasting Altima. The items needing attention after 120,000 miles include ignition coils and now the most important and costly single item to date, the electronic steering lock. The extended dealer warrant for the ESCL ran out in 2015 for the 2009 model. Of course mine failed a year later. There is no recall for this well known issue concerning the lock so it will leave you stranded somewhere down the road, believe it. You can bang on the box for a temporary remedy, disable it with the knowledge that you are driving with a faulty item, or cough up $1000 to get it fixed at the dealer. All good choices. The honeymoon is over. I can live with the tire press low light (how easy is it to check your own pressures?), the CVT surge when accelerating, the routine maintenance, affordable brakes and parts easily replaced, but the one item I feel entrapped by Nissans non committal to address and fix is what burns me. Again, $1000 for a box you need to get going. Before you buy that used Altima consider this and ask if the ESCL was changed. Otherwise, its a good comfortable car for commuting or day trips.

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  Shame on Nissan!! - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By torrdcs - December 9 - 11:44 pm

  Purchased at 64000 miles, drove it, loved it, no problems at all other than the tire pressure light after so many miles of consistent driving. Then, at 121,000 miles, boom... transmission failure. Upon further research, it is a NISSAN DEFECT in the radiator that Nissan refuses to address more than a little warranty increase, and even THAT took a lawsuit. I spent $3000+ over a period of 8 months to fix it and it still wasnt fixed. I had to purchase another vehicle to drive while it was down. I ran out of money, so I was forced to trade the XTerra with $3500 of negative equity, totaling near $7000 that I lost on this vehicle, due to Nissan and its ways. NEVER. AGAIN.

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  Good value - 1997 Nissan Pathfinder
  By MGibbs - December 9 - 10:00 am

  I bought the vehicle new and have had only a few problems. The manifold had a known problem that impacted my vehicle, so the dealership fixed that for free. The cd player went out, so I replaced it with an MP3 player. OTher than that the vehicle has always been reliable.