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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  Very Nice - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By James - January 5 - 3:50 am

  I bought my car in April, 2003 and it has 26,000 now. I had 0 problems and never had to go to the dealer except for the ECM recall. I highly recommend this car. I usually get 26MPG+. Not bad for a fast car!

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  Just purchased new SE - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Bodine - January 4 - 3:10 pm

  I had planned on buying the Toyota SR5, actually was dead-set on it. But, I just returned from Japan afer 4 years and decided it would be best to review all the SUVs that were on the market. Toyota SR5 (a great vehicle and still receives high marks from me), Ford Explorer (never captured our attention). But, when we hit the Nissan Dealership my wife fell in love with the Pathfinder. I must admit its a beautiful truck with a strong reputation. We purchased a SE w/comfort and premium package out the door for $31,000 inc. tax, title, tags, and a $400 fee document processing fee that they wouldnt negotiate.

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  Very Happy! - 2010 Nissan Armada
  By snsjets - January 4 - 1:30 am

  We liked the styling and features of the Armada when it first came out. Reliability was questionable at first but Nissan seems to have turned that around. After 1 year and 12,000 miles weve not had a single issue. We traded a 2001 Ford F350 Diesel for our 2010 Platinum (needed more seats) and couldnt be happier. This vehicle is very capable, roomy, comfortable, and is great for road trips as well as towing. I have a few nitpick complaints but overall my family and I are VERY HAPPY! Yes, the fuel economy is horrific but we knew that before we bought it and dont really care.

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  Cool, smooth, and fun - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By topper - January 3 - 5:10 pm

  I love this little car. It drives like a much more expensive sports sedan, (this one is the SE model), and has given me 3+ years of troublefree service, and I dont take care of it like I should. The only preblem I have ever had is ironically with the much touted Bose sound system, w/the 6 disc changer. It has been replaced twice (at no charge to me, even AFTER it was out of warranty), and it yet again is skipping and stops playing in below 50 degree weather until the interior warms up. Other than that the car and the dealership service department have been great!

• 

  Better than advertised! - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By Mike G. - January 3 - 11:53 am

  This car may not be a "4 door sports car" but it is a great combination of comfort and sport. I was looking for something quick and did not want to give up luxury and comfort. I found all in my Maxima. Great car, even better with huge discount and 0% financing for 5 years!

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  A lot of car for a little price - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By maddog88 - January 3 - 2:06 am

  What a great crossover. We have had the Rogue for 4 months now, and it has performed admirable. The wife wanted a small SUV with all the bells and whistles. After researching the costs of the competition, test drives, etc, we choose the Rogue. Its fun to drive, slightly under powered when combined with the CVT, but we knew that going in and improved gas mileage was a much higher priority than sports car acceleration. If I really want to drive it hard, I just slip it into manual mode and use the steering wheel paddle shifters. Very cool option. Gas mileage has been great with 25 in the city and 33 hiway. Very well made car and look forward to years of driving this one.

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  Pretty Ignorant But Got Lucky - 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
  By luckyloulou - January 2 - 12:34 pm

  Back in 2004, when I needed a vehicle, I went into a small Mom & Pop used car dealership and said, "All I have is $10,000. What SUVs do you have?" They showed me one vehicle which happened to be a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder le. Looked good and I bought it, it had 80,000 miles on it. I was lucky! Sadly, she was wrecked/totaled the other day and had 260,000 total miles on her and was still going strong. Paint still looked good. I alone drove her 180,000 rough miles and spent a total of $9,509. in major n minor repairs/maintenance and tires in 10 yrs time. She had started every day of her life, except for when she had a dead battery, or alternator, or bad ignition coil. (R.I.P dear friend!)

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  Still New - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By TITAN 1 - January 2 - 4:36 am

  Purchased the Titan LE with Big Tow , Side air bags, Running Boards, Floor Mats, Splash Guards, Have 1100 miles and checked gas mileage 17 MPG City/Hiway driving, seems to be a strong truck, smooth ride, drives good, HOT RODDER BEWARE, the brake pads/rotors will be the first to go along with lousy MPG I own a 04 Toyota Sienna have got 29.3 MPG avg.during the 11,000 city/highway driving and expect to get 20+MPG on expressway trips @65 MPH.

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  Glad I did it. - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Roni - January 2 - 2:00 am

  I recently decided to give up my SUV of 8 years, and try something different. I am glad I did. I drove over 300 mi. to pick up my new Versa and it was worth every minute. Its sporty and classy and just an all around great deal. I am lucky enough to have some nice added features such as the power package, and rear spoiler, and I just tinted the windows yesterday. And it really looks sharp! If youre shopping for an economy car that if veritile, and sporty, this is it!

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  Surprised - 2012 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
  By gotopless - January 1 - 11:42 pm

  Much to my surprise..... I purchased as a surprise for my wife. She had seen one and loved it, the look of it anyway.... TOP DOWN is exceptional! comfortable, firm, solid and actually luxurious for a Nissan. Top up, different story. BLIND SPOTS are very bad! Poor design on the rear window. To remedy this I added magnifier mirrors on both sides to help correct the blind side problem. My wife LOVES her car and it is the only one she drives! (she has choices)