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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  Love it! Hate it! - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Love it!Hate it! - October 6 - 3:50 pm

  I purchased this car 3 years ago and since I have had to replace the front struts for the third time with only 57000 miles its too much. My transmission started skipping and kicking at 52000 was replaced under warranty and now the engine Mounts which are extremely expensive are out.This is besides some electrical issues with the lights. So you can imagine why I hate it.

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  Does the job other than gas mileage - 2001 Nissan Frontier
  By EdH - October 5 - 10:00 am

  Bought the truck as a demo and couldve done better on the deal but came out ok. Truck runs great and handles just like a truck should handle. The overdrive kicks in way to quick while using cruise and going up a hill. This annoys the wife. Other than having the drivers door power window regulator assembly replaced and one of the rear doors also, havent had any problems with the vehicle except for mileage. Going to try a 70 series tire when these wear out and see if that helps the 16s really hurt the mileage on a V6.

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  great first car - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By carina - October 5 - 10:00 am

  This is my first car and so far it has been great. The interior quality could be higher but is reasonable at the price. It is a very smooth ride.

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  Good, solid, reliable vehicle - 1997 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Tim - October 1 - 10:26 pm

  I bought this SUV in 8/05 with 118K and it now has over 182K. Besides routine maintenance and tires, I have only had to replace a thermostat, water pump, and muffler ($600 total). I would recommend the vehicle to anyone looking for a reliable SUV.

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  good all around vehicle - 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
  By billy - September 30 - 3:56 am

  purchased the pathfinder after owning a maxima, power is excellent, needs better standard tires, fuel mileage is very low, heat can use some improvements, takes a good 20 minutes to warm up, by this time i am already at work. Stereo is excellent, agree that cd player skips in cold, needs more storage space, no place to put loose change. Braking is good, traction good is 4X4, however rear tires like to slide on wet pavement. Roof rack can be changed, can never get the snow off of it. All around, much better then my parents blazer and explorer, tops the cherokee..

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  It was great...what happened - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By Mikey Z - September 28 - 10:00 am

  This was a great car for the first two years that I owned it. But as the miles have racked up it really hasnt help up like other Nissans Ive had. There are all sorts of nasty sounds that this car makes when accelerating and the transmission just doesnt like to be driven at anything over half throttle or itll bang around or not shift at all. Lots of pinging. The stereo has broken. The A/C is noisy. Just stuff I wouldnt expect from a Nissan. Yes...Ive had it in and out of the dealer and mechanics. Theyve replaced things...only for them to break again. Definite disappointment. Should have bought a 99.

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  good car for the price - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By punchie - September 28 - 10:00 am

  I just purchased my 1.8s loaded nissan 2 days ago and so far I am very impressed with the changes/updates to the Sentra! This is my 1st Nissan and my car looks like a smaller Altima to me!! So far so good but Ill be looking out for those aformentioned mechanical problems @ 60k.

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  Satisfied for the price - 2009 Nissan Frontier
  By JET - September 25 - 11:03 pm

  Have just under 3,000 miles so far and just minor problems. Ive noticed a timing chain slap while starting every once in a while. Drivers sun visor bounces while driving and in stowed position and falls slightly when against windshield. Speedometer reads 2 miles fast. Brakes have strange hitch only at complete stop and just after acceleration. (Feels like loose wheel lug nuts.) Finish on chrome front bumper not that great. Turning radius too large.

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  Did not want to like it. - 2010 Nissan Frontier
  By purvelo - September 25 - 9:07 am

  I seriously did not want to like this truck. I had to purchase a truck for a new business I started. Decided on the Nissan Frontier V6 4x4 because of how well the test ride went against the other midsized trucks like the Tacoma. Solid ride,great handling for a truck, and much quieter interior compared to the noisy Tacoma. I liked the full size Ram but cost and MPG kept me away from it.So I have owned this truck for almost a year now and have to say, as much as I want to be pissed about driving a truck daily, this well made solid truck is growing on me. Nissan has built a reliable mid sized truck that feels like it can handle real truck work and yet drives rather nicely. 20.2 MPG with a 4x4!

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  Its okay, but I wish Id gotten a G35 - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By dlc - September 25 - 5:16 am

  Overall, a nice car - no mechanical issues whatsoever. Its powerful, especially as the horsepower takes over, and would really benefit from rear-wheel drive as torque-steer can be problematic. I find the gearbox and handling a bit squishy, but Im coming from a Miata. The trunks hinges extend into what would be usable space, reducing the trunks capacity. The back seats appear to be reasonably comfortable, but Ive never sat back there! Significant wind noise from the sunroof wind deflector. I would be a much bigger fan if the mileage were not so bad, and if the trip computer didnt lie about it, which it consistently does in most/all 02 Maximas (making me believe its intentional).