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:

• 

  Ricks review - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Rick Balzano - September 16 - 2:00 am

  This car is awesome, the ride is smooth, a very fast car, picks up speed very quickly, I do alot of highway driving so this is good, comfortable ride also, very good choice to buy this car, 1 thing to change would be the display panel for the radio, it fogged up within the 1st month of my purchase and it is on the inside so no way to clean.

• 

  Need Different Interior!!! - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By tyt - September 14 - 10:00 am

  Its been fun to drive and cool to own the car. I enjoy driving this car daily.

• 

  2002 Nissan Sentra GXE - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By Scott M - September 14 - 10:00 am

  Well I bought this car about 3 months ago and Im very pleased with it so far. I really like the exterior styling opposed to the older sentras. One thing I dont like is the power, I wished it had more. I know there is the Se-r and Se-r spec V but 126hp in isnt a enough for the GXE. The 2000 sentra Se even had around 140hp. I think Nissan should have kept that horse power in the GXE for 2002. But overall its the most reliable car you can get. I would much rather have this car than a 2002 Honda Civic any day. I recomend this car to anyone who is thinking about getting a economical car that isnt over 20,000$

• 

  Love this car! - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By MargeHD - September 14 - 6:53 am

  This is a great car. Classified as a sub-compact but feels much bigger. More front seat room than my friends prius. (I am a big person.) sits high which makes it easy to get in and out of. First tanks mileage=27 mpg in mixed driving, including a Major multi-mile summer beach traffic jam.

• 

  Most fun vehicle I ever purchased - 2010 Nissan Xterra
  By fuzzman - September 13 - 6:26 pm

  While I have only had this vehicle 1 wk. It by far is most fun to own out of the dzns of cars/truck I have had. We just had a big snowstorm come thru town and this rig drove thru it like nothing! Plenty of power & lots of style. My only disappointment is the cheap sound system that I will have to upgrade! Other than that the best way to sum it up is great fun!

• 

  Fell in love at first sight - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Mary - September 13 - 12:26 am

  Have had 2 Nissan Maximas and was ready to turn in my lease for a 4 door Altima 2007. When I saw the 2 dr coupe, I fell in love at first sight. The car is awesome on gas which was exactly what I needed (driving 6 cyl Max for ten years). Not as spacious as the Max, however still comfortable and fun to drive. To date, have only seen 5 on the road... cool! Have been stopped by people on the road wondering what model it is. Truly love the car!

• 

  That thing got a Hemi? Nope, better. - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By mattsmith20 - September 12 - 10:00 am

  You simply cannot buy more truck for the money. Ford and Chevy have Nissan on the interior niceties, but drivetrain, engine, and usability define the Nissan

• 

  ALMOST THERE!! - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Macbrew - September 12 - 10:00 am

  Bought my wife an 04 SL. What a beautiful car! She just loves it. But I must say that after driving my own G35, the Max feels like an American near luxury car. Therefore its perfect for her, but for me the G35 is more to my taste

• 

  Nice Starter Car - 1998 Nissan Sentra
  By Kady - September 12 - 3:16 am

  This car was pretty good. The only thing I didnt like was that when having more than 2 people in the car, it didnt like going up hills. I live in Upstate NY where everything is a hill, so when driving with my friends, I had to floor it to get going at a good speed. But I really like this car. Its easy to drive and is very reliable

• 

  Nissan Finally Transmission/Radiator Issue!! - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By koz5150 - September 11 - 4:52 am

  To all those who have had the infamous transmission/radiator issues, I just received a letter in the mail from Nissan saying that while they are not creating a reacall for it, they are extending the warranty on the vehicle to cover this issue. They are extending the warranty to 96 months or 80K miles. While this is not the perfect solution, it should help a large number of owners. To those who already had to pay for a repair for this, it sounds like you will be able to get reimbursed for it. Hopefully you all will be receiving your letters shortly. While my 2005 Pathfinder has not yet had this issue, I just wanted to pass on the somewhat good news.