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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  Fast, Fun, and Sexy - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Beaz - October 25 - 10:00 am

  I have had my 02 3.5 Altima for almost a year, and I can honestly say I still have as much fun driving it now as when it was new. The Camry (which I sell for a living) doesnt even come close to the feel, and I love the attention I get while driving it. It was well worth the wait to find the 5spd. The road noise is a little higher than I like but the stereo more than makes up for it. Great car, but a built in radar detector previously mentioned by someone else wouldnt be a bad idea. Its easy to go well over the limit and not even know it.

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  Basic QG Manual - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By b15uqg - October 24 - 8:11 pm

  My 1.8s Manual Sentra is a quick little QG that I love driving and doing mods to. Stock it will do 0-60 in 7.8 seconds (if youre good at power shifting). Its super good on gas, picks up speed well, a lot of torque in 4th gear. I easily get up to 90mph in 4th gear, doesnt even get loud. The car has 114,000 miles on it too. I havent had to fix/replace anything on it yet. Clutch might be starting to get a little slippy because I dropped it to do burnouts. If you buy this car from a dealer I can bet you it will be extremely reliable.

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  Family dream - 2008 Nissan Quest
  By Gary - October 24 - 7:43 pm

  The Quest is a fun to drive take everyone and everything van with multiple seating arrangements without removing a single seat or head rest. The ride is smooth and effortless, but still fun to drive. Still getting used to the navigation system, but the 3-D view that it offers is great. We gladly would recommend the Quest to anyone considering buying a minivan.

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  2004 Nissan Murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By Martinclipper - October 24 - 9:06 am

  Having to choose between the 2004 Maxima and the Murano I picked the later because of its styling, comfort and features. Although I ordered a basic model it nevertheless came with all the features I desired. Friends were surprised at the spaciousness and comfort of the back seats. Despite that the ride can be somewhat stiff on bumpy roads, the seat comfort off sets this drawback to a great extent. Like many SUVs the Murano suffers from blind spots that were difficult to get used to after driving an Altima for six years. Highway driving is a dream. It manages well and the gas/milage is great for an SUV. Ive driven New York - Washington, 245 miles, on half a tank, which I consider good

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  Nice ride - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Paul Hitchcock - October 23 - 1:26 pm

  This is my first suv after owning 2 bmw 3 series. I really miss the bmw. I love the power and looks but do not like the gas mpg. But thats what you get with a suv. For the 1st suv I have owned I really like it. I wished that I got the premium package tho.

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  Love the new Murano - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By Allen - October 23 - 9:36 am

  My wife and I just purchased the 2009 Murano and absolutely love it. The ride is smooth, the seating in extremely comfortable, controls are easy to reach and we love the styling. The new double sun roof is really cool

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  Love This Coupe - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Ron - October 23 - 7:46 am

  Bought my coupe in AZ and drove it home to Kansas the next day. It is a very comfortable ride. The CVT keeps the engine at its peak power range. The manual mode was great during mountain driving. Averaged 30 miles per gallon. Love the sound system in this car.

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  My 7th Nissan! - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By Rudy - October 22 - 4:53 am

  I bought my 2010 Sentra on the last week of January to replace my 1996 Altima; hated saying goodbye to my Altima. I was pleasantly surprised at the room of my new Sentra .... almost that of my old Altima, if not bigger. Gas mileage has been sweet and I love have access to the more than 6,000 tunes on my iPod! I have been driving Nissans since 1992 and I currently own 3 of them; a 1993 Pathfinder, a 2002 Pathfinder and now, the new addition to the family, my 2010 Sentra. I cant see myself driving anything else. BUY THIS CAR! You will NOT be disappointed! NISSAN DELIVERS!!!

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  Great fun - 2008 Nissan 350Z
  By figgsy4ever - October 22 - 1:26 am

  Great performance car with lots of torque and passing power. The seats are a little stiff but with time should soften up a bit. Audio controls are easy to operate and climate controls are the very best Ive seen, I love the auto climate feature with seemingly endless supply of fan speeds. Build quality is excellent and rattles are few. A bit like watching a widescreen movie when looking out the rear window. Gas mileage should improve as the engine breaks in (20 mpg city/highway average now). Nissan left very little room for improvement with this newest version of the "Z".

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  Excellent Car for the Money - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Johnny D - October 21 - 7:16 pm

  My wife and I bought the Altima 3.5 SE, last week looked @ Honda Accord and Toyota Camry , did not think they could compare . The Altima CVT Transmission is smooth as silk , the ergonomics of the Altima is great , the 3.5 V-6 is quiet,but has a nice roar in the exhaust when taking off, the handling is also exceptional ! Good Job Nissan , this is our first Nissan , normally buy Toyota and Hondas , love the sound system to !