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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  BEWARE OF THE TITAN - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By hhrn - March 1 - 11:40 pm

  Bought brand new from dealer in 07. Loyal Nissan owner (have owned no other vehicle). First thing to go bad was rear end (20K mi.), replaced. Then began running rough, stalled and would not run, brought in to Nissan, bad cat. converters, ruined my engine, had brand new engine put in, new cat. converters, and new fuel pump. Now tranny is slipping, and it has brake judder when applying brakes (out of warranty) DO NOT BUY. I have NEVER towed anything with my truck, never put more than 3 sheets of plywood in the back, and NEVER EVER abused my truck. All recommended maintenance performed, oil changed ever 3k miles, etc. I am now looking at a Toyota. WARNING DO NOT BUY!!!!

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  spare your self the agony - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By mark - February 27 - 2:03 am

  This vehicle has been nothing but a pain since day one. I have finally given up on having the interior rattles fixed, we just live with them now. Two weeks ago the brake system failed and had to be towed to the dealer. this week air conditioning not working (but its only 90 degrees outside) Engine still making a strange knocking noise that dealer cant find. Front end squeaks over dips. Save your self the headaches, buy something else. as far as towing, towing 8000 lbs is impressive however, on the boat ramp it is weak. on any incline, armada will roll backwards while in drive with or without trailer. on ramp, parking brake will not hold armada and boat in place - has to be put in park

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  Enjoyable entry sporty sedan - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By bigb996 - February 23 - 1:16 am

  I purchased this car and right away started modding it. I put on all the bolt ons and really noticed a promising gain. The header itself gained 12whp and 11ft/tq. Torque is definatly not a problem in this car. The interior and exterior fit pretty well and you have 4drs+ a trunk for practicallity. They say the suspension is great however i have aftermarket and still am experiencing a lot of body roll. The performance is good but a little more hp couldnt hurt. I dont really see a need for a 6spd but its something different for a car like it at the price. Overall you get what you pay for.

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  Should have, could have - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By C Burns - February 16 - 2:43 pm

  I bought this car considering the reputation the company has yet was and still am disappointed in the workmanship as well as the issues off the lot. I continually have a squeaking belt, my front rotors are warped which is like a bad idea of ABS brakes. The interior is noisy, the sound system seems to be getting worst. The car fails to smoothly shift between first and second gear and it is real easy to hit the shifter out of gear while going (automatic). And what is with my window always fogging up?

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  I really wanted to like this car! - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By mhn - February 11 - 9:33 am

  This car is so much fun to drive. With that said, we have had so many problems with it. The sunroof took 7 tries to repair, the A/C went out, struts replaced, paint is chipping off rear view mirror on the garage door button, rotors are shot, front dash rattles, steering column gets stuck in the upright position, and today my check engine soon light came on. I baby this car and I am a very mild driver. Maybe I just got a lemon, but we are trading it for an Infiniti G35x because they seem to be getting much better reviews. Good luck if you purchase this this vehicle. Hope yours wont be a lemon. I loved driving it, too bad it spends just as much time in the shop as it does on the road. :-(

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  Way to many problems - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By teresa - February 10 - 10:53 am

  The pathfinder is not a good vehicle. 30,000 miles, the motor starts at a to high idle with no oil up (knocks 2sec). Acceleration from start touchy (jerks head). Had 2 tires replaced (bad belts in them).@20,000 had rotors turned with new pads. Red braun paint on front horrible (problems embedded in paint, detail shop wants nothing to do with it) radio dont pick up closest stations clearly. Interior cloth dont clean well. The exterior rear view mirrors show distorted images and dont show you your straight path behind you. Come on people. I have talked to 3 owners and all of them have experienced at least 2 or more of these problems. For $30,000 I would have expected a better quality vehicle from Nissan.

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  Worse Nissan Ever - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By ttranrx - February 9 - 1:50 pm

  Ive had my maxima for 5 years and already have transmission problems. It will cost me $4000 to get a rebuilt transmission which is horrible for a 5 year old car. Will never buy a Nissan for a long time. Would warn anyone buying a Nissan Maxima and for them to google Nissan Maxima and transmission problems.

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  dissatisifed - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By dissatisified - February 7 - 10:00 am

  Handles great, a blast to drive. Plagued with problems. This car has burned oil from the day I got it. Two service managers and the GM agree it should have a long block. I have had this problem tracked by driving to the dealer every 500 miles for documentation. Nissan wont stand behind their car. I shouldve stayed with Toyota!

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  I hate this car - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Nacole Gusler - February 5 - 10:00 am

  I bought my car brand new and have had nothing but trouble since. Sunroof opens by itself, window motor has been replaced several times, major transmission problems, replaced brakes several times, replaced axles, struts wheel barrons and calibers. This is just the beginning of my list. I hate this car, I will NEVER buy another Nissan due to this. This is the worst experience i have ever had with a car, and the dealership has never been very helpful. Told them about my transmission and their response was stuff happens. too bad it happens to most or all 2004 nissan maximas and nothing will be done about it!

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  Stay Away!!! - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Muhammad Akhtar - February 4 - 8:43 pm

  I bought my Altima 7 months ago, and I finally got rid of it. I feel sorry for the person who bought it. I am a college student and cannot afford huge maintenance cost on this lemon. I have noticed most of the complaints are with S, and SL trims. The only major flaw with this car is the excessive oil consumption, and this model burns oil like crazy it does not even leak. It surely is a lemon, I didnt spend a lot on it except had keep up with oil replacement twice a month, which sounds really awful for a car that was rewarded as car of the year back in 2002. Nissan got bad reputation because of this car. Now I am looking forward to buy MAXIMA 6th GEN. They are a lot powerful and reliable.