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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  Nice SUV but Nissan cannot support the vehicle - 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
  By plhpgh - May 18 - 7:40 pm

  Bought the Pathfinder when it first came out unfortunately 4 days later I took out a 7 point buck. We hardly felt a thing in the Pathfinder but there was a lot of front end damage. Upon taking it to the dealer I was advised that they have to wait at least a month before the needed parts may be available. This was unacceptable that a company would put out a product that they could not support, I am in the process of having Nissan buy the Pathfinder back due to inability to support a product.

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  Not I think it is.... - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Warrior_pr - May 18 - 10:03 am

  Abruptly automatic transmission shifts, to much road noise on highway travel, decent suspension and motor performance, not controllable power.

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  What a sweet ride! - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By brandir - May 18 - 4:36 am

  All I can say is wow! What a sweet ride! I just bought my coupe this week and was planning on test driving a few other vehicles in the same category. The Altima coupe was my first test drive and I knew as soon as I took off in it there was no reason to test drive anything else. The ride is so smooth and what a kick it has for a 4 cylinder. I love the body style and the dual exhausts. I dont feel like Im sitting real low to the ground and the car feels solid. I cant say enough great things about this car!

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  Exactly what we wanted, not disappointed - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By RS - May 18 - 4:03 am

  After studying all the compact SUVs, we decided that the Rogue was just what we needed. It had good mileage (for this class of vehicles) and, in fact, we are getting 26-27 in town and close to 30 on the road. It has the clearance and AWD we needed for moderate off-the-road usage (wildlife surveys, kayak in-putting, etc.). In addition, it is very comfortable and quite quiet on the highway. Handling is better than the other compact SUVs that we tested. Reviewers complain about the storage capacity being less than some of the competitors, but we do not need it and appreciate the better looks and handling of the Rogue. Bigger is not always better. After 4 months and 5K miles, zero defects.

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  Soooo Disappointed - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By jc5053 - May 17 - 9:11 pm

  1st thing first,....I bought this car brand new and had no problems UNTIL my 4th year (2010). The AC unit went out ($897),....HID lights turned pink and went out ($426) and now........(infamous drumroll),..........the transmission is bad, LOL! No, its not funny at all and my head is still spinning to the tune of $2500 repair bill that was freshly printed today. WOW is all I can say. On my way back from the shop,..this guy in traffic asked me if the car was good (as hes picking one up this week), I told him "nah man this car is a piece of junk, DONT DO IT! 111k miles, 13 more payments and transmission problems are all I have to show for this car!

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  I love this car.... - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By RF - May 17 - 8:56 pm

  This car is beautiful. I get so many compliments, and so many looks. The gas mileage I get is right at 18.9MPG, I do hardly any highway driving. I cant say enough about this vehicle.

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  Great truck but not without reliability glitches - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By anthonymaw - May 17 - 11:42 am

  I bought it used on a private sale from craigslist replacing my 1985 Toyota 4runner that I ran up 550,000km (340,000miles to you guys south of the 49th). However last year (2011) the in-tank electric turbine fuel pump unexpectedly quit (at 220,000km odometer reading) leaving me stranded on the side of highway. It wound up costing me well over $1000 in towing charges, parts and labor plus an overnight motel stay and a one day travel delay. Now that I know how to replace it I carry a spare fuel pump and screwdriver along with the spare tire....

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  beware... - 2015 Nissan Sentra
  By Bill Voelkel - May 17 - 9:04 am

  Navigation does not come in 3d..even though it says it does..only 2d..I have to keep on reconnecting my bluetooth every time I start my car...Make sure your phone is on there list of phones that will pair before purchasing...My auto select for my lights doesnt work already and car is less then a month old..I got upgraded bose stereo system and have alot of static all the time..Gas mileage is no where near as advertised...The car does drive nice but all these little annoying things ruin your driving experience...

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  18, 20, and 46 year old drivers love it! - 2009 Nissan Cube
  By Tim B - May 17 - 6:26 am

  We purchased our Nissan Cube on July 3rd as a replacement third vehicle for our 18 and 20 year old daughters. We used the CARS program turning over our 1996 Cadillac in the process. However, now I cant get my wife out of it leaving the 08 Caravan for my daughters. This is a fun car to drive and it turns plenty of heads. Theres an amazing amount of room for the driver and passengers, and visibility is fantastic. The pick up is more than adequate and the gas mileage has been better than expected: averaging over 32 mpg combined. Downside: road noise on the highway, but what do you expect for a car in this price range? Std air, power, ABS, and much more makes this easy to recommend.

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  Great Car - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Aaron - May 17 - 4:43 am

  I bought this car used with 19K on it after cross shopping many other models. Great car for small family (< 3 kids). This car is a quick performer with a sportier ride than many competitors (e.g., Camry). I get better than advertised gas mileage with the manual when I am easy on the gas. The controls are logically laid out and easy to use. I like the keyless feature (its even easy to replace the FOB battery), but HATE the FOB itself (see below). I have driven manual trans. cars for years and years, but this one is very difficult to drive smoothly, especially from 1st to 2nd. I suspect that the gear spacing is just poorly planned. With the exception of the FOB this is a great car!