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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  Well worth it - 2001 Nissan Frontier
  By Jereth - May 11 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased my Frontier. I had to drive it 7 and a half hours back home. It drove great the whole way. You get everything you can out of it. Very comfortable for long trips. The styling makes it a great head turner. The SE version comes packed with extras uncommon to most trucks. A good truck for someone wanting just that, a good truck.

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  Altima 2001 SE - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By joemcc - May 11 - 2:00 am

  I had previously owned Altima GXEs and experienced much better gas mileage with minimal difference in performance. I was disappointed in the gas mileage, about 23MPG, but the car is extremey reliable.

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  Flapping wind Noise on Rough surface Roa - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By Rfirstnissansuv - May 11 - 2:00 am

  I have a question for all new Armada owners. I just bought a brand new Armada and loving it except for one thing, "The Flapping Wind Noise when driving on Rough surface Road". At first I thought it was just the one Ive got but then I took it back to the dealer and trade it for another same model. Its still the same. I would like to know when you drive on a rough surface road turn off the radio and see if you hear the noise Im talking about especially if you drive between 60- 70mph. Thank you for your time.

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  05 Maxima SL - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By Dannyro - May 10 - 11:50 am

  Overall nice car. I had it for 6 months. Transmission is lazy in traffic. Dont step on it or your on board computer will show your MPG going as far down as 12MPG through out an average of normal and traffic driving. Most confortable ride ever. Make sure to opt for the driver preffered package. I didnt and I am sorry now. Stereo is great. Heated seats take a litle too long to warm up. Neat features that let you open the front windows from the remote (why not all 4, I cant understand...). Plenty of space for 5, comfortable with 4 on board. Overall, I believe it is a great car for the money. I cant wait to see what the 2008 will have to bring to the table...Its worth it and ready to move up

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  Keep Shopping For Now - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By indintruk - May 10 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Frontier late last year, and was quite happy with it until March of this year. The drivers door handle broke off; the electronic control module needed reprogramming; a grinding sound and kerchunk developed in the left front end; the drivers door window regulator went bad; and the gas mileage suddenly, and inexplicably, went down about 4-5 mpg. The service department was very courteous and wonderful in all respects. I simply decided to cut my losses and trade the truck in on something else while it still had most of its value, and before anything else went wrong.

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  Needs to be more sturdy - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By SgtBrownswife - May 9 - 10:33 pm

  I loved my Sentra when I first got it a couple years ago. We are military so we are constantly making long trips to see family on leave days and we got around 50 mpg. My husband had a wreck in the car last week and it totalled the Sentra but left the other vehicle hardly untouched.

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  My experiance... - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Mark - May 9 - 8:40 am

  I have had lots of small things go wrong with my truck..Rattles in windows (3) and under the truck(2). Air leak in drivers side door, Bad Battery, drivers side wiper, Front brakes and key wont turn on somtimes unless you wiggle the steering wheel.

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  GREAT CAR HIGH MAINTANCE - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By cesar5150 - May 9 - 4:09 am

  so i was 19 this was my first car i asumed it would hav low cost labor and parts i bought a 2003 altima with 94,000 miles used it for comuting 50 miles roundtripp at 110,000 car wasted much gas and slow engine light on dealership told me it was the crankshaft and cam sensor so i paid 200.00 to fix and repair car ran way legit .thennn AT 120.000 miles THE HEADLIGHTS WIPERS TAILIGHTS HEATER AND A/C DIDNT WORK AGAIN TO NISSAN THEY TOLD ME IT WAS IPDM. INTELEGENT POWER DISTURBUTION MODULE COST ME 1,200 TO REPAIR THEN I WUD USE SYNTHETIC OIL AND PERFORMANCE SPARK PLUGS CAR RAN FAST NISSAN SHOULA GAVE IT 200 HP INSTEAD OF 175 THE RAIDIATOR ALSO NEEDED REPLACEMENT and pulley

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  Loved the test drive... - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By scottpatrick - May 8 - 4:10 am

  ...if only the one I bought was problem-free. In the 5 weeks that Ive owned the car Ive had problem with a bad Airbag Clockspring (makes ticking noise in steering wheel), front brakes pulsating (rotors resurfaced), Corrosion on the chrome molding on grill/nissan emblem, and finally some strange foam insulation piece came up with the window today when I rolled it down and them back up. Nice huh??? Oh, and the parts arent yet available to fix these issues..nor are the body side moldings and fog lights that I purchased with the car. Be very careful with the car, as I have been told that all of the parts being made are going to the new cars and arent available yet for any other purchase.

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  Please Read Before Buying - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By paul_ss454 - May 7 - 9:04 am

  I purchased a 2013 Nissan Altima based on my experience with a 2005 Nissan Altima that I drove for the past 7 years. It was a 2.5 liter with a 5 speed manual transmission. It was extremely fun to drive, good on gas and proved to be very reliable. Unfortunately, it was totaled in an accident and I quickly needed to replace. It came as a surprise that AltimaÂ’s were now only offered with a CVT transmission. Against my better judgment, I went ahead and bought the car with the CVT because I really liked every other aspect of the vehicle. I now have deep regret about the purchase because of the driving characteristics of the CVT. It is a shame because the rest of the car is outstanding.