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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  Great car to drive - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By Ec Havranek - April 18 - 3:20 pm

  This car is very quiet in driving. The transmission has a smooth start, no jerking into 1st gear. The interior has a very comfortable seat. The dash board and accessories are a pleasure to see and use. The engine has a sufficient amt of HP. Engine design is very nice and clean. When driving at higher speeds, the ride is very smooth. The Nissan models have a reputation of having mileage of upto 300,000 mi.

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  Beautiful but with one major flaw - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By acoustic58 - April 18 - 1:44 pm

  Bought the new 2013 Altima SL. Beautiful inside and out but with one major flaw. The noise level inside the cabin on the 4 cylinder during acceleration is beyond what a new car should be. Nissan promotes this car as quiet which is a long way from reality. I had this car back to the dealer a few times and Nissan also sent out a National Rep. and after replacing a couple parts, on a brand new car, I was told that the noise I am hearing is normal. Its amazing that when the engine drone on acceleration is so loud that I have to turn up the radio to not hear it is considered normal. Its really a shame that Nissan overlooked this problem because its a beautiful car.

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  Very nice ride - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By thacrusha - April 18 - 11:20 am

  I traded a Forester XT for this Altima and the difference is night and day, which may speak about the poor quality of the Subaru. This car came equipped with the Premium and Sport Packages. At 500 miles so far no complaints about power or ride. Mileage has ranged from 19.5 (virtually all city) to 28 (One hiway trip avg).

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  3rd nissan, GREAT ride - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By MG - April 18 - 6:15 am

  I have owned a 99 Maxima, a 2009 Altima, and now a 2011 Rogue Krom AWD edition. All my Nissans have been great vehicles. The Rogue has been my favorite, as living in New England an AWD vehicle is a must. The ride is extremely smooth and often pasengers ask if its even on when at a stop. I bought this car used with 47,000 on it from a 1 lease owner. 3 years later Im at 102,000 miles with nothing more than regular oil changes. I just had the breaks done and will put new tires soon as winter approaching. But After 3 years, thats not bad at all. The car is great on gas, and has an extremely comfortable interior from front to back. Lots of space in trunk area, just overall a great ride if you want an SUV without the big engine/big gas expense. I would compair the ride almost identical to that of the Altima, but with AWD. GREAT car for sure

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  Love my Alti - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By Jared Rella - April 18 - 5:15 am

  My older sister got a newer car and gave me her 2001 Altima GXE for my first car. Ive had it for about 3 months and I love it. It currently has a bit over 165k miles on it. Exterior wise its bland and blends in very easily with traffic but it doesnt look bad. The 155 horses seem to work hard and get the job done. If I push the pedal down on the highway it picks up and has quite a bit of pep in its step. My gas mileage isnt great I get about 14-18 mpg city, but I think I have a leak. It has a brake light out, a broken seal on the front axle, and a valve cover leak but I think the valve cover problem was from my sister abusing the car. So far Im perfectly happy and impressed with it!

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  My new Altima Rocks!! - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Tropo - April 17 - 11:00 pm

  I did my homework looking for a manual gear sport midsize sedan that is loaded. After looking and driving everything in the $25K to $35K range, I was set on the Altima SE. It is everything that I wanted and then some. The car is everything it is set to do and then some!!

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  20K Mile Review - Sentra SR - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By malachy - April 17 - 7:13 pm

  This is an interesting car. There are times I am underwhelmed with it, other times I am really glad I decided to go with it. The size, comfort, and ride of the car are some of its best attributes. I bought the car because of the front seat. The looks of the car appear to be polarizing. I like the looks compared to other cars in this class. As a guy though, all I see are girls driving it around. The performance is pretty average. The CVT is still an enigma to me, although I am fairly happy with it. The engine drone and tapping (when below 56 degrees) I can do with out. I feel the gas mileage is great (34 - 75% highway). I have gotten 38 on trips before.

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  Baby Car - Still in Love after 16 Years - 1996 Nissan 300ZX
  By dani300zx - April 16 - 10:58 am

  Bought this car new in 1996 and still cannot bear the thought of parting with her (so I probably wont ever). Beautiful inside and out and an absolute blast to drive. Probably the best sports car ever made that cost less than $100K new (and, yes, I have driven, evaluated and photographed cars costing that much).

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  Z Monster - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By jleder - April 16 - 10:00 am

  Butt-kicking performance, style AND a comfortable ride all in one package. At a price thats not in the stratosphere. This is the best car Ive ever had. Performance ROCKS: 0-60 before your eyeballs come back to the surface, and you pretty much CANT get the tires to lose grip. The Performance Model is a really good compromise between performance and comfort, and it comes with cloth seats (in my opinion, the only way to go in a sports car. The best part is, Nissan has again (as it did with the original 240Z in the sixties) redefined the price- performance equation. Nothing this good can be had for less than about $15K more than the Z costs.

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  Great car for the price - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Driver21 - April 16 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 01 Sentra SE in 00 because I needed an affordable, reliable new car to get me to school and work. It has done exactly that. I have brought it in exclusively for oil changes and regular service to the dealership,+ a recall. I see people are complaining about the quality of paint, tires, rattles, etc. I personally have not had any of those problems yet, and my car has 49,350 miles, and still have the original, although balding tires. I would also advise to get a manual trans if you are not sure. I bought the auto because I commute in traffic a lot, but can not wait to get a stick car.