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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  Still worth the price - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By sickegg2000 - January 9 - 1:43 am

  IÂ’ve always like Nissan cars, and this is my 4th Nissan. I have owned 240sx, 2 X 300zx because Nissan to me is safer and better quality for the same bucksÂ…. I have to say for less than 20K, I got a fully loaded Versa Hatchback SL with power roof and somewhat economic, I am satisfied with my purchase. I am just hopping the mileage can be better, but there is always a balance comparing mileage and power. Versa is the fastest in itÂ’s class comparing Toyota Yaris, Scion xD, and Honda FIT, and so it makes sense that itÂ’s not the most economics car within this group. I have test drove all the cars listed above, I personally think Nissan handles the best when it comes to corners and balance.

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  62,000 miles and engine gone - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By badn99 - January 4 - 4:20 pm

  Car drove well for almost 3 years until one day at 62,000 miles check engine light came on. Took it to the dealer and was told engine had failed and needed to be replaced at a cost of $7000. Imagine my surprise that just after warranty on engine expired it needed a new one. Got 2nd opinion and was told the same. Engine misfired badly and knocked. Car had regular specified maintenance and was well cared for. Contacted Nissan but no help. Will never buy another Nissan. Car is now sitting awaiting a used engine at a cost of $2900,

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  Reliability - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By Frank - January 2 - 9:56 pm

  Since I have owned the car, I have had about 4 factory recalls and recently, with less than 33,000 miles, the transmission had to be replaced. I would not recommend a Sentra, nor would I by another.

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  DONT BUY!!!! - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By markv25 - December 31 - 1:50 am

  I bought my new Altima 4 weeks ago and have had problems with the car ever since. First, I ve had to go to the dealer 3x for a faulty seat sensor light that they cant seem to fix. Second, dont believe the gas mileage on the car. I cant seem to average 29 mpg. The car seems to be fun to drive at first but then it gets boring. Plus, the noise the engine makes when you accelerate gets annoying. The speakers are supposedly Bose, but they sound like crap. I really wish I had bought another car.

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  Shouldnt have done it - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By bhoward123 - December 30 - 11:16 pm

  Shouldnt have bid on E-bay and certainly not on this vechile. After replacing a starter,headlight assembly, exhaust system, tires, and battery I MAY have a car. Nissan wouldnt include the starter in the 5/60 powertrain warranty. I got 14OK out of the one in my GMC. Nissan quality is subpar.

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  Stay Away from Nissan! - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Mike - December 29 - 6:16 am

  Here is a list of the items you can expect. 1) A rattle from inside the dashboard from zero miles. 2) A loud squeaking sound from rear frame. 3) Back of seats tear when in the down position. 4) The in-dash CD changer will fail at 40,000 miles. 5) DriverÂ’s side window will disengage constantly. 6) The master window switch will fail at 40,000. 7) The memory seat settings will never work. 8) The rear shock absorbers will fail at 50,000 miles. 9) The check engine light will turn on every 10,000 miles. 10) Both secondary timing chains and camshaft secondary timing chain tensioners will fail. Cost: $2,148. Have fun!

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  2008 Rogue - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By rm101 - December 20 - 7:05 am

  I have a 2008 Rogue ALS. This car has been taken to the dealership several times, and the dealership says nothing is wrong. My car was under warranty and the transmission was slipping, they said nothing is wrong. Now the car is not under warranty and I cannot even drive it. I have pushed the pedal to the floor and barely go. The dealership now wants to charge to look at it and our dealership is closing and they cannot do anything out it. My car is a 2008 model and has only 52,000 miles. A car this new should not have problems like this. I fully intend to call Nissan and complain. They are not customer oriented. We bought two cars from them within a months time.

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  Worst Quest by far - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By V. Chai - December 20 - 2:00 am

  3 days on the road, the engine malfunction light went on. The computer had to be reprogrammed and an engine part replaced. Took 4 days to diagnose and repair! Now 2 weeks later, found out the right sliding door itself unbelievably scratching the side of the body making scratch marks both inside and out! Armrest,sliding door,rear window on left side are too loose while those on the right too tight. Gas consumption is almost 40% more than the spec, and definitely more than my moms SUV. Felt totally betrayed by its looks.

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  Questionable Quality....MORE Performance - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By fcn90803 - December 17 - 2:00 am

  Automatic, ABS & Side Airbags. Problems after 2 wks: rear fold-down seat locks missing; windows sticking; CD player skipped from day 1; map lights sticking. All minor but makes you wonder how well car has been designed/assembled. Took 3 days in a rental car and 2 trips to get all resolved; windows still stick. Tranny shifts out of 1st too early, can downshift roughly and slowly out of o/d and gets lost when youre on and off the gas. The plastic by the ignition and on door panels is scratched after 4000 miles. SE-R does handle great, gets decent gas mileage (22) and looks good but my ’91 Stanza with 138 hp and automatic would run circles around it. Disappointing. Shoulda looked at VW more.

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  Great looking car but with issues - 2016 Nissan Maxima
  By P Scott - December 14 - 5:01 am

  I am only 6 tall but I had issues with the extra thick door at the knee level and the extremley high console at the knee level. This caused my knees to be way too close together making it an uncomfortable driving position for me. Also the gas pedal it too far to the right-not a natural position at all. The worst part of the Platinum model is the sound system. Very flat, very tinny, cheap sound! We have owned 2 Maximas and 2 Infinitis and all had Bose sound systems in them. Right away, we realized that the current sound system in the 2016 Platinum is very-very inferior to all of our previous Bose car systems. Our Toyota van sounds much better and it is just the basic sound system, not a Bose. We tried all sources of music and did all adjustments you can make and the sound system has very weak bass and just a very plain sound. This caused us to not buy the car actually. Love the look and performance but being uncomfortable for me to drive and weak sounding sound. Very sad but true