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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  Terrific! - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By Donne - March 27 - 10:00 am

  What a great car! Cant go wrong with this baby!Much better than others in the same class, yet value priced!

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  Sport Sedan - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By mombear - March 27 - 10:00 am

  After 40,000 miles, this car remains fun to drive. Except for a O2 sensor, Ive had no problems. Highway mileage is 30 MPG. The RE92 tires will go 50K. My major complaint is the fact that the engine holds on to its revs between shifts.

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  Get whatcha pay fer - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By diffie - March 27 - 10:00 am

  Driven all kinds of trucks from great big diesels to little bitty 4-cyls... cant beat this for quality. Mileage depends on the driver. I get 15 in the city, 17(hwy) when I tow my small camper, and an honest 21(hwy) when solo (Im happy with that with a 2-ton compact V6). I have had this truck 14- mo now and have no complaints when you consider the competitions price and quality.

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  Nissan Sentra 2004 1.8L S Auto, - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By jason - March 27 - 7:30 am

  good car reliable, but comes with some problems... yea i had to replace Stock CD deck for the same thing..the shocks on the back are gone on mine at 100,000km. Other than that very nice car... but very bad crash ratings!!!

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  Frontier king cab - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By art - March 27 - 6:00 am

  The frontier king cab is pretty nice, it does have some flaws that you have to look for. The king cab is ok if you are going to put a baby back there. I would go with a crew cab next time, also the interior is cheap looking but thats ok, its a truck. The clock radio should be different color, cant read if the sun is out. I do hear a noise under the dash board sometimes and also when I spin the tires I hear a funny noise, the wide turn stinks. Overall the truck is nice, if you are looking for room for back passengers definitely go with the crew cab. Fuel mileage could be better for a 6 cyl. Also my brakes squeak a lot.

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  Piece of Junk - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Bry - March 27 - 4:56 am

  This was the worst purchase we ever made. I personally have owned 27 cars in my lifetime so I am good judge of vehicles. Although it looks great and is pretty quick. This car got poor city mileage and had nothing but problems. Passenger air bag did not work for 8000 miles until seat was replaced, brakes kept locking up and left rear wheel was about to fall off the car. Then before we could take it in the front windows were activated by thunder during a storm and when we came out the next day the car had 1 inch of water inside and the dash, console, doors and seats were soaking wet, basically like flood damage. I would not buy this car ever again.

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  old blue - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By thedmk55 - March 27 - 4:16 am

  Its was a good car but there is better out there. replaced it with new 2011 civic lx.

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  2 years not a problem - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By texdave - March 26 - 3:38 pm

  I leased the car new with a fantastic lease deal. It is fast and fun to drive. 21 mpg average city and highway driving and I drive fast. 45,000 miles and have had no problems with the car at all. I would highly recommend this car. Try to find a good deal on a used one.

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  Two years and going strong. - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By psych0student - March 26 - 3:15 pm

  I bought my 2008 Sentra second hand exactly two years ago; figured Id give it the credit it deserves by writing a review. Overall, I truly love this car. Its a perfect size (even when moving back and forth from school), very economical (I get from Buffalo, NY to NYC on one tank of gas), reliable, and easy on the eyes. Its at 36k now, so I realize Nissan is going to abandon me for the most part warranty-wise, but Im not worried because its been an angel so far.

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  Great Family MiniVan! - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By ilikenissan - March 26 - 10:18 am

  We have had our 2005 Quest SL for 8 years now, bought new. It has been the perfect van for us. Spacious, strong engine, drives great (for a van), and gets decent highway mileage (we average 24 on trips). Electronically adjustable drivers seat. It was worth buying the extended warranties, as minivans (weight and usage) put a lot of stress on transmissions and suspensions. We used the warranty and saved a lot on major repairs common to the entire minivan category.