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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  Travelin Man - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By Tim - October 6 - 11:16 am

  Overall, pretty happy with the car. Bought it in 4-04 with 42,000 miles. Doubled the mileage in one year. Mileage is pretty good, although the car "feels" like its getting old. I have never owned a Nissan before, bought this one on reputation alone. Would POSSIBLY buy another one in the future when I learned how to drive slower. At 35, I got my first two speeding tickets driving this car. LOL!

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  Great first car - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By mattywiggles - October 5 - 11:37 pm

  The Note is pretty good considering it is one of the cheapest cars you can buy new at the moment. Manual windows, locks, pretty much everything besides the side mirrors is manual. The interior is very cheap and plastic feeling. At the same time however, the interior is simple and easy to navigate. The back seats have some of the best space for any small car on the market. You can easily fit two 300+lbs 6 foot high people in the back with no problem. The 1.8L motor does the job just fine producing 109HP. It isnt very quick, but I have yet to have any problems merging onto the highway or driving on any road. Im happy with this purchase.

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  Ok until around 90k miles - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By maximus02 - October 5 - 12:16 pm

  Great vehicle for the last few years. However, around 90k miles the transmission broke. Replacement rebuilt transmission $4200, beware of higher mileage vehicles.

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  2013 SV Leaf Review - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By leaf_owner - October 5 - 11:40 am

  My commute consists of 5 days a week 33 miles each way on mostly highway (55-60mph) with limited city traffic. I can drive back and forth to work on 1 charge with no problems of range as I pull in my home with about 30 miles of range. You must get a home charger as the trickle charge (regular 110 outlet takes to long to charge). I installed for $1800 the AV Charger which is a 220 volt/30amp charger which charges the car from empt to full in 3-3.5hrs or about 26 miles per hour of charge. The information above is based on driving in April and May in Central NJ. I have not driven the Leaf in the colder temperatures but I will post a follow up this winter.

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  Picked over a Honda & Toyota - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Dawn - October 5 - 9:06 am

  We completely love the car. We picked this car over a Honda Accord and a Toyota Camry. We drove all three and the lowest model of the Nissan had a smoother ride then the Accord or Camry. I have always loved Hondas and have owned one but the Nissans ride and look was much nicer. The Camry and Altima both have a great style but you get more for the money with the Nissan and the ride was better also. If you are thinking about the Altima you canÂ’t go wrong. One warning, if you want the 3.5, get your insurance quote first, the 2.5 was not that bad.

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  Rust rust rust - 1995 Nissan Pathfinder
  By WILLIAM KORN - October 5 - 6:30 am

  Overall ok except for fuel consumption (16-17 mpg max) and body rust, brake wear

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  Turning over a new Leaf! - 2011 Nissan Leaf
  By anewleaf1 - October 4 - 9:39 am

  Weve only had our 2011 Leaf for two weeks but already we are in love with this car. Gas has gone up $.20 since my last fill up in my old car, so Im already saving more money. The car has great "get up and go", it isnt anything like the hybrids you hear about not having any power to them. I can leave everyone at the stop light if I want to. The first few days I found myself speeding frequently. The interior is very comfortable, even for adults in the back seat. It sits up a little higher than the sedan I traded in, which is nice. This car is all electric so its not for someone looking to drive it a long way. I only use it to commute to work and run errands so its perfect.

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  Sometimes she likes me... - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Cam - October 4 - 7:23 am

  My sentra likes me...sometimes. Other times the car starts, then rumbles, then all the lights on the dash come on and it turns off. Three mechanics tell me nothing is wrong. It only does it when it feels like it and I dont seem to be able to find any correlation between the times it chooses to do that and the times it doesnt. I know two other people who own the same style and model year nissan and one who owns a 2006 Sentra 1.8s...and all of our cars do the exact same thing. Time for a recall?? Other than that and all the road noise, I love it...really, I do.

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  Fun, cheap pocket rocket - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By brettbest - October 4 - 2:00 am

  This car compares favorably with every car Ive owned. Toyota MR2, Nissan 300zx, Volksawgen GTI, etc. none of them compare with the z. Straight line speed, cornering and manacing good looks all combine in a package under 30k. WOW!

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  Love It! - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By jeromerobles - October 4 - 2:00 am

  I bought my GLE Maxima for only 4700 dollars with 126000 miles on it, but I know it doesnt matter for Nissan since it has a good reputation of reliability and the mileage are mostly highway miles. It runs really fast and I am surprised I can easily accelerate without feeling it. Just have to be careful with speed limits. This is my first big car and I really was surprised how good she handles.