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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  My first car - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By TIFFANY - June 10 - 10:00 am

  I have been in love with this car since the day I got my liscense. Four years later, I finally bought the Altima and opted for the V6 (Great pickup 0-60 in seconds) and other upgrades. Considering I drive my moms Yukon, the Altima is super smooth and even has more horsepower. I went for leather seats and when I saw my car for the first time, I was impressed at the 2005s luxurious interior design. Its truly a beauty. I would def. recommend this car in a heartbeat. It looks great, drives like a dream and it super fun and sporty. The car inside is a quiet ride and the car itself is surprisingly comfortable. A month later, Im still pinching myself.

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  Excellent Value - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By conigogo - June 10 - 6:13 am

  I traded in a minivan for the Versa when gas prices neared $4 a gallon in 2008. I researched hatchbacks and visited countless dealerships & was impressed with the Versas features for the price. My husband was impressed with the get-up-and-go acceleration. We have a 13-year-old son and he finds the back seat roomy even with all his school gear and gaming supplies. I think the exterior is appealing & have even had 3 different people ask me for information about the car in parking lots. We told our boy that when he turns 16 he can choose between my Versa or my husbands Frontier truck & he cant make up his mind!

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  What a fun car/A willing dance partner - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Car fanatic - June 9 - 2:30 am

  I came from an 03 Maxima GLE which I loved, but the Altima beats it hands down in so many ways. The 4 cyl is amazing. Who needs 80 more ponies? Smooth, responsive, and wonderful growl when you hit the loud pedal. The interior is every bit as good,if not better than the Max. Roomy without being cumbersome. Far more tossable and the IRS makes the difference. Smooth ride with no evident loss of feel of control. Communicative steering is a joy. Light but solid. MPG so far has been around 23, but no highway yet; I expect at least 30. For you sporty types out there, drop it in 3rd on a twisty hilly country road. It stays in the sweet spot. Dont miss the old Max one bit.

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  I Love my Black Pearl! - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By HoustonDriver - June 8 - 10:16 pm

  I needed good commuter car to drive about 44 miles round trip a day and wanted something cheap yet elegant. Looked at the 2008 Kia Rio and other small and older cars but I got what I wanted a black 2007 Nissan Sentra. It is such a nice car to drive! It sounds solid on the road and I love the way the doors slam. No cheap sounding clank! Its big enough for 4 people and looks great. I was going to pass the car to my 15 year old daughter to drive but I think Im going to have to buy her another car, I love this one too much to give it up.

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  AWESOME SUV! - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Cali_guy76 - June 8 - 9:43 pm

  I bought this SUV on 7 Nov and fell in love with it! My wife and myself looked at many other SUVs and found this one to be the best overall...You cant beat the price for what you get. We compared the Honda Pilot, Saturn Vue, and the Toyota 4Runner. The Pathfinder was better than all of them!!! We bought the Pathfinder SE with everything but the DVD and paid $27,700 +tax&lic. We love our Pathfinder and hope to keep it 10+ years!!!!

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  WOW.... - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By mike - June 8 - 4:13 am

  just picked up (April 2, 2005) my new fully loaded 2005 SL AWD black on black. Very nice, very roomy, lots of options, good ride (the SL model), solid, doesnt seem to eat alot of gas. The back up camera is very well thought out of and is very usefull. The navi seems to be a pretty good one also. Traded in a 2003 lincoln ls v8 and this car has even more options then the lincoln while the msrp is $10,000 cheaper. And the intelligent key is pretty cool as well. hope it stays the same for the rest of the 42 month lease. definetely consider this car.

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  Home Run - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Tony in PHX - June 7 - 5:53 pm

  Nissan keeps making great cars, I bought my coupe in 11-07 I have 5500 miles on it now, its fully load minus the Tech package. The Premium package is well worth the price. Im averaging 29 mpg, the power from the 2.5 is amazing. Ill be sticking around with Nissan for a while. I love Bose sound system, the Intelli-Key and XM radio.

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  Good car - 2012 Nissan Rogue
  By Terry Frost - June 7 - 11:51 am

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  Our Little Rogue - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By Nishaw - June 7 - 7:00 am

  After having a wreck in our Murano, we only went to the dealer to "look" at the Rogue. Needless to say we fell in love. Love at first drive!! This vehicle has the smoothest ride, even better than the Murano. My only complaint is the interior dashboard area. I dont know what kind of material it is but it easily scratches. All and all I would definitely suggest you take it for a test drive.

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  Very Impressed - 2014 Nissan Rogue
  By Barry Pardo - June 7 - 12:05 am

  We watched youtube videos on all comprable suvs, we test drove all of them having to decide between the Nissan and the Subaru. I have had the Rouge SV with the tech package and have put almost 15000 miles on it since Feb. 2014. It drives great, we did bring it to the dealer only once to reset the computer on its first tank of gas because it did not do it automatically. I have no complaints and have had Nissans with great experiances in the past.