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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  I JUST LOVE MY PATHFINDER! - 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
  By KLM - February 13 - 10:00 am

  I love everything about this SUV. EVERYTHING! It is the right size, very quiet, looks great (Merlot), VERY smooth drive, stereo sounds great, leather seats are wonderful and comfy, interior looks great (black leather). I cant imagine what Jameys issues are with Nissan or the Pathfinder. Maybe the dealer was really bad, because this is one great SUV. I just love it. I cant wait to get in it and go for a ride! Just drove it over 1,000 miles on vacation and it was such a pleasure! I swear we got just under 20 MPG. Not bad for an SUV today.

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  Nissans Edsel - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By Cycle guy - February 13 - 10:00 am

  Great looks and is fun to drive, But... TOTAL Gas pig 11-13mpg. Interior falls apart while you look at it. Door panels have fallen off twice, the carpet pills up into little fuzzy balls as you step on it. The micro thin seat padding condenses after short rides leaving your backside to bump metal. The sunroof tilts open about 2" in the back, but thats it - for all the extra bux why bother to pay for a veiw of a plastic basket! The AC system has to be on in 55 degree weather, cause the heating system pumps out hot moist air all the timne, even in the "cold" position. Its been in the shop 3 times already for stupid stuff. This thing is a mess.

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  Great Car - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By ZCT - February 13 - 10:00 am

  Ive only had the car for a week, but Ive driven over 1000 miles already. The Altima is an excellent car. For the money I think it is best in its class. I would recommend one strongly.

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  Wow - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By travisjohnson - February 12 - 1:39 pm

  We purchased this car on Saturday and havent been able to stop driving it. What a great, fun car to drive. The AWD is impressive, and the turbo just makes it fun to drive. Selling our MINI Cooper-S now... this vehicle has replaced it in many ways... Even the back seat is comfortable for me (61" tall)... so fitting kids back there when necessary is no problem.

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  Unhappy with Nissan - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Erin - February 12 - 9:06 am

  This was my first Nissan and I have been very disappointed with the car. The brakes rotors and all went at 40,000, I have replaced the tires all the way around twice Nissan told me that the tires that they put on the car were garbage. They recalled the car for the crank shaft sensor and also had to replace the fuel pump. Yesterday, I noticed it was leaking a small amount of antifreeze. I am looking into buying a Honda or Toyota within the next week, I am afraid that this car is going to be a money pit.

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  Engine Wont Last - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Rob - February 12 - 9:06 am

  Loved driving the 3.5SE...for four years and 67,000 miles. Then the timing chain began whining. Nissan covered the $2,400 repair since it was a known issue (see Technical Service Bulletin). 8 months and 12,000 miles later, I noticed my oil level was low. Seeing no leaks, I tracked the oil level over the next couple of months. At 89,000 miles, dealer determined that engine was burning 1 1/2 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles! Offered to replace engine for $6,600 my cost. Nissan refuses assistance since they already took care of timing chain (to me, kind of irrelevant now). This on a car with all scheduled maintenance receipts. Better have an extended warranty or dump car before its junk.

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  Avoid NISSAN! - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By cghoffpauir - February 12 - 9:02 am

  In May of 2012 the radiator failed on this truck and we had it replaced at the cost of $1000.00. My son drove this truck for three months after the radiator repair and then the transmission failed. We had it towed to the dealership and were told that the repair cost was going to be $7,300.00. We did some research and called about six or seven transmission shops in town and found one that could do the repairs for $4,500.00. So we had the truck towed to a new shop. The shop owner is very familiar with the “defect” and knows exactly what to do to repair it.

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  Great Value - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By gpez - February 12 - 7:23 am

  Have driven the car for 2 months, nearly 1500 miles. You get a lot of value for your money. Gas mileage has been 31-32 mpg for mostly non-highway commute, very respectable. The cars got enough pep and great brakes with the ABS option. The interior exceeds expectations. It does have some quirks - gets a little loose at highway speeds (probably could improve with better tires), the rear suspension is soft (go slow over speed bumps) and oddities like no temp gauge (instead goofy LEDs) and the glove box light only comes on with the exterior lights. Not the sportiest car but for the price it has exceeded my expectations. If it yields long term reliability then Nissans got a winner here.

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  An eye-catcher... Definitely - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Michael the Psycho - February 12 - 6:10 am

  I will have to say this car is extremely smooth to drive. I have driven a few cars before but the acceleration on this vehicle just blows everything else out of the water (and I only got the 2.5S!). In fact, if I dont pay close attention, the majority of my drives are at 20 over the speed limit. If you want a beautiful, sporty car with the price tag of a mainstream car, this is most likely it. I got to say though, the back seats are really not comfortable. Ive seen some reviews say the rear space being mediocre in comfort; I think thats an understatement. My roommates children (both under 10) can barely fit but I guess the target demographic of this car was never for "family" passengers.

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  DO NOT BUY!!! - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By Joyce Mowe - February 12 - 5:29 am

  This car has quit on me 7 times. Every time it quit I would take it in to the shop and spend $100-$800 to get it "fixed" only to have it quit again a couple days to a week later. The worst part though is what this car did when it would quit. It would be going down the road and then all of the sudden my power steering would go out and my brakes!! So here I am driving down the road and I cant steer or press the breaks! Its done this 7 times! Now they say it will take $1500 to fix it. This is a terrible car that will cause wrecks. Mine only had 160,000 miles on it. DO NOT BUY! VERY DANGEROUS CAR!