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 love this car! - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By ddamon - April 14 - 10:00 am

  The only complaint I have had is, "the passenger seat is not that comfortable to ride in". Otherwise, its fun to drive, easy to maintain, and a good value!

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  Despite few problems, Sweet Car - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By YellowSpecV03 - April 14 - 10:00 am

  It was between a Mazda 6 or the Spec V. I drove the 6 first and was really dissapointed with the performance of the 6 cylinder. Dont get me wrong, love the design but performance sucked. Well, decided to go with the Sentra and have had a blast with it! Its a mini model of my dream car, the R34 Skyline! Fun car to drive and now that the aftermarket is picking up on it, its even more a blast! Will say that the 6 speed tranny needs some kinks worked out and the paint quality sucks! Already in 2300 miles the tranny locked up in 6th and a large amount of paint flaked off during washing.

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  After sales service - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Chic - April 14 - 10:00 am

  Cmon Nissan I thought by now you could design window seals that dont squeak. You also need to offer a 4 year warranty and shake your dealerships into providing better service. You designed a great vehicle lets get the squeaks out and dont lose face by providing lowsy after sales service.

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  Excellent SUV and performance - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Eddie abu7alab - April 14 - 10:00 am

  Like the Rock... powerful engine.. wonderful transmission... and the most and stiff Steering wheel that give you the feeling of the sports cars, beleive me the stiff steering wheel is much more better than the light one much more better to handle.

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  Excellent Ride, Nimble Handling - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By James The G-Man - April 14 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car Oct 02 and it has performed superbly. I have no complaints for my Silver 2.5S. I feel the acceleration is the best in its 4cylinder class, its body style is sharp and sleek, and it does very well on gas.

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  Close to Perfect - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By Brandon - April 14 - 6:00 am

  This car is quick, handles well, lots of power no matter the RPM and the hatch still has room for your weekends luggage. Transmission is smooth, a little clunky but smooth and close. Handling is good, its a bit of a heavy car and you can tell when you turn in. Unlike its competitors that turn in a curve the road, this seems to barrel through them but its still fun. City driving is a bit uncomfortable due to stiff suspension but its not unbearable. Brakes are strong and the steering is responsive and quick. The 350z is a great drivers car, sure its not perfect but what car is unless you spend 100k. It may not be the best bang for your buck performance wise, but you wont be disapointed

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  Nothing beats the Goat - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By LuvmyXterra - April 13 - 5:26 pm

  My husband and I refer to my truck as the Billy Goat or the X-terrible, because it gets out of anything. Frankly, its unstoppable. We tow our 24 foot trailer with it, and can get out of any snowy condition. I totally disagree with some of the other comments about the ride-we have 2 kids who love taking trips in our X. We recently took ours from CT to Penn, VT and RI. Its plenty comfortable, and we love the great capabilities and thoughtful extras. It was the only man shift available that could tow 5K lbs. Its got so much pickup, that it never seems winded on the hwy. Great multi-purpose ute. Great machine - buy it. What other vehicle has a tent that you can hook to the back?

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  Great MPG - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By John - April 13 - 5:10 pm

  Had it for 2k miles so far. runs great, quiet, roomy. Huge trunk. Not a hot rod, but great on gasoline, which is the reason I bought it. Happy so far.

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  great car so far - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By erin - April 13 - 2:20 am

  I bought my 2.5 SL used a few months ago after trading in my hummer H3 (i know, big change), and have not been disappointed yet. Fun car to drive, gets great gas mileage. average around 28 mpg. Only problem was 3 days after buying it, came out of a store and the battery was dead. Got a jump and called Nissan and they told us to either call and have it towed in (they would reimburse us), or go buy a battery and they would reimburse us for it, which they did with no problem. Have no problem driving in the rain, car does great but have yet to drive it in the snow... i know thats a big complaint with a lot of people. Has a lot of wind noise in driver side door. Other than that, great car.

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  i love this truck - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By monty burnt - April 13 - 12:30 am

  I was ready to buy the SE with Premium package...but my wife told me to just get the LE and be done with it. Was she ever right! I have just over 1500kms on it and I have driven it in the snow and on dry roads. I am very impressed. -30C with icy and snowy roads and the truck doesnt even blink. The MP3 player plays CDRWs as well which is really cool if you are into that sort of thing...which I am. The auto 4x4 switcher works great in the snow...and the heated leather seats...well enough said. I am a big guy (64 230) and I have no problem getting in and out of this truck. I wish the fuel economy was better but it IS an SUV so I will just have to grin and bear it I guess. It looks great!