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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  Just a couple of things.... - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By RayNay - January 17 - 3:20 am

  When shopping for a car I found this to be the best out the other comparable cars I looked at (corolla, honda fit, versa). However, since Ive had the car I have discovered some things that I find almost uncomfortable. This car definitely looks nicer & feels better then the others I mentioned. But the seats, the handling and the steering Im having a hard time getting used to.

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  Best ever - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By stever - January 17 - 1:50 am

  Sold my Passat V6 to get this. Better looking, more powerful, better mileage, more reliable. Besides that, I guess I should have kept the VW. Nissan has yet another winner in this one.

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  Easy Transition, Maxima to Versa - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By S Boyle - January 16 - 11:53 pm

  Driving the Versa made it easy to economize and transition from an 04 Maxima SL in both cost and comfort. I wanted a more fuel efficient car and spent weeks researching the Honda Civic/Fit, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Senta/Versa, Chevrolet Aveo, and Ford Focus. After test driving the Civic, Focus, Corolla and Sentra, I chose Versa with ABS. Its amazingly peppy with easy steering and great turning radius. It offers the most room of any of cars I drove and is just as comfortable as the Maxima. There is plenty of rear room for grandchildrens car seats without adjusting front seats. The difference in the payments, gas costs and insurance saves me nearly $4,000 over the next 20 months.

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  a lot of blind spots - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By versa - January 16 - 7:16 pm

  The hachback window is small and not enogh veiw out of it. The post from the side rear windows to the hachback window is to broad that is where the blind spots are. The stupid tringle windows in driver and passengers side windows are also a distraction. The sticker said 25 mpg,in town and 36 mpg highway. Well I have not done much highway driving yet but I do not get any where near 25 mpg where I live and I live in the country.

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  Great vehicle - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By Rich - January 16 - 4:20 pm

  I purchased this vehicle about a week ago. What a great find. I am leasing and this is my second Nissan. The Rouge is just what I was looking for. So far I am very happy driving this Vehicle. 6 cylinder would have been nice. But I really have no complaints. Great job Nissan. Fantastic vehicle for the money.

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  Problems - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By desertrat11 - January 16 - 11:11 am

  I bought my Nissan versa in august of 20111, 1st thing went wrong trim on top of roof fell off, 2nd needed a air filter I thought, 2nd needed a new transmission, 3rd needed new rear brakes, 4th blew a tire on the freeway and lastly contacted Nissan customer consumer affairs and after 3 weeks of playing phone tag their was not a thing they could do for me. And by the way did I mention that my dealership said I have roadside assistance which is only for a tow up to 100 dollars and a rental

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  Continued problems - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By doug - January 16 - 8:23 am

  Have had elec problems since 2nd week. Nissan has tried 4 timed to fix(3 under guidance of factory rep). Still has intell key problems(wont unlock,wont start).Have asked Nissan to replace with good one. Been 1 week no reply.Real shame; we like the car but can no longer deal with the elec problems. Never know when it will not let us in or if it will start when we want to go.Wish we never bought it.

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  Real Clunker - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By JasonE - January 16 - 2:12 am

  Nothing but constant repairs with no support from Nissan. I bought this car three years ago and my entire dashboard just went out. I took it into the dealership and they told me I was three months out of warranty and stuck me with a $1000 repair bill. Nissan wont claim responsibility for the defect even though having your speedometer go out in the middle of driving is clearly a safety issue.

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  Fun, stylish, but a few issues - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By GM - January 15 - 9:06 pm

  Car looks good and is fun to drive around. Had to get a recall taken care of before first oil change! Manual shifting can be fun. CVT seems smoother after first oil change. CVT seemed to be revving high sometimes. Heater takes too much time to shoot hot air out. Blows cold air and the auto feature stays on lowest fan setting until the heat kicks in. Also it always blows at your feet when on auto and the A/C is always on with auto. There is a leak with back tail light. Nissan ordered the part and it took a while to come in.

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  Get it all at a small price - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Bethanie Hollister - January 15 - 3:06 pm

  By far the best car that I have owned so far! I have only had minor problems with my Versa since purchase and all have been fixed quickly by warranty. The dealership I went to in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, "Beaver County Auto," was amazing and I would recommend them and the Versa to everyone. If you can swing it the SL with the CRV transmission is great! No more feeling your car shift into gears and with all the extra features you feel like youre driving a sports car. I will be a Nissan driver for life!