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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  05 titan - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By phansen - March 24 - 2:00 pm

  Great truck, plenty of room in the front & in the rear seats as well. Great radio system. Plenty of tow capacity no problem towing my boat. Love the rear sliding glass from the driver seat.Love the driver side two adjustment seat postions. Would tell every looking to buy a new truck to go and test drive one and look at all the FEATURES TOO MANY TO LIST .

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  Excellent car - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Ken - March 24 - 12:16 pm

  My wife and I were looking for a new vehicle that got good gas mileage and had ample performance. We test drove Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans. The Altima was far and away the most fun to drive, had good gas mileage and surprising performance for a four cylinder. After over 4,500 miles including 1,000 mile trip the mpg on the road was averaging 34 and around town 27. We couldnt be happier with the car.

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  I love my Versa Note - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By Stacey - March 23 - 7:02 am

  I have owned my Note for a little over two years and have about 60,000 miles on it. I have a long work commute and was sick of giving half my money to the oil industry. I get about 37mpg. Compared to similar cars, the Note has a lot of space and cargo room. Five of us to Florida on a camping trip cargo room. Mine did come with an unlimited power train warranty from the dealership. I have kept up with every single required maintenance. I love my car, but if youre looking for a sports tuner, this isnt it. This is a good run around with the kids car. Its like my mini SUV. BTW, my husband is 62" and has plenty of head and leg room, which was one of his big concerns when I decided to go to a small car.

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  Perfection is called "maxima" - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By Burgeson - March 23 - 4:23 am

  In these times of high gas prices, the Maxima is the way to combine perfect performance on the gas meter and the spedometer. A wonderful ride, and great standard sound system. The only automatic car a "stick" driver would love. Pick up is amazing!

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  Great car! - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By katherine - March 23 - 2:56 am

  Searched and checked out all the small SUVs and found the rogue to have the best combination of comfort, options, quality and price. Compared it to the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4, test drove those and then finally the drove the Rogue--hands down the better driving experience, sometimes I forget that I am in an SUV and not a car!

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  Great car - 2004 Nissan Altima
  By Erik - March 22 - 9:52 pm

  2nd car I ever owned. Have had only one alternator replacement, valve head gasket replacement and some sensors as major repairs. Other than that, the car has been super good. I have spent a total of about $7000 for all repairs AND maintenance, including tires in 11 years of ownership. I have put over 200K miles on it and it has NEVER left me stranded. 70K of those miles were in NYC and those roads and the stop and go destroys the car. However, the car is still going strong. Of course, I have done most of the repairs and maintenance myself. So I have same a VERY large amount in labor.

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  A change, but I like it! - 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
  By easygo3 - March 22 - 11:51 am

  Ive had the Platinum Pathfinder for about a month now. It got a rude introduction to winter shorly after I got it, but it came through with flying colors. I traded in a Siverado 4x4 4dr, so the smaller size is taking some getting used to, but the gas mileage and ease of parking are helping a lot! Even with only 600 miles of primarily city driving, and lots of cold weather idling, Im averaging nearly 18 mpg overall.

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  Solid Near Luxury Sedan - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By Riverdog - March 21 - 6:06 pm

  I thought it was bit pricey until I test drove my new Maxima SV. Its a solid near luxury sedan with excellent performance. My only concern was with the CVT but Ive learned to like it especially for economy and the manual mode is a hoot but watch out for the law as this thing gets up to speed in a hurry. My mileage has averaged about 24 in combo driving which Im quite satisfied with. In my opinion, the exterior (mine is Crimson Black) is absolutely gorgeous and the interior is about the most comfortable of any vehicle Ive ever owned.

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  My Land Yacht :) - 2016 Nissan Murano
  By Moms Car - March 21 - 5:28 am

  This is my 4th Murano and each one is an improvement over the last one and I am extremely pleased with this. The 2016 replaced my 2014 which I loved and intended to keep for a long time but when an out of state driver plowed into me it totaled it but I was fine inside so I am very happy with its "crash response" . I promptly went out and purchased the 2016 and have been very happy with it....so comfortable, plenty of space for cargo and friends-- can not recommend this vehicle enough...I also have a GLK350 which is nice but this has more space and honestly more "gadgets which I love and you can not beat the value. I am so pleased with the Murano I gave my son the Mercedes both are excellent cars but for me I prefer the Murano

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  Happy owner. - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Gabriel - March 20 - 6:26 pm

  Ive considered Accord, Sonata and Camry. Im happy I made the right decision. I had the car for 2 months so far. Very good engine power (forget the 6 cyl) and brakes. Very fun to drive. Mileage about 20/28 mpg with 1,300m so far. Roomy interior. On one hand, disappointed with some creaky plastics on the door panels and below the driver seat. On the other hand, the dashboard is very attractive and made with very good plastic quality. Nissan should use a better plastic quality for the door panels. Overall very nice car! I would recommend this car to a friend.