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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  Now you have it now you dont - 2016 Nissan Murano
  By Cookie - October 1 - 5:18 am

  I have owned my Murano since November 2016. I love my car. The only problem is my Bluetooth works intermittently. I have taken it in for service twice. Ive had a software update. When I took it in I was able to see my text messages. Now I cant. Also, Ive spoken to Nissan support and noone has a specific answer. I think nissan should have a solution for this since it is a feature.

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  WoW! - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By I Lovr this truck - October 1 - 3:10 am

  We bought this truck about three months ago. And every day its fun to drive and it never gets boring.At a first glance its big bold face looks like its ready to take on anything.The inside is comfortable.The seats are soft but offer great suport.The bose is clean and clear no matter how loud it is.The simpe fetures like one touch moon roof are great and the individual climate controll is great.How ever this is a truck and going down the free way is hard at times but the suspesion feels firm and solid.When you put your foot in it the pathfinder seems to think its a 350z it takes of burning the chick in the Chevy Taho.It holds the open road and when thrown into a curve it sicks.

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  Excellent Car - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By altiman33 - October 1 - 1:55 am

  With the exception of the boring interior design, this car is excellent, and even the interior is what you would expect from a mid-range sedan. The features that come standard on the SV model blew me away. Im very pleased with leather-wrapped steering wheel, display screen and back-up camera! Looks great, drives smooth, comfortable to drive and good fuel-economy!

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  Great drive for great price - 2017 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Dave - October 1 - 12:28 am

  Price-Value very high in comparison with other vehicles in its class. Very nice ride, maneuverability, acceleration, great on snow (12 days of snow in past two weeks; no problem with Pathfinder). Very peppy, even on the mountain roads between home in N. Nevada back and forth to California.

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  Great style inside and out! - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Rob - September 30 - 9:56 pm

  I just bought this car but since I live 3 hours away from the dealership, I have had that much time behind the wheel. I traded a 2003 3.5 se for the 2.5 S. That power difference from the two are like night and day, but I saved a few thousand and am overall happy with my purchase. The new style is better than anything in its price range. It actually looks better in person than in photos. I chose the 6 speed manual over the CVT, I drove both but the CVT did not offer that same sporty feel as the manual. Overall, if you want a greal looking reliable car in this price range - this is it.

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  Chinese Firedrill - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By fpkarau - September 30 - 8:03 pm

  This is a company vehicle used extensively offroad. Performs well off road. It comes without skid plate and managed to tear oil pan off first 2 months we had it going through a mud hole on a construction site that every other rig on the mountain traversed without incident. Aluminum rim destroyed first month and needed to replace all stock tires as well as they are junk. Most irritating thing about this unit is that is has no keyless entry yet only one key tumbler in drivers side door only. Result is that if you want to enter vehicle from passenger side you have to do a "Chinese firedrill" around the truck to open unit from drivers side door and return to passenger side. Moronic design.

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  Love my Leaf - 2015 Nissan Leaf
  By Orlando - September 30 - 4:56 pm

  I bought my 2015 Leaf used in November 2016. The purchase price was very affordable even though as a used car it is not eligible for any tax incentives. My commute is 35 miles each way and while I can drive to work and back on a single charge my office parking lot contains EV charging stations. I generally use them for 2 hours because I like to leave work on a full charge in case I want to make side trips on the way home. My main reason for this purchase wasnt the price of gasoline but rather low maintenance. Given that I have 3 other high mileage vehicles, maintenance has always been an issue. This is a no brainer for me. Just unplug and go. In six months Ive driven 13,000 trouble free miles. The ride is great and acceleration very brisk. Overall Im very pleased with this purchase. This is the perfect commuter car for me.

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  Wow - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By Jfurton723 - September 30 - 12:33 pm

  So I bought this car after having a Cobalt SS. I loved that car and I wish Id have kept it. Ive put a hell of a lot of miles on it in the two years Ive had it, but it hasnt held up to any standard whatsoever. Ive had the a/c system replaced three times, the compressors are pieces of junk. The sub woofer for the Rockford system is made of paper so its extremely easily blown. The standard brake package stinks. Honestly the only reason I got this car is because it was the only Sentra on the lot that had a factory moonroof in it. Oh, and watch out around 70,000 miles the motor mounts just randomly break.

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  06 Special Edition - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By TNap - September 30 - 11:56 am

  Leased new in Oct. 06. We bought the car strictly for putting around town. The gas mileage is excellent. We own an F150 and a 92 Lexus SC400 that love gas. So, we didnt buy for speed or sportiness, just for around town. Excellent car and our 5 year old Maxima we traded in was a solid car as well. Go Nissan.

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  Made for adventure - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By big_schmidty - September 30 - 10:10 am

  Great offroad capability. It has handled everything Ive come across offroad with ease. I used to be a die- hard Jeep fan, but this vehicle changed me. Comfortable with multiple passengers and car seat. Plenty of storage in back and roof rack. 14,000 miles without a problem. We have owned other Nissans which have impressed us with their reliability and were betting our Xterra wont disappoint. Terrific SUV for the $