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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  best in class - 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
  By peacefrogx - December 16 - 1:36 pm

  I bought this car used (a year old) with 25k on it and have not been disappointed at all. Great power, easy handling, and abundant interior comfort make this a great mid-size SUV. Great site-lines as well as an excellent stereo system make driving both easy and enjoyable. The mpg (about 16- 18/gal) could be better but is pretty standard for this class.

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  3.5SR, Good choice! - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By vgvg - December 16 - 3:20 am

  3.5 winter frost with blonde leather interior. Sport and Premium package. Looks good and drives even better! A lot of power and great performance. Fun to drive. I mean really, really fun to drive! For instance, I can merge onto the freeway, going uphill, from a near crawl, from being behind a semi. Hit 70 or 80 without an effort. Before I an count to 4! Love the CVT. The Bose 9 speaker stereo sounds great. Its better than the Bose premium system I had on my 02 Maxima. 3.5SR Altima is a economical choice of a car that maintains power and performance but not the price of a new Maxima. At 1300 miles, city and highway avg 23mpg.

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  Attention Getter! - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By jenifersue - December 15 - 11:36 am

  Boy does this suv draw attention. I have owned mine for 17 months and since day one it has drawn looks, stares, and strangers asking me if they can get a closer look. I can see why, I like to look at it too, I love the color (woodland bronze) and how unique it is. I drove several suvs when trying to decide on one, and the fact that you dont see a lot of pathfinders on the road is what sold me on it. I went from a minivan to this and can not even believe the power! I also love the dvd for my 3 boys and the cargo space for traveling. I too can not roll my rear d. side window up, but my 4 year old can do it himself with the rear control. It just cant be operated from the driver seat.

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  Daily Quest - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By ben flores - December 15 - 10:00 am

  Overall, I give the Quest 2004 a 9 out of 10. Ive driven its 2 major competitors,Sienna and Oddysey, and I favor the Quest for its power, stability and style. It drives like a car and can make turns very easily unlike the Oddysey which can only make wide turns. On the other hand, Sienna is a much quieter ride but it lacks the power of the Quest which a car enthusiast like me looks for. The Quest engine roars smoothly as you accelerate and shifts like a sports car. One downside I observe is the glare on the dashboard and the "hard to learn" controls of the front console. The interior design is both unique and futuristic which makes the Nissan Quest on top of its competitors.

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  Great for high miles - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By great for high miles - December 14 - 9:56 pm

  I drive 300 miles a day on a route, mostly highway miles, and this Nissan performs very very well. On a good day, I can AVERAGE 40.58 mpg! The worst I got was 37 mpg. All with great power and really good comfort. Id highly recommend this car to everyone, based on performance.

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  Still going strong - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By UNT84 - December 13 - 9:10 pm

  I bought my 96 Maxima SE to take to college with me. It was very low mileage and had only 59k miles at 7 yrs old. Now, two years later, it has 114k on it and is still as good as it was when I bought it. I love the leather seats, sunroof, and esp. the Bose audio system. Ordinarily, it gets between 22- 25 miles per gallon and thats a combination of highway and city driving. The only things I would possibly change are the quality of the paint (mine is dark green) and I do wish that it had a manual transmission. Its an awesome car though, and more than likely I will have it until it dies.

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  2002 altima - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By donovan robertson - December 12 - 2:00 am

  this is the best car i have ever own man cool awsome nice beautiful fast

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  Fast sleek looking car - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Thomas Conlin - December 12 - 2:00 am

  The revised Altima looks like a more expensive car such as a BMW or Volkswagen. It is fast and good lokking. People turn their heads and ask what kind of car is it? I probably sold three others by them looking at mine. The only problem is it is not a car for snow country. It is too light. My older Dodge Intrepid is a lot heavier and plows through the snow. Maybe it needs studded tiers in the winter?

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  Awesome Car - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By Computergeek - December 12 - 1:46 am

  What is there not to say. I love this Car. It feels like a large car, but with a sub-compact price. I got mine loaded minus the sport package. I am 60" tall and have plenty of room. It keeps up well on the interstate. Car is small, but safe.

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  First mid-size pickup. - 2011 Nissan Frontier
  By rdpope - December 10 - 9:51 am

  I have recently purchased the 2011 4X4 SV crew cab with the long bed. I have been quite impressed with the added safety features, good HP and handeling of this vechile. I traded an 06 Sierra for this vechile, and yes it is a tighter fit for me — 6Â’3″ 215 lbs–, but itÂ’s not bad. Not sure I would want to ride in the back for very long; but itÂ’s perfect for my 7 and 9 y.o boys. My father ownes a Chevy Colorado; I have say the Nissan far outpaces the Chevy both in interior design, comfort and ride. I looked at both the Frontier and the Tacoma. I just could not justify the higher price of the Tacoma. The Frontier has better HP, more room in the crew cabÂ’s rear seat, and again has more standard sa