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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  Back Again - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By Chris - December 10 - 4:13 am

  I owned a 2003 Murano for five years and loved every minute of it. I finally decided it was time for a new vehicle. Due the price a gas these days, I decided to try a 2008 Honda Accord XLE for mpg improvements. It was a nice car, but I just could not adjust to driving a sedan and missed the Murano. I had to trade it in a go back to the Murano. The interior upgrades compared to 2003 are great. The power and handling inspire confidence and the mpg is as promised. I love the sound system, the backup camera and the push button start.

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  Love my 2011 Pathfinder..it completes me. LOL - 2011 Nissan Pathfinder
  By RGreene - December 10 - 3:48 am

  Its a comfortable size with plenty room. Love the way it sits up off ground. Its a comfortable quiet ride especially for a 4WD. Great all around utilitie vehicle.

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  Just bought one - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By Victor - December 9 - 9:26 am

  We just got a Quest and love it. Much larger inside than expected, with tons of storage space. The wife loves the sotrage hooks. Drives very smooth over all terrain so far. Power rear door and side slider VERY useful when raining and a shopping trip to Walmart with the family. The 4 speed auto tranny kicks down sometimes when I dont want it to for extra oomph. Also, please measure your garage if you plan on putting it in there. Our Quest barely fits in there, but at least it fits.

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  I love my Armada! - 2005 Nissan Armada
  By Memaw - December 9 - 8:50 am

  I have owned two Pathfinders and upgraded to the larger Armada for "granchildren space". Its roomy, comfortable, has easy access to the third row seat, easy flattening of all seats to haul cargo. I love the unique design and disagree with the editor regarding the comfort of the leather seats vs. cloth seats. It handles beautifully, even on wet roads, and has plenty of power for freeway driving. The Armada feels more "solid" than other SUVs we test-drove. Better gas mileage would be nice, but I still give it a "10"! (P.S. Has not had to go back for any warranty work.)

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  Very comfortable and fun to drive - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By MDS5254 - December 9 - 5:56 am

  I bought this car 2 days ago so take it for what its worth but Ive been an altima owner for over 7 years now. I just traded my 00 Altima SE for this 07 Altima 2.5 S with the SL package. I really liked my first Altima but all I can say now is WOW!. What a difference. If the 00 Altima was the epitome of playing it safe, dependable, all around family sedan then the 07 is all those things but on super steroids. This car is awesome. I wanted something safe and that had seating for 2 adults and 3 children comfortably for those family times but that also had the get up and go and sporty look so as to be fun to drive. This Altima does it all and does it well. I couldnt be more satisfied

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  Wooooooooowwwwwwwwww! - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Bdruggan - December 8 - 7:46 pm

  When I took the Titan out for a test drive, I was blown away by it power, speed and comfort. The king cab has plenty of room and even though I got the 4X2, it still has a beefy suspension that rivals many 4X4s on the road. The Rockford Fosgate stereo in the truck I test drove was amazing. I ended up getting the base stereo with the 6 disc changer but it still has great sound.

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  Excellent car - great quality - 1999 Nissan Altima
  By dsinnreich - December 8 - 5:26 pm

  I bought my 1999 Nissan Altima SE brand new in 1998. It is now over 6 years later and I have never had any problems with this car. It is incredibly well engineered and very well built. It zips around quite nimbly around the city and drives very solid on the highway. In the 6 years I have owned it Ive replaced the brake pads and tires once each. Oh and a turn signal burned out at one point. When I got married we had to choose 1 car since we live in the city and only own 1 parking space - we sold her Audi A4 and kept the Altima since we knew we would have much fewer problems with Altima. Great job Nissan. This car is so good were now buying another Nissan.

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  So incredibly impressed! - 2014 Nissan Rogue
  By stlrpsu - December 8 - 11:40 am

  My lease was about up on my 2011 Mazda CX-9, which I loved. I decided to look at the Rogue since I loved the redesign. After test driving it I decided it was WELL worth getting a car that was a little smaller than the CX-9. The CVT has some noise but, honestly, it is the same as most engines revving up a hill or speeding up. It drive SOO smoothly. I got the Premium Package on the SL and it has EVERYTHING! The interior is beautiful, the touch screen is big and beautiful, the seats are SOO comfortable, and this car handles so amazingly well, as well as or better than my CX-9 did! I am getting about 23 mpg, but I only have about 400 miles on the car and I mainly drive city. Awesome car!

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  Altima Leaves others In The DUST!!! - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Stanmanh - December 7 - 8:20 pm

  Nothing gives you more bang for the buck. The four cylinder is quick but the V-6 is lightning FAST and RESPONSIVE! There is a large difference in performance and features in the models. Gas mileage 22 city, 26 highway. The only part that I changed was the air filter. I replaced it with a K&N air filter ($40), this is a MUST HAVE since cars from the manufactur come with basic parts. The filter improved my overall gas mileage and added a few more horses thus a bit more torque.

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  Great Car for the Buck! - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By Dwayne G. - December 7 - 10:00 am

  Overall, great car so far and from all Ive read (which is a lot) it should be for a long time. I have the 1.8L 4cyl which is the one I wanted because of the great fuel economy, but it could stand to be a little more peppy. With the rear spoiler, fog lights and alloy rims package, which I got, this car looks really good for a sedan, kind of like a small Maxima. The Stereo/CD system sounds great.