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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  my toy - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By Art Bonnell - November 19 - 6:53 pm

  Have only driven 3400 miles since purchase. car was purchased in north carolina and delivered to jay peak vermont . have made arrangeements with freedom nissan of burlington vermont for service just completed first service 3500 miles. they were very receptive even though i did not purchase the car through them they have notified me of two recalls and are in the process of completing them . fantastic service.

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  Excellent Japanese Sedan - 1998 Nissan Altima
  By Mamba - November 19 - 10:00 am

  My first Nissan, this car is of exceptional quality. I often go over the scheduled oil change mileage and I have not spent 1 cent on the car other than gas and oil changes. Nothing is coming apart, and I am impressed with the strength of that big 4cyl. I would recommend this car to any one who wanta quality and an extremely good value when buying used. With this car fully loaded my friends often think they are in a BMW. Anyways, you cant go wrong with this car unless you value true handling and nimble performance which it lack, due to a feeling of unconnectedness with the road.

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  2 thumbs up! - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By TP - November 19 - 10:00 am

  I was intent to get a 03 alty, but the interior material still fail to par. SOOO Happy with the purchase! more luxury, great performance, classy look. Never thought that I need so much power out of a car, but once you need it, you know its there! The rear seat is smaller than Alty(Max is higher), but the only thing at the back is the baby car seat. Climite control, 6 CDchager, Bose, leather seat, steering wheel control, trip computer, HID, all standard for less than 30k! CANT BEAT IT!! Best bang for the buck in the category!! I had rear window TSB fixed but the wind/road noise still coming from door seal and roof, should have better insulation on this car.

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  Number 1 - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By L - November 19 - 10:00 am

  Number 1, Thats all I have to say. It is the best sedan out there, no question

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  Nissan Fan Turned Sour on Quality - 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
  By jk2013 - November 19 - 3:27 am

  "I was a big fan of the Nissan product having owned a 2010 maxima, I was very disappointed in the quality of the 2013 Pathfinder. Within the first month I have had front headlight burn out, leaking windows, Parking sensor warning lights and more importantly transmission issues with the newly designed CVT, producing rumbling noises and providing sluggish performance/delays at low to mid city driving speeds. Dealer will not take the SUV back as they claim that it would be considered a defective product and could not sell it. Kind of funny as Nissan had no issue selling me a defective product in the first place. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND NOT PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE...AT LEAST 2013 YEAR!

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  Lemon Car - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Jodi - November 19 - 3:26 am

  Brought car 11 months ago, has left me stranded twice & towed in. In shop at least once a month. No motor noise when brought car, now motor noise gets louder everyday. Depending on whom you talk to there are a 100 different reasons but nothing to worry about as it is still under warranty (per Leith parts manager). If gets too bad can replace engine if complain enough. Have had to replace fuel tank, fuel lines, fuel cap, repair transimission and fuel pump. Would not buy another Nissan from Leith. The parts department is a nightmare. No two people can agree on what was done to your vehicle or what was wrong with it. Rarely does work report and verbal report agree.

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  Sentra Blues - 2005 Nissan Sentra
  By Jerry Fair - November 18 - 9:16 pm

  I have been a Toyota owner for years and a Toyota mechanic but when I needed a new car I thought I would try my first Nissan. It was a mistake. To compare the design quality of a similar Toyota such as a Corolla to a Sentra is like comparing night and day. Here are some examples. The trunk on a Sentra is much smaller than a Corolla. Additional Sentra problems that Corolla does not have: engine performance-poor. Cruise control is too fast and the trans immediately kicks down. Fuel economy is no where near the 40 MPG other reviews have stated. I get about 28 MPG. Radio sounds bad. CD player is a joke. Who ever designed the cup holder should be bared from auto design for life. I could go on.

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  Automotive engineering at its best - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By John - November 18 - 11:16 am

  Since 1970, have driven or owned almost every Nissan-Datsun product ever built. The 09 Murano is a first for me and tho experience is yet short, this is probably about as good as any driving experience is ever going to get for present industry standards, period. Relentless comparisons and long time experience keeps me coming back to Nissan. Note some who complain about body roll -- those should realize that Nissan could provide perfectly flat cornering, but then a lot of weak or inexperienced drivers would find out (upside down in the ditch), that tires do not stay permanently glued to the pavement. Some body roll lets you know that you are approaching the adhesion limits of your tires.

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  Money Pit - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Valerie - November 18 - 9:36 am

  Beautiful car. Has needed a lot of work biggest complaint: it Burns oil a lot of oil I put oil in it every other day! Oil oil oil! This car should be recalled for the oil problem.

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  Style and power but need improvements - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By style+power+innovati - November 17 - 8:20 pm

  If you dont want to go wrong with a minivan, get the honda. If you want absolute versatility and value, get the toyota. If you want to drive around town in STYLE and have the PERFORMANCE to boot, the Nissan Quest outdoes everyone. Lots of compliments from strangers on looks. Love the V6-240 vroom as I pull into HWY uphill. Own 1997 grand caravan and 2003 caravan and way too weak for me. Power steering easier on dodges, quest hard to steer when parking. Lots of minor build issues; seat&door recalls, inferior interior plastics, windshield washers trash, heavy wipers, etc...nothing major. Nice innovative dash, not for gramps though; but I love it-great road vision and LCD. Best spacious cargo