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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  2016 Rogue SL AWD - 2016 Nissan Rogue
  By Sundar - November 13 - 1:33 am

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  Perfect Upgrade - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By drumbob - November 12 - 10:06 pm

  Went from a 2001 Nissan Frontier SE DR to the 2005 CC Nismo. Its a great ride and my gas mileage is better. Even though its a Nismo Off Road it still rides better than my old 2001. Plenty of power if I need it. Can take it on a road trip and really enjoy the ride. Dont plan on much off roading but it may help here in the mountains in the winter.

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  Couldnt be happier! - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Heather12 - November 12 - 4:00 pm

  My husband and I originally shopped the Altima Coupe, but eventually let practicality win the day, and went with the sedan. We havent regretted it for a moment. I have always been a die-hard American girl, and hated sedans with a passion. Until this car. With the exception of rear visibility being a little difficult, I dont even know I am driving a sedan. The handling of this car is amazing, and the CVT is my new best friend. The 3.5 SL has everything we looked for in other cars, and then some, and you cant beat the price. It has more power than I will ever need, and makes driving this car a joy. The IntelliKey system, with the push-button start, is pure genius!

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  so far, so good - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By maas - November 12 - 2:00 am

  I had a 95 Nissan pickup that never did me wrong, but it was time to get something newer. I decided to stick with Nissan due to my past experience. I love this truck, but I keep hearing about people having problems with them and that scares me. One thing I can say is that the A/C makes some strange noises that I fear will mean problems in the future. Also, my clutch pedal squeaks. Gas mileage stinks big time. Overall, I think its great, but Im still worried that it will end up having some problems .

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  Nissa does not care about CUSTOMER SAFETY! - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Bill Fitzgerald - November 11 - 9:11 pm

  2 years ago my passenger side front wheel fell off the wheel support structure. I was traveling 25mph and the car abruptly stopped dead in its tracks, no rolling to a stop or skidding. 10 minutes later I would have been traveling 65mph heading to work & can imagine the potential for damage, injury, loss of life. The repair bill was $388. I contacted Nissan and requested that they reimburse me, after all this is a defect, wheels do not fall off. Nissan declined. In Jan 2016 I received a recall notice from Nissan indicating the the front wheel springs needed to be replaced because they were susceptible to corrosion due to the winter weather in the north east. The corrosion could cause the springs to fail and the wheel would fall off. I had Nissan replace the springs and sent them a letter with the $388 repair bill from 2014. After all, Nissan just admitted that the front wheels could fall off at any time! Nissan declined to pick up the tab for their wheel defect. During my conversation with the Nissan representative, I told them that Nissan does not care about customer safety. Nissans refusal to reimburse me for the wheel structure defect repair enforces the point that Nissan does not care about customer safety. Any company which cared about customer safety would recognize their wheel structure defect and immediately take care of it. How many other unsuspecting Nissan owners are driving around in a vehicle in which the wheel could fall off at any time! Nissan does not care about customer safety!

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  lots of speed and tire noise - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By eyes - November 11 - 1:33 pm

  Great ride with the top down. Plenty of power and still more power available. Holds the road beautifully. The tire noise is a problem. The trunk space is miniscule. The rear view is really miniscule though one does get used to it. Seats are comfortable but cabin is poorly laid out.

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  Great Car - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By george - November 11 - 12:53 pm

  The car feels heavy and solid,and is as fast as a rocket. The sound system is amazing. The design inside and out is exciting and practical. This car is worth the money. Gas mileage is around 26 per gallon. The dashboard is layed out well. Braking is also very good. This is a car that is built to last. Built in the USA.

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  Good, but not great - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Ron R - November 11 - 10:56 am

  I bought this for my daughter to drive in the future, and it has a lot of good things, but as we use it, find a few disappointments. After only three years (just out of warranty) I learn that replacing a taillight costs over $100. Replace or add a key: $200. Scuff marks are hard to remove, there is a lot of plastic. We like the features, although selection was limited, I guess this is common now. It also advertised a little better mileage than I get which is @27 mpg.

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  No more nissans for me! - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By GruchMasta - November 11 - 1:13 am

  this is my hmmm 4th and last nissan - i owned models from 1989 - all sentras - and this one - 2004 -it is driving disaster - everything brakes in it - at 40k-belts - at 55k-water pump - at 35k !!!-clock spring for horn and airbag ! when i research it is on almost half of nissan production -maybe it is time for recall ???- at 65k-charcoal filter release valve ?!?!-fuel were shooting out of the gas tank and rpms were high , now the check engine is on - one of the 02 sensors -i guess..... you dont know what may be tomorrow !!! thankfully didnt stop dead on the road yet but you dont know what will happen in the future ,oh and the paint is so cheap - about 1 year later started to fade...junk !

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  Satisfaction! - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By Richard S - November 10 - 10:16 am

  Bought new in 1999. 135,000 miles to date. Very few problems. Usual maintenance. Have original muffler and brakes. Not the greatest pickup performance and uses more gas due to the cab it carries on back. But cant complain mileage. Have owned Toyota, Mitsubishi and Mazda models. This Nissan has been by far the best!