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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  Hold for the long run - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By ssnell - November 10 - 10:00 am

  This car has 139000 miles now and expect to hold for 200000+. Engine and trans ultra smooth, almost good as new; zip is still remarkable as described by all. Brakes have cost me a small fortune. Getting some body rust. Car is great on long trips, comfortable. Interior has held up flawlessly. Car has smacked 3 deer but recovered from all. Still great fun to drive.

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  Enthusiast Silver 2003 edition - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By georgyo - November 10 - 10:00 am

  This is my second Nissan, Overall, it is a great sports car, gets a lot of attention driving and performs well. Had the OEM battery replaced already after 1 year since it had a bad cell and would not start. The interior plastic feels kind of hollow in center console. It is very hard to see rear objects for sure while backing up. It is rather easy to update Audio\Video components in this car!

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  Engine Problems - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Sheila Whitley - November 10 - 10:00 am

  I love everything about the van except several engine noises. When the air conditioner is on, there is an annoying sound. When I accelerate, there is a cricket sound that lasts about 15 - 20 seconds. It makes this sound at any speed when accelerating once youve leveled off. There is also a motor noise when I am going up an incline and between 65 -70 mph. If I stay exactly below or above, you cannot hear it. When going up the incline you can acutally feel a vibration. Everyone who rides with me wants to know what is wrong with my car. The noise is very annoying when traveling long distances. What is going on? Oh yea, gas mileage not as great as I thought it would be.

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  Not children friendly. - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Not child friendly - November 10 - 10:00 am

  Overall great car with some costly quirks in the design. Superb engine and great style to go with. Riding comfort is excellent. Needs some maintenance though. Some design goof ups include giving children access to some fragile things.

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  BLACK BEAUTY - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By blackmorpheus - November 10 - 10:00 am

  I LOVE MY MAX..THIS IS MY THIRD ONE SO I FEEL I CAN SPEAK ON THE MAXIMA. I LOVE THE HORSE POWER AND THE BIG 18" WHEELS. I FEEL LIKE I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT ON THE ROAD AND MY MAX WILL TAKE CARE OF ME. I THINK THE DESIGN TEAM DID A REALLY GOOD JOB WITH THIS ONE. I ALSO FEEL THAT ITS COMPARABLE WITH THE INFINITIS G-35 SEDAN AND BIGGER. TRUELY A HEAD TURNER AND FUN TO DRIVE. I LOVE THIS CAR. A TRUE MAXIMA OWNER FROM THE PAST WILL APPRECIATE WHAT NISSAN HAS DONE FOR THE 2004 MODEL AND IM SURE OTHER BUYERS WHO NEVER HAD THE PLEASURE OF OWNING A MAX WILL AS WELL. I THINK NISSAN HAS THE BEST LOOKING CARS ON THE ROAD RIGHT NOW AND THEY DONT LOOK LIKE ANY OTHER MAKE AND MODELS. MAXIMA IS KING.

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  Best Car for the Money - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By NC Girl - November 10 - 10:00 am

  I love my 350 Z! My first car was a 300ZX and it was awesome but the 350 Z is that and more. Its beautiful, fast, fun to drive, and gets decent gas mileage. I am an attractive female but this car makes me lot even better. Every week someone stops and ask me "What kind of car is that?" Who knows this car might even get me a date or two. Overall, you get a lot more car for your money compared to other cars in the Zs class! Zoom! Zoom!

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  I want my 95 back - 1997 Nissan Maxima
  By Sam - November 10 - 5:56 am

  I totaled a 1995 Maxima GLE, so I decided to step up to a 97 SE. Over the last 6 months I have had over $1500 in repairs, granted it has never left me stranded, but that is what I spent on my 95 over the course of 1.5 years and it had 70,000 more miles on it. Also since my 95 was much less expensive, plenty of money was left over for aftermarket performance parts. Do yourself a favor and find a higher mileage that has had all the common problems fixed and use the money saved to increase performance.

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  Never Again Nissan! - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Connie Winstead - November 10 - 4:10 am

  Worst auto purchase I ever made. Hate the wide turn radius, the low profile tires dont last and provide a bumpy ride. Numerous expensive repairs, most recently the transmission went out, started slipping out of gear, jerking, reving up unexpectedly. Cost to repair $4,000 and Nissan wont do anything to help because it is 6,000 miles out of warranty, although there have been numerous problems with these Maxima transmissions. This car cost over $30,000 but now is only worth $8,000 at best.Poor gas mileage also. Body dents very easily. Bose stereo doesnt stay tuned.

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  Absolutely smooth driving - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By BBB1 - November 9 - 5:23 pm

  I fell in love with the murano when I sure them being driven on the street. The murano has such a slick style to it. I love driving my car and just being in it. The interior is subtle and comfortable. My merlot nissan murano is just a gorgeous car. Also the murano is not a gas guzzler.

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  Great car for tall men - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By John - November 9 - 3:23 pm

  I am 63" tall. I was looking for a small, fuel efficient, reliable car that was as comfortable as possible. I tried Hondas, Toyotas, Hyundais, Fords, Cheveys, Susukis and Nissans. Of all, the Nissan Versa was by far the most comfortable-lots of legroom, headroom, backseat room, a quiet interior and comfortable front and back seats. It also sits higher off the ground so when you get out of the car you dont have to hold onto the edges of the door frame to pull yourself up and out of the car - something that gets real old after a few days. And Consumer Reports gave most of the cars components a "Well Above Average" rating for durability. Plus the most inexpensive and great mileage!