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 - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By RONH - October 25 - 1:20 am

  Couldnt find a better deal on a mid- size Suv. Wanted the base model with few options as it had everything I wanted. Negotiated my price on the internet,even my trade in, and the dealer stuck with it,great buying experience.Very happy with my choice after driving it for 3 weeks now.Smooth powerful engine,ride is not comprised for nimble handling,construction seems tight and has good quality materials. Gas mileage is a little better than expected at about 20mpg in around town driving. The exterior styling which I thought was too radical is even begining to grow on me!

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  It just fits me! - 2017 Nissan Altima
  By Laura Goodwin - October 24 - 10:46 pm

  This car just fits me. It feels right. Its comfy, great on gas, sleek styling, great bluetooth and easy to handle. Its the right amount of ooh factor while still being a smart financial choice. I leased a 2014 SV model and loved it. I bought this SL because I knew I would continue to love it after 3 years.

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  It just fits me! - 2017 Nissan Altima
  By Laura Goodwin - October 24 - 10:46 pm

  This car just fits me. It feels right. Its comfy, great on gas, sleek styling, great bluetooth and easy to handle. Its the right amount of ooh factor while still being a smart financial choice. I leased a 2014 SV model and loved it. I bought this SL because I knew I would continue to love it after 3 years.

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  30 MPG town and 35-36 MPG Highway (under 75mph) - 2012 Nissan Sentra
  By fburns - October 24 - 7:01 am

  Great car, clean, a little to high of a coefficient of drag. Wife and I hypermill and can get the CVT to get us 30 MPG town and 35-36 MPG Highway (under 75 mph). If you drive like a 16 year old boy in heat, the CVT will keep you in the power band and use up a lot of gas, its true. If you drive smartly, it serves you well. Great handling/excellent lateral g for a car of its class (2.0 S model). Look, standing acceleration from stop (0-60mph) is poor; however, passing acceleration (60-80mph) cant be beat since it has high torque and the CVT revs it to 6500RPM. If you really need to get going, put it in Low until you reach 30mph, it will improve the start 0-60, but not usually recommended.

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  Great Performer - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By MitchieRay - October 24 - 6:46 am

  Bought car new in 05, SE model. 5 sp. Auto-completely loaded. 4 Yrs later now I have 50k miles. Right off the top I have to say the acceleration is very impressive-WOW! Starts strong off the line and keeps pulling & pulling & pulling. Great Torque, & little torque steer. A couple things though. I have the sun roof in it and it developed some squeaks after about 4 mos; took into the dealer 4X, they never could figure it out. They thought it was the headliner and installed a new one but still has the squeaks, I am certain its the sunroof. Finally gave up on that. Has 18" wheels, handles wonderful, All power equipment still working fine. Has developed a couple other squeaks-annoying.

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  Awesome Power - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By crazzzycanuck - October 24 - 4:36 am

  Ive owned many trucks over the years, and this 2006 Nissan Frontier 4WD is by far the best yet! Power, body style, reliability and toughness make it one truck Ill be using for a long time.

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  this is the car - 2009 Nissan GT-R
  By g4real - October 22 - 11:16 pm

  As of this time, I put in 5,800 miles on this car & all I can say is its worth every penny. Style of this car & the limited delivery from japan is a advantage for the consumer. a lot of head turning is going to happen once you owe this gtr. performance, cant complain. it has the power and speed that every man would want to have on a sports car. traded my sl55 amg for this & it was worth. only down side is rough & bouncy suspension. But other than that its perfect. I wish they had a manual. Never used the launch control since it scares me already having this fast of a vehicle. took it to vegas & ran up to 160mph without a problem. i will give the gtr a 9/10 rating.

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  2008 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab SE - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By wlong336 - October 22 - 5:50 pm

  When I decided that it was time to buy a truck I narrowed my choices down to the Tacoma, Dakota, and the Frontier. I quickly decided that the Tacoma was out of my price range, so that left the Dakota and the Frontier. When you put these two trucks side by side there is no comparison the Frontier wins by a knockout. Its bigger, more powerful and comes with way more features for a smaller price tag. I love this truck, its is fun to drive, looks great with the chrome grill and bumpers unlike the cheap grey plastic bumpers of similarly priced Dakotas. Also, there may only be 23 reviews on this site for the Frontier but every one is good. That has to say something!

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  best truck i ever owned so far - 2009 Nissan Titan
  By kevin - October 22 - 3:43 pm

  I have had this truck since feb o9 and has 11,000 miles on it. Awesome truck ! The ride is great the power is phenomenal. Gas mileage is decent but could be better, but Nissan hit it great when they built the pro 4x and why did they quit making it? I may eat these words later but as of now no one can come close to this truck! Used to be a Chevy man but not anymore..

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  Great Workhorse! Fuel Efficient! - 1997 Nissan Sentra
  By Raj - October 21 - 2:53 pm

  Ive been the original owner of this impressive & amazingly reliable car. Its taken me through school, camping, and long road trips accumulating 232,000 miles. Apart from the routine tires, battery, and brakepads Ive only had to replace the alternator & starter within the last 30,000 miles. That means this baby took me 200,000 miles before I had to do anything more than replace the oil!! Ive outgrown it now and need a truck for the stuff I like to haul around, but I sure wish I could keep it for my routine commutes as the gas mileage is fantastic getting 30-33mpg in city. Nissan did good when they sent this one off the production line.