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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  Needed a truck - 2003 Nissan Frontier
  By Lithonia Brown - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Best bang for the buck.

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  RUNRUNRUN - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By RunLikeCrazy - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I have a 2001 Nissan Altima. It is a beautiful car. That I will admit. There are some issues with the car that is too long for me to go into. Look at other cars like Toyota or Honda before purchasing your Altima. If you really need a Nissan, I suggest the Sentra.

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  2001 GXE Limited Edition - 2001 Nissan Altima
  By JWR - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Comfortable car to drive. Rear suspension problems. Replaced the bushings on the rear sway bar twice. Just replaced a defective speed regulator on the driver side power window. Service department at the local dealer is very poor when it comes to customer service.

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  Worth Buying? - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By jstitan2000 - September 20 - 2:00 am

  This is almost everything you would need in a pickup truck. If you change to S/C pulley to a slightly smaller one you could achieve the pathfinder horsepower of 240. Then truely would this be a S/C truck thats fun to drive. I cant complain about anything else except the fuel mileage. In town you get 15 mpg. Pretty bad! All in all this is a great truck and 10,000 less than a full size with a kickass stereo.

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  New Murano --- - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Ted Fox - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Inspite of Nissans need to take marketing lessons from Kia, I purchased this Murano for its uniqueness of styling in the market. Quality and features seems fantastic to this point. Room GALORE! 5 people in total comfort. No complaints to date. Only frustration was lack of info from Nissan. I had no idea what colors/features were available...and dealers were getting shipments! Brochures not yet out. Thank God for Edmunds!

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  A Winner for Nissan - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By AlphaPrym - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Totally worth the money .. Nissan did it right this time .. actually a better buy for the money than the Maxima.

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  Leaves Honda, etc. in the dust - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By Scott from Ogden - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Not a single problem.

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  Great car, great price - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Altimately_Happy - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Bought the 03 Altima in September, and Ive been enjoying it ever since. I considered the 3.5, but frankly, with Chicago traffic the way it is, I just couldnt see spending the money when Ill barely even get to play fully with the full capability of the 2.5. Even at that, the 2.5 has plenty of getup and go. Cant say as I was impressed with the sales staff, but I went in armed with Edmunds, Consumer Reports, and Kelly Blue Books pricing lists, so there was no doubt as to the accuracy of my numbers.

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  It Gets No Better Than This! - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Kendawg - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased my Altima on the 1st of December and I simply love it to death. It drives superb and hands very good handling on the highway and the interior is simply awesome. I traded in a 2000 Nissan Altima to get this new baby. Its simply "Nissan or Nothing!" This is the best quality midsize car on the market now.

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  Great Truck, loads of power, bad brakes. - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By DVanEpps - September 19 - 7:36 pm

  This is one great truck. Tons of power, hauls great too. Gas mileage is to be expected from such a powerful engine. Interior is comfortable, and the LE has everything you could want in a truck. The bed is by far the best I have owned, the factory bedliner and the rail lock system is unique. The only complaint is the brakes. The front brakes went bad at about 10,000 miles, and then again 5,000 miles later. Nissan dealer says they know they are not heavy enough to stop such a powerful truck and they are working on replacements though.