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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  Manual clutch problems - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By Mike - March 19 - 12:30 pm

  Clutch burns out after only 10,000 miles. Nissan disclaims all responsibility and will not cover under warranty. Dealership unwilling to help.

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  Plain-Jane car, bad handling, overpriced - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By Josh - March 19 - 3:53 am

  Bought this in December 2006. Nothing special, no power windows or seats. No cruise, no ABS, no AC, wipers have 3 settings, too slow, too fast and use only in a monsoon fast. Car is squirrley on the freeway, extremely noisy, but Ive gotten almost 40MPG on roadtrips doing 70MPH. If you do not turn on the power and let it set and beep a few times before turning the engine it stalls or has a hard start. Runs great on regular oil. Interior is very cheap. cupholders are useless and cups can interfere with manual shift knob. Drivers door has always had a tiny and occasional leak.

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  Death Trap - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Guardian - March 17 - 11:20 am

  Its been back to the dealer too many times, have owned the car around a month - what a headache! Twice today the passenger airbag light turned off with the passenger seated with seatbelt on. Whatever car youre getting, check out the NHTSA website for safety complaints. Its a bumpy ride, I guess the price you pay for more performance. The CVT is good, as is the low end torque. Attention to detail and quality are a couple of levels below Camry & Honda.

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  Am I the only one?? - 1996 Nissan Sentra
  By dprentiss - March 17 - 12:06 am

  Ive had my sentra 6 years. I am the second owner of this "piggy bank". It seems everytime I think Ive fixed a problem, another shows up. Paint on bumpers has peeled off, a/c and power options dont work!!!! gets mighty hot in FL!! So far replaced distributor 3 months after purchase, replaced engine last year, alternator 3 times, cv joints and the headliner just last month, along with all the "normal wear and tear" - brakes, tires etc. This car has 165,000 miles.. so I guess I cant complain too much.. Good first car... but would expect more from a Nissan in the future.. I could have bought 2 cars for the amount of money Ive put into this one!!!!

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  another failed nissian - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By Brenda - March 13 - 12:10 am

  just got it a month ago today..and already having problems w/ it. we returned a murano because of all the problems w/ that. and once again back to the shop. powersteering is completely gone and the steering wheel is making a clicking noise at not even 2000 miles.

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  ol trusty - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By daless - March 8 - 8:03 pm

  Bought this baby new in Sept 01. Other then couple of small issues, this thing is tough an reliable. Put off- road tires on and now ok in snow and mud-the General OEM tires sucked for traction. I have 120,000 on it now and definitely think I will get to 200,000.

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  I traded my Jetta for this?????????? - 2002 Nissan Sentra
  By wolfsburg1998 - March 8 - 2:00 am

  I traded my 98 wolfsburg for this vehicle for more power at decent price. I couldnt believe no one mentioned premium gas. My salesman filled it for me and I bet he put in 87. Even with the right gas, the mileage is poor at best. I do like the kick and the front end styling. Had to get the sunroof, which is nice. Hit the gas from dead stop and you might as well just get out and puncture your tires. It is nice vehicle, but nothing special. I wouldnt recommend.

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  2008 nissan sentra one year mark - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By jjmcc323 - March 7 - 6:56 pm

  Have had car for one year, mpg when new was 28 now a year later is 37 mpg long highway trip to work, car is no frills boring to drive, runs great no issues plan to buy it when lease is up, only complaint is rear defogger not up to par, also had someone hit my bumper at 3 mph bill was 1800.00 to fix that is not right for such a small hit.

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  Great performance but terrible comfort - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Chris - March 7 - 3:51 pm

  My 2008 Nissan Altima 2.5s has a great engine and transmission compared to the Hondas, Hyundais and even Chevrolets that I have owned. Nissan really has it down when it comes to their drive trains but I have never had front seats on any vehicle that I have ever owned, including my 1956 Chevrolet pickup, that were as uncomfortable as my Altima seats are. After less than one hour of driving my rear end is more sore than it would be if I was riding my mountain bike. The seats look good but they are so stiff and lack any kind of suspension what-so-ever. I havent tried fixing it yet but I think that I am going to try changing the foam cushioning in the seat bottom and see how it affects my bottom. The window controls on the drivers side are also poorly positioned. They are so far back on the door that I cant reach them without contorting my left arm to a crazy vertical position. Ive found it easier to reach across my body with my right arm to hit the switches. The controls were ergonomically positioned for someone with very short arms. Besides the uncomfortable front seats and the placement of the window controls I really like the car. I get about 28 mpg around town and 37 mpg on the highway, it has great brakes and handles good for a midsize sedan. I would recommend the purchase of an Altima except for the granite front seats and the position of the window controls.

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  Be careful Cheap Materials... - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Dan - March 6 - 2:23 am

  and poor suspension. I had to go back to the dealer twice already. Once for the plastic material on the roof rack falling off and once for the rattling I get in the front driving it. Nissan service is horrible to boot. So beware, I thought they were suppose to be up there in quality, I would put them on the Ford level.