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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  Great vehicle - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By BV2U - September 2 - 2:00 am

  Traded in a luxury SUV and havent missed it one bit. I love my Murano! Havent had a single issue with it in these first several months. Am continually pleasantly surprised with its performance.

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  Toyota owner impressed by Quest - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Tina from Texas - September 2 - 2:00 am

  As the owner of two Toyotas during the past 13 years I was pretty sure Id end up with the 04 Sienna when it was time to get a minivan. I tested the Honda, Toyota, and the Nissan minivans all on the same day under the same driving conditions. The Honda was okay on performance, but seriously lacking in style and comfort. The Toyota had nice styling and was very comfortable, but didnt have great acceleration or power. The Nissan has all of the above! I decided on the Quest and have been very pleased. (Other minivan drivers have been checking out my stylin new ride!)

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  Murano Fan - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By katsfan - September 2 - 2:00 am

  Looking for SUV with comfort and convenience, and found it. Overall the best buy for the money. Explorer, Trailblazer, and Jeep doesnt compare to the smooth ride of the murano. About 20 miles per gallon also helps.

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  Made the right choice - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By tn driver - September 2 - 2:00 am

  Spent 4 months researching SUVs. Read customer complaints from major car related web-sites. Kept coming back to the Murano. Best choice I could have made. Since my favorite cars had been my 280Z,kept 10 yrs; Infiniti J30,kept 9 yrs,I wasnt sure if I would be giving up too much of the fun by purchasing an SUV. Wrong. The car flys and stays on the ground. Not one regret. Put the car to an early test during a recent snow/ice storm. Maneuvered up a winding mountain road without the slightest problem. The AWD paid for itself right there. Have been getting 22 to 23 hwy mpg and 18-19 city.

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  OldFordGuy - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By OldFordGuy - September 2 - 2:00 am

  I Have only had my Crew Cab 4x4 Titan for a few days and love it. Have been a Ford guy my whole life. This changes everything. Very powerful. Sharp style. Fit and finish is above all others. An interior that looks like someone was actually thinking when they designed it. Thus far I am overjoyed. And I payed 2500 under list. That seems to be the best deal ive seen yet on one of them. I also have the DVD and Rockford Fosgate package. I enjoy them but find them to be quite over priced. Other than that, great truck.

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  Yes it really does get bad mileage - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By bert_home - September 1 - 4:04 am

  From reading the forums and having personal experience, some Jukes get really bad mileage. Im looking at about 18mpg around town in FWD mode. It does really well on the freeway (27+). Its NOT the driving habits, tires, AC or any of the other usual suspects that cause poor mileage. The Nissan dealers dont know how to address the problem. The recent fuel leak fix does NOT fix the problem and may have made it worse or my car. The car is a blast to drive though but 18 mpg is very hard to live with.

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  Glad I rented before buying one. - 2016 Nissan Altima
  By Deric - September 1 - 1:51 am

  This may be a ok car for short daily drives. For a start, it is lacking off the line. Huge hesitation. Not expecting to smoke tires but more than a kind of "Ok Im going." But we did get good fuel mileage at about 35mpg. Back to the major negative, This is not a car for long trips. Took it for a 12hr vacation trip and was miserable. The drive train and road noise is terrible. At average of 70mph there is way too much noise. The radio as to be turned up so loud to enjoy it that when slowing down to pay tolls you felt like your blasted out of the car. This is with the speed volume controls turned on. Not only that but the car jumps and jitters at every bump. So much so that you can hear every loose piece in the interior rattle. The the seats are not comfortable as my back was sore after one way. My passengers in the back were not anymore comfortable. Only thing good was at least there was good interior space. The headrest is absolutely useless. Its hardness and angle are not useful. I was half tempted to pull the thing off. I was worried if I was in an accident that I would suffer from a neck injury just from my head hitting the headrest. Now I all fairness, I know I wasnt driving the top of the line version of the car. So I cant expect all the luxury in the world. But a base model should create excitement to want to upgrade to get more from the car. What this base felt like is punishment for going base. I dont want to feel like I have to spend the extra to have a decent car. I want to start with a decent car and then want to upgrade to make it better. This is not a car I would buy just to see if it is worth the extra money.

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  wow a frontier - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By dwhatl30 - September 1 - 1:43 am

  plenty of power handles great and look wonderful is great for hauling light and medium loads with ease

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  Biggest regret - 2014 Nissan Altima
  By C. M. P. - September 1 - 1:27 am

  I purchased a 2014 Altima SL fully loaded brand new. My family has always driven Nissans and never had any outlandish problems with them. Within the first year i had issues with the fog lamps loosening therefore not functioning, the infotainment system rebooting while in use, drivers seat would slide back and forward at take off and when braking, a recall on the hood latch and a recall on the airbag sensors causing the car to think no one was in the passenger seat and turning off the passenger side airbags. Second year, A/C compressor was replaced and transmission completely failed on me and was replaced (under warranty, thank god). Im approaching the end of the second year and the transmission may need replacing again. Electrical system is complete crud. And headlights flicker when i drive over the slightest bump. All lamps are loose. I especially regret paying an additional $1000 for the infotainment system because it often doesnt recognize that my phone is connected so i cant play my music or speak on the phone over the speakers. Rear view camera is great when im backing into parking spaces but it tends to glitch like a television using an antenna in the middle of a hurricane. Also, compared to the rear view camera in a 2009 Maxima, the picture quality is bad and almost useless after sundown. The 09 Maxima was very clear and vibrant in color both night and day. The rear view camera is used to determine whether there is someone in your blind spot and i can honestly say that it was wrong 40% of the time. It is also used to determine whether youre too close to the center lines so that it can alert you. This feature is called "Lane Departure Warning" and often didnt work either. A minor complaint would be that any time i have a passenger get out of the car, they have a hard time shutting the door on the first try. You practically have to slam them shut. The horn is weak, sucks if youre a honker like me haha. Navigation system always had a false ETA. For example, last night my ETA was 12:26 but the time was 12:53. Plus the navigation update is over $200+ just fyi. So if you live in a constantly developing area, like myself, the Navigation isnt going to recognize any of the new streets. Not going to drop $200+ every time a new business is put up. Im actually currently looking to buy a 10 year old Acura.

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  SAFE SUV THANKS NISSAN - 2010 Nissan Murano
  By sal - August 31 - 7:43 pm

  1/7/10 purchased a 2010 sl loaded smooth riding,nice sound system,very comfortable good mileage a very safe vehicle my family and i were making a left turn in brooklyn another vehicle hit the quarter panel at 50 mph pinned us against a steel light post. my beautiful car was totaled but we made it alive. thank you nissan for building such a safe car. well we are in process of getting another,and at a lower price wow thanks to nissan were all still here