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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  2009 Maxima SV is the Real Deal - 2009 Nissan Maxima
  By qstarweb - August 8 - 8:06 am

  Mine is the SV model with sport package. It lives up to the hype and then some, its a truly great 4 door sport car and it drives as well as an Infiniti. The acceleration from the 290 HP version of the award-winning VQ V6 engine is great. In most situations the car handles like its on rails. Its just fun to drive, youll make excuses to go somewhere because you want to drive this car. The styling is well done too, it just looks great. Especially in black. Lexus and Acura cant touch this for the combination of performance, features, and price. This is a bargain for all the car youre getting compared to an Acura TL S Type or a loaded Lexus IS 350.

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  Good for money but a couple of glitches - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By B- Rad - August 8 - 7:00 am

  Overall, the Nissan Versa CVT Hatchback is a good little car. It looks little but actually has a whole lot of room inside. My friend is 610 and has no problem riding shotgun because of the immense headroom provided in the design. The car does not get the posted gas mileage driving in the New York City area - which is mostly traffic congested highways and stop and go streets. I clocked every time I had to fill up for 12 months to find that the car on my average gets 25 miles to the gallon. I was surprised that my ex-car, a Nissan Sentra 1997 stick shift, got at least 35 miles to a gallon - way better. I also had glitches with the interior panel that always seemed to pop up and stay up.

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  1500 miles and counting - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By Alex B - August 8 - 2:36 am

  I went with the 2.5 engine with the SL package. The Bose system is nice, but with low bass, the resonance is fairly bad and it sounded like something was loose in the right rear when going over decent sized bumps in the road. The dealership had it for 7 days and couldnt find the issue. A new car shouldnt have that kind of a problem. The performance of the 4 banger is quite good and Ive average 27mpg overall. Ive found the leather seats to be quite comfortable. The car is quiet in the cabin at highway speeds and fairly smooth riding as well, while remaining sporty for the price you pay. My only complaint is the noise from the back.

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  I Like It - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By pcs - August 7 - 6:06 pm

  I love my truck, but want to be honest in my review. Complaints are 1.) The front seats cant be lowered enough for someone my height (62"). I am looking through the blue tint at the top of the windshield at everything above the horizon. 2.) When you go over bumpy road at highway speeds the truck is all over the road. White-knuckles on the steering wheel. 3.) The knobs for the a/c controls couldnt feel any cheaper. It feels like they are about to break off every time I touch them. 4.) Looking at the other reviews, how can anyone give it a 10 for fuel economy? Im getting about 14.2 mpg.

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  Great truck - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By gene - August 7 - 5:26 pm

  Checked out Frontier, Tacoma and Ranger. I wanted a 2 wheel drive and really disliked the Tacoma 2 wheel drive appearance. I had owned two Rangers and felt, after the drive, that the Frontier was the most bang for the buck. I have not been disappointed.

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  Know what you are buying. - 2011 Nissan Juke
  By tomcat20 - August 7 - 1:41 pm

  I bought this car for my wife. She hates car buying and leaves that decision to me. Now, that doesnt get me off the hook; if I bought her a lemon, Id surely pay. After reading all the various comments regarding space, lighting, arm rest and storage I wonder if those people actual sat or drove the car before buying it. Fuel economy is good...yes good but only if you drive in 2wd on ECO mode. But with just under 180hp, youre likely to want to go fast. Remember fast = more gas. I wasnt impressed with the interior and the dash is rather basic. The ride is tight and the CVT struggles. But thats it. The car is a joy to drive. Once you get use to the CVT, it can be a lot of fun.

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  bad experience 01 S - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By Ryan - August 7 - 12:13 pm

  I originally purchased the car because I liked the style and supposed reputation of Nissan. My car had only 19000 miles and looked in mint condition. It was an off leased vehicle from a Nissan employee, at least that is what I was told. It was purchased from a Nissan dealer thinking they would stand behind their own product. As soon as I got it home, it started smoking white exhaust.Without going into all the boring details I finally got a new short block from the dealer, but not without threatening to sue them. Neither my dealer nor Nissan treated me with any respect and will never purchase another Nissan product, especially from Ft Wayne Nissan. Will go back to a reliable brand Toyota.

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  Great car - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By gwjensen - August 7 - 10:00 am

  2000 Maxima GXE, 39,000 miles. Just replaced the stock tires. Could have gotten another 10 - 15k if I had rotated them more frequently. Had the alignment checked - didnt need it. Just had the brakes checked. Mechanic told me I have another 20 - 30k left on the pads. Havent done anything else other than routine maintenence. I still love driving this car. It drives like new - very tight,no squeeks or rattles. Lots of power and acceleration at all speeds, super smooth automatic transmission, Excellent performance and handling, totally reliable and good fuel economy.

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  Would I Buy It Again? - 1998 Nissan Frontier
  By 49er - August 7 - 10:00 am

  My 1998 Frontier has been a very reliable truck considering that the nearest Nissan dealer is 87 miles away and that I have never had to tow it in! The Nissan pastic decal on the tailgate has refused to stay on after two trys at dealership gluing. I finally had them take it off and buff the paint under it (at my expense!). The radio light is starting to go on and off. I have yet to take it off- road, but its nice to know the four- wheel is there, especially in Montana! Make sure that you have a person in the know wire yours for a trailer! I feel that I got my moneys worth. Not real great gas mileage - but better than a V-8.

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  Good but doesnt quite make it - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By DHG - August 7 - 10:00 am

  The good stuff; powerful engine, good automatic, lots of luxo type features for just slightly an econobox price. Now the real stuff; problems with front end since day one. Selling dealer replaced front struts at approx. 25k, also needed new tires at same time. Didnt fix the problem. Different dealer replaced engine mounts at 30k, better but still rough and bumpy. Just put third set of struts on from private mechanic. Needs stableizer bushings. Cant believe Nissan didnt make a valet type lock/key system for their flagship car, and what about having to manually turn off headlights? What is the cost difference between a buzzer and a time delay switch?