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 and fun to drive - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Marie - June 22 - 5:40 am

  I really love this SUV, it is great in the snow and looks stylish as well. I have never had one problem since I bought it, the only thing we had to do was replace the tires and get the usual maintenance.

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  Bad Experience - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By BAD Experience - June 21 - 8:50 pm

  I am sorry to say, Our family looked for a crossover vehicle for a while then we found the Rogue the gas mileage was the selling point along with the looks and supposedly the reliability(Not So!) We owned the vehile less than a year traded the vehicle at 16,000 at this time we had already had two transmissions and was in need of the third NO one could explain if there would ever be a fix. I was concerned for the safety of my family so I tried working with the dealer and with Nissan all you get is political answers no one wanted to take the blame for selling a vehicle that did not perform to the standards that the dealer sold it at or would Nissan communicate there concern of there customer

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  My Nissan - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Anne - June 21 - 7:46 pm

  I have owned my car since February, 2005. I decided to purchase a Nissan after having it as a rental after a car accident. I tried other vehicles, and despite some - what I consider minor - issues, like noise, the quality of the car including size and overall performance and presentation was the best I found.

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  Amazing SUV - 2006 Nissan Xterra
  By Xowner - June 21 - 9:03 am

  I have had my X for awhile and I love it. It is very comfortable, fast, smooth, and quiet. It drives well at 85mph on the freeway, and can handle some rough stuff as well. The Rockford Fosgate stereo is as good as they get. The seats are very comfy, and the rear seat is high, so my 3 year old can look around very easily. Overall, I am impressed by the features and quality for the price.

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  Loaded 2.5 SL w/navigation and bluetooth - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By AltimaOwner - June 21 - 7:33 am

  Great ride, smooth acceleration, the CVT is awesome. Very comfortable drivers seat, power lumbar support is a nice feature. Ive owned a Toyota Camry and Honda Accord - both are great cars - but this Altima is a great combination of both a sporty drive and great gas mileage, and a slightly better price than Toyota or Honda. I hope it holds up as well as my Toyotas and Hondas.

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  Wonderful to own, great to drive - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Ellis G. Sr. - June 20 - 7:40 pm

  I really cant say anything negative about this vehicle. It is truly a sport coupe. Dont buy this car if you are not interested in a sport car but just like the looks. It has a very sporty ride (sport tuned suspension) and rides like its on rails, superb handling. Acceleration is excellent and the CVT (continuously variable transmission) shifts seamlessly when in drive mode. You can manually shift it as well. My wife and I call it a baby Z. It is a really fun car to drive and I would highly recommend it as an affordable sport car that can hold its own.

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  Frontier - 4th of July fireworks.. - 2006 Nissan Frontier
  By JS - June 20 - 6:00 pm

  Just bought it this last week and love it. It has a lot of get up and go. Very roomy for a King cab and feels very tough. It has all the features I wanted and it didnt break the bank. I compared the Toy and GMC and was not impressed with the option packs or the add on pricing for both of them.

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  Truck Stinks - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By Kevin - June 20 - 5:30 pm

  I have had nothing but trouble with this horrible vehicle. It has been in service on average every two months costing me lots of money. The latest issue was a short in the wiring harness causing all of the back light to go out. $2.52 for the part and $152 in labor. This truck also had the fuel gauge issue costing me $474 to repair one year ago. Now that there is a recall Nissan has the gall to tell me that my vin falls outside of the range. What kind of double talk is that. There have been so many issues that there is not enough space to write them all. Stay away from Nissan. Bad news!!!

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  Dissapointing new car - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By Alan Magnes - June 20 - 4:13 pm

  I bought 1.6 versa without air conditioning or radio. After purchase I find out that there is no kit to add air conditioning. I dont know about the 1.8 versa but this 5 speed has the engine turning at 3000 rpm at 60mph,sounds like it is ready to blow up at highway speed. I am very dissapointed overall and will get rid of this thing before the warm weather.

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  LOVE the Maxima - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By sdemsully - June 20 - 10:00 am

  This car is even better than the advertised "4 door body, 2 door soul" that Nissan previously advertised it as. So much fun to drive, it almost sucks to arrive at your destination. Great juice off the line, and even stronger passing power on the highway (and believe me, Ive tested that numerous times!). Bottom line: this car will not disappoint.