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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  tinas review - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By tina - January 23 - 7:00 am

  I love, love, love my z its gorgeous and soo much fun to drive it is my third z i think i will always be a z girl..........

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  Love Love Love - 2008 Nissan Maxima
  By Ebony - January 22 - 2:30 pm

  I like Nissan as a brand and wanted something a bit more flasy than a honda or toyota but not quite Lexus or Audi. I graduated college and wanted a upgrade from my 02 Nissan Sentra. I love the butt on this car. From the back it looks so classy. Ride is smooth and goes from 35mph to 70mph without the shift reaction.I notice I can hear the engine a bit but the bose stereo system drowns that out.

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  quality vehicle - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By jason ferguson - January 22 - 5:23 am

  I love my new nissan pathfinder. It has great pick up for an SUV. It also has plenty of room.

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  CVT is great! - 2007 Nissan Murano
  By pavisp - January 22 - 3:14 am

  The CVT gives a smooth and powerful acceleration. Ive never had any problem passing another vehicle quickly. The SE was rated as giving a choppy ride due to the CVT, but I dont feel it that way. Its not obvious at all when the transmission changes gears. We travel alot and have over 65,000 miles on our 2007.

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  Just Fantastic - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By Matt - January 21 - 3:30 pm

  After wearing out my age-old Blazer, I needed a new SUV. Out of all the different makes and models that I tested, the Xterra is the only one that had the total package - great appearance, excellent offroad capability, outstanding acceleration for an SUV, a little attitude, and a very clean interior. I have tie down points all over the interior which is very useful when packing up for a trip. No other smaller SUV looks, feels, or rides as good as this. It has the best roof rack ever- extremely durable, held up perfectly when I slammed my kayak rack into a low-hanging pole. No damage at all to the car, just to the add-on kayak rack. Would recommend it to any active person needing a good SUV.

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  96 Max - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By Chris - January 21 - 8:50 am

  This is my second car I have had. I had a Mitsubishi Mirage but didnt like it and wanted to have a better looking car. This car is awesome. The interior is my favorite part I have black leather and I feel like Im in a town car. The back of the car is a bit boring, but I put 18" chrome rims on it and everyone is like what when I say its a 96. They thinks its a 2003 or something. The car does stall on me occasionally and it does get annoying but I think I just need to clean out the fuel line. I now I have 160,000 miles on it and its a lot faster than people think.

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  Love it. - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By rsrtampa - January 20 - 12:36 am

  I bought the Nissan basically because of the design. It is by far the best looking 4 door truck out there. I have grown to love it for other reasons. It has amazing power, its fun todrive and it is very convenient.

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  Fun to drive - 2005 Nissan 350Z
  By Gail Riecken - January 19 - 6:30 am

  We have owned a vet, austin healy 3000, mgb and have driven many other sports cars. Nothing can hold a candle to the 350Z for less than $150,000 she is great.

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  Great for towing trailers - 2009 Nissan Titan
  By postal32927 - January 18 - 3:43 pm

  My son has a 08 with 45,000 miles no problems he pulls a 8 ft trailer. I bought the 09 with the $10,000 off program and love the truck. I got the tow package with it I use the truck to pull a 14 foot trailer with two ATVs over dirt roads with no problems. Gas mileage is not the best when towing getting about 12mpg but be really Im towing about 3,000 pounds at 70 mph. I looked at other trucks and nothing was even close for the money. I was not going to spend another $7,000 to $8,000 for the same truck from Ford or Chevy. I rented a 09 Ford F150 XLT for a day to check it out. What a joke, The XLT package was not even close to the Titan SE and the ride was hard and uneven.

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  Drive it and you will buy it - 2006 Nissan Murano
  By Cynthia - January 18 - 5:06 am

  Ive always wanted this vehicle the first I saw it. Now that I own it, I will never drive anything else. I get a lot of compliments about this car. This car is quiet, exceptionally smooth and technological. The CVT is amazing, no shift shock. It handles well, is very roomy inside and comfortable on long trips. The DVD is a nice touch in the center console.