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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  Stay off the Highway - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By 13altimaowne1 - September 25 - 4:12 am

  We recently leased a 2013 Nissan Altima, 2.5SV and it is, for the most part, an outstanding car with many improvements from the 2009 that we had previously. The ride is great, the features are impressive, the engine has great pickup and the gasoline mileage of 28 City and 38 Highway seems to be accurate. The car would be a dream except for one flaw. At highway speeds (60+) the car gets “squirrely.” It wanders off of the straight course and requires constant correction of the steering wheel to keep it on a straight path. If you do all of your driving under 60 MPH, this is a great car – buy it. But, if not, make sure that you test drive one at highway speeds and determine if you can liv

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  Dont buy if you use for travel - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Uncomfortable - September 21 - 1:26 am

  Took our new Altima SL on its first out of town trip. Very uncomfortable passenger seating, especially the poorly designed front passenger seat. The seat is only 8" from the floor, and seat dimensions are too small for someone over 510". Unfortunately, we spent too much time worrying about engine performance and options, and the test drive was not long enough to focus on this serious problem. We bought this for in town driving (which is fine), and for some out of town trips. It is physically painful to ride more than an hour. Very disappointed -- wish we had stayed with a slightly less responsive, and a little more boring Accord or Camry that we considered.

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  not what i have experienced in the past - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By d hadfield - September 20 - 8:00 am

  having been a previous maxima owner, I expected the same great performance as in the past. I sold my 2001 GLE and purchased the 2005 SE and have been disappointed in the gas mileage, the ride and the reliability. Give me back my older 2001.

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  Good starter car but never again! - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By werolln_dyhatn - September 18 - 9:46 pm

  Been driving the 07 hatchback for 7 years now- this was my first new car that I paid for myself. Its fun to drive (as are all manual transmission cars) but it lacks hp & zip. Mpg is good if you stay under 60 mph but if you have a lead foot like me, good luck. Hubcaps flew off after year 1. Someone stole the antenna tip on year 2. Tires seem to have the insane will to stay flat- I dont know how often Ive had to patch them up and they have the propensity to find all sharp objects and impale themselves on it. Tires have been routinely changed every year because of that. Rotors changed after 4 years. Battery after 3 years. Immaculate maintenance on my part cant help this vehicle.

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  2002 maxima gle - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By max - September 18 - 2:10 am

  Bought this car in 2006 with like 49k now I have only 67k and I have mixed feelings about it is just not the way everybody think it is.Good thing it is loaded with heating steering wheel which is nice heated seats and much more features but it has so many downside things that I would not buy it again. Start with turning radius it is like an old Russian Lada than torque steer terrible than trany is going out at 67k almost gone than my struts in the front bad $1000 at least to fix them and I dont want to forget the wind noise is terrible, worse than my 90 Camry so in the other way dont buy it

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  Not Bad at all - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Daswatimtalkinbout - September 18 - 2:00 am

  the ride aint that smooth for the SL AWD but the road grip compensates for it. Interior material is good and the 18in wheels are awesome. The road and engine noise is noticeable.

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  Decent SUV - 1995 Nissan Pathfinder
  By peter - September 17 - 4:23 pm

  Pros: no major mechanical problems so far. 4WD is great in the snow, it can be used up to 60 mph. Always starts up immediately, even in sub-zero temps. Gas mileage is ok for an older suv. Cons: extremely high engine, wind, and road noise. Poor acceleration for the engine size. Speedometer, odometer stopped working and cost several hundred dollars to repair. Rear seats are awkward to sit in. Cupholders are in a very strange location... any cups get in the way when shifting. Spare tire takes up about 1/3 of the trunk space.

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  Do not buy this vehicle - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By 04MaximaForSale - September 13 - 9:33 pm

  This is the 4th Nissan I have owned and you can bet it WILL BE MY LAST! I bought it because I thought it would be fun and sporty, while still luxurious and comfortable. However, none of that is any good if youre too worried about breaking down to drive it! I have put 30k miles on this car and have had nothing but problems with it the entire time. In 2yrs, its been in the shop for the Clutch (twice!), Transmission, Struts, power windows, gas tank, front axle, engine mount, and the stereo. I was just informed that the Bose stereo unit on this car has failed and Nissan refuses to fix it. Only 2 yrs old and the radio fails? Not only that, to replace it will cost me just under $1000. Disappointed!

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  Noisiest car I ever had - 2012 Nissan Altima
  By frespo - September 13 - 8:53 am

  I bought my new car ~ 2 months ago. Since the beginning it made a loud "grinding" engine noise. I think it sounds like a loud diesel car. Took it to the dealer and they could not find anything "unusual". You could hear it over the radio, which is not very good. This car is noisier than the Civic 2001 it replaced! On gas milegae, I was looking forward to getting at least 30. No such luck. With the car brand new it gave me 27 and now it is down to 25. It does not have a USB port, which comes standard with cheaper cars. In short, not the new car experience I was hoping for. Do yourself a favor. DO NOT BUY AN ALTIMA. There are plenty of good cars out there. Many are priced lower than this

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  Almost perfect! Almost - 2012 Nissan Frontier
  By g100 - September 3 - 8:18 am

  This truck has everything! I am coming from a 2003 Tacoma wich I love better than the new Frontier and the New Tacoma. The frontier has things that Toyota should be ashamed that they dont. Power seats, heated seats, heated mirrors. Rear Defroster! Who do they think is out in the weather, the little sedan or the 4X4 guys. This ommitance does not make sence. The ONLY problem with this truck is is wanders on the highway and even on back roads. You have to drive this truck and not take your eyes off the road. This truck is top SL version with 18 tires. I have tryed removing some air from tires but still not perfect.