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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  Good car so far, but some problems - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By Jeremy the Bear - August 26 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car in October 2002. I had a 1992 Honda Accord that I bought in 2000, but put $6,000 worth of repairs into. I have heard good things about Nissans so I thought Id buy one.

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  Nice, but disappointing overall - 2015 Nissan Altima
  By wayne21 - August 25 - 8:15 pm

  After one tank: Some nice features, but lots of disappointments. Smooth, quiet ride with no road or wind noise. Plenty of power. Great gas mileage (27.2 for a 6 cyl all in town driving). Nice electronics package and good steering feel. Nicely laid out interior with decent materials. Experienced infamous "transmission shutter" twice - pretty hard jolts. Passenger seat airbag may or may not come on while wife is in the seat. HID headlights are horrible. Worst/weakest lights Ive ever had in a car! Would not want to drive at night on the interstate with these lights. BOSE radio has to be an embarrassment to BOSE.

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  Practical and Reliable - 2000 Nissan Pathfinder
  By cobblecanyon - August 24 - 11:20 am

  Bought the 00 Pathfinder SE with 35K miles. It currently has 98K and the only major work performed was replacing the AC compressor. That cost about $1050. This little SUV just runs, runs and runs and I am planning to keep it for another 100K miles. Only drawback would be gas mileage but what SUV doesnt use up gas? At 98K miles, I am getting about 15 miles around the city and 19-20 miles on the highway. Overall, this little truck has been so reliable I have no choice but to keep it. Just make sure you do the reg. oil changes and chang the transmission fluid every 35K miles and rotate your tires every 10K. I feel the truck will go another 100K miles.

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  2001 Nissan Maxima SE - 2001 Nissan Maxima
  By Vman - August 23 - 10:36 am

  I purchased this vehicle "used" in 2004. I have loved the performance and styling of the Maxima. Shortly after purchase I needed a 02 sensor and a new catalytic converter. I was lucky to have purchased a pre-owned warranty that covered the problems that would have cost me approx. $1000. I also needed to replace the Bridgestone potenzas that I found to be horrible in the snow. If you plan to buy a car that has 17" rims remember that even the best all season radial tire at (225/17/93V) will be marginal in the snow. I purchased Continental Conti- touring tires at a great price and have put approx. 20K on them with no problems. The 2001 Nissan Maxima SE is a solid choice for the price.

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  Happy with my purchase - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By MountainGorilla - August 21 - 6:53 pm

  I really like my pathfinder. Its loaded out except satellite radio. It has a great amount of power, Nav is really nice, front seats are comfortable, Its a nice ride. It looks good and feels good to drive. No real problems.

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  Poor MPG - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Larrt - August 21 - 12:13 pm

  Purchased Sentra for wife to drive. Needed better mileage than the Ford Explorer she had. Ride is good, also excellent A/C, good design, good back seat space, adequate trunk space, but small trunk opening will not accept many packages. Steering is stiff and requires a solid grip while driving on the highway. MPG is very disappointing as it is 23.5 city, and 25.9 highway. We drive with a soft foot and take off slowly and drive moderate speeds.

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  Awesome value, some compromises - 2006 Nissan 350Z
  By 2JnPP - August 21 - 2:46 am

  Nissan skimped on the materials used to make up for all the performance it packed in this $30,000 car. The overall interior "feel" is very cheap. We knew this before purchasing & were willing to make the compromise. However, we didnt bargain for all the rattles, creaks, and clanging we have with our Z. Weve had several mechanical issues that usually takes the dealer multiple times to fix. Weve tried working with a few Nissan dealers for service work and have been very disappointed in all aspects of their customer service. This is a beautiful car thats fun to drive, even on a daily basis. We recommend the Z, as long as youre willing to accept the negative aspects of Z ownership.

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  Fun, but room for improvement - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By GMO - August 20 - 9:16 pm

  Fun car. Looks great. Issues: Super loud wind noise esp. with windows down and driving over 40mph. Steering is weird. Always aligning it. tends to pull too much to left. Found condensation in rear brake light already. Volume knob makes squeaky sounds sometimes. Dont like the seek control on steering wheel. why hold it down and have to wait. That isnt good. Brakes are jumpy and just not right. The CVT shifting is okay,but takes too long to shift and hangs in high rev too long. It is better when i do it manual and shift at the proper time. It is not smooth at all. its fun to drive around town. Engine revs a bit too loud and wish the shifting was better. Mileage is good and it looks nice

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  Flirty and Fun with Great Curb Appeal - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By shopclassgirl - August 20 - 5:36 pm

  I belabored over what car I was going to buy since Id had my last car (a midsized sedan) nearly a decade. It was hard leaving something I loved to something brand new, not knowing what to expect. I narrowed it down to the Sentra SR over the Toyota Corolla (so many are on the road.) The Sentra SR fit my fun style more than the Corolla but the ride comfort of the Sentra is not up to par with the Corolla. I do, however, enjoy the ergonomics of the Sentra SRs cockpit, with ease of reach for everything. I like the thumbs up I get from total strangers about the smoked lights and SUPERB black paint. The trans drags and jerks at less than 40mph, dealer says normal for CVT, but unsure if true.

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  Grandmas Truck - 2005 Nissan Armada
  By Nissan Owner - August 20 - 10:23 am

  Ive purchased nissans since 1981, 1st large SUV. Love everything about it except the rattles & leather compared to other nissans I have own. The power it has compared to other SUVs is far superior.