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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  The pain of loving a nightmare - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Sarah Elizabeth - April 21 - 11:57 am

  Ive had my nissan for 8 yrs and she ran smooth when all was proper but I was one of the unfortunate owners that ran into a bad catalytic converter. Common with this car 02-06. Started with a simple overheating issue. Once the water pump, radiator fans, and thermostat were all replaced it no longer overheated codes read bad crank/cam pos sensor, fuel ratio issue 0420. replaced the sensors, soon followed by a head gasket fix and new valve cover gaskets, played nice for a few months then started misfiring bad again out of nowhere because soon to be diagnosed bad catalytic converter. engine hasnt seized so time to take it apart again and see if its worth fixing. Total Nightmare.

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  Watch your spare tire... - 2010 Nissan Frontier
  By ctom - April 21 - 10:04 am

  Bought an SE King Cab and have liked it with the manual and V-6: great acceleration and fun to drive. My issue is that despite having paid for Nissan spare tire lock, the spare was stolen within weeks and Nissan is refusing to do anything. The ease of stealing spare tires is big issue for Nissan trucks & SUVs (I had two stolen off 2008 Pathfinder) and its very hard to find a way to secure them. Almost every Nissan SUV owner in my neighborhood that Ive spoken with has same issue. Dealer said Nissan lock would suffice, but the thieves just bypassed it and removed everything from above the spare - and yes, they also stole the lock!! Will cost me $1,000 to replace it all. Very unhappy...

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  Love it!! - 2006 Nissan Xterra
  By kansas - April 21 - 6:16 am

  I have only had my Xterra for a few days and I cant even imagine that I was ever looking for something else. I love it 110%. Its not only fun to drive but has great acceleration, roomy interior and lots of great places to hook stuff as well as great storage space. The only downfall I have seen is that it is hard for a person to get out of the back seat, it is too narrow, I love the hard plastic on the inside, it is easy to clean. I am still getting used to the feel of the steering wheel. All in all I have no complaints and would recommend this SUV to anyone. One my first tank of gas I got 19 in town. The stereo system is awesome. I love the roof rack as well as the first aid kit.

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  Nissan 350Z - 2003 Nissan 350Z
  By Carol & Ron - April 21 - 2:00 am

  When I first bought this car I really loved it, but not Im not too happy with it lately. Having problems with Front End Noise. Brought it in and Nissan said there was a recall on it stating the noise is from the tires. There recommendation was fliping the tires from side to side and front alignment (I only had 6000 miles on the car). When I got the car back it was worse than before. There next suggestion was turn up the radio so I wouldnt hear the noise. Didnt make me happy. I also had problems with my breaks squeezing really bad. - they said it was normal.

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  Best Truck Ever - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By OffRoadinArmada - April 21 - 2:00 am

  So far, my truck has been heaven. As dorky as it might be, I cant wait to leave school to drive her. A few MINOR problems, but nothing unexpected concidering that she was just built three months ago. I do not regret buying a first-year model!!

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  Excellent - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By ABarrote21 - April 21 - 2:00 am

  This was the best purchase that i have ever made. Excellent choice.

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  Big bang for small wallet - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By Montclare - April 21 - 2:00 am

  I wanted to have a bigger engine compact car with loaded options and found Sentra as my choice. It had almost everything what I wanted. Dont we want to pass big truck soon as we can when it splashes all the dirty water or sludges ? I do and , boy..., my new Sntra did a great job when I press my pedal to pass ugly big truck in a second. I couldnt do that with my old car. My only complaint is some cheapy looking interior and poor ergonomic designe such as rear seat, audio control. The performance of 2.5 einge is great, less driving and road noise than other competetors.

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  Quest the best for our family - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By David Koenig - April 21 - 2:00 am

  We started looking at vans about 1 year ago. Finally we needed the van and test drove several. The Quest was the best for our family. Room - lots of room, wide opening doors with power. Leather seats for wear and tear by the kids. Plenty of power and handling for the city. Along with traction control for the bad weather. An excellent value for the money we spent. The Quest 3.5 SL has a great seating arrangement and the console in the middle is great. The sonar for backing up is excellent for as long as this vehicle is. Cant comment on the long term reliability but so far, so good.

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  Turbine-like performance - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By SueChefTen - April 21 - 2:00 am

  This is, by far, the smoothest, most powerful vehicle that I have ever owned. This is the first non-BMW or Mercedes that I have owned and it has far exceeded my expectations. I like almost everything about it, and so do my envious friends whom I let drive it on occaision. Drive it = buy it.

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  what a treat to drive ! - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By chucker - April 21 - 2:00 am

  I was a little nervous about stability and rollover as this is my first suv; with those 18" wheels and wide track, this vehicle corners better than my old vw passat