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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  Will buy another - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Anita - September 1 - 4:26 am

  This car is amazing! PLENTY of power considering it is a 4 cyl. when I test drove it I thought it was a 6!!!! Inside is comfortable with lots of room for my 6 ft husband to drive and sit. Back seat is giant. I will buy another when I am ready and usually that is a year but I want to keep this one for years to come. My friend is going to buy one this weekend!!!

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  Faulty radiator design destroys transmission - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By argiad - September 1 - 4:06 am

  I too loved my Xterra up until a couple of months ago. Bad engine design results in a faulty radiator part leaking radiator fluid into the transmission, destroying the transmission and leading to upwards of $5-6k in repair costs. Early signs include a low rumbling while driving as though driving over rumble strips and disappear if you slow or accelerate. Do NOT ignore this! If you do you could end up with engine overheating at best or transmission failure while driving possibly resulting in an accident. This problem occured for me at 90K miles is a common occurance and for others has occured at as low as 50K. Nissan is fully aware of and has done nothing to fix the problem.

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  Love this car! - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By lgova - September 1 - 4:06 am

  I had an 94 Mazda 626 to replace. Drove past the Nissan dealer and stopped in to look at Rogue from TV ad. Test drove the vehicle and WOW, I bought the thing. Have an SL AWD with all options. I mocked the SUV crowd before but this is great vehicle. Live in Minnesota, but even when below zero and city driving, was getting 21-22 MPG. Got 28 on trip across Wisconsin. I think in warmer weather will see MPG go up. Very comfortable. Not one defect have I found to go back to dealer with. Very stable on snowy streets.

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  Our new 2008 Versa is a wonderful car - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By bluegrass08 - August 31 - 5:23 pm

  The CVT is fun to drive and the car itself handles very well.

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  A Great Ride - 2005 Nissan Murano
  By Hondo - August 30 - 8:06 pm

  I traded my Mercedes ML320 (after a final $4000 repair bill) for something more dependable, and the Murano was my choice - and one I havent regretted so far. The Mighty Mo has rapid accelleration, sports car handling, a decent AWD system, and good all-around gas mileage (I see 21 city/hwy), all wrapped in a dependable Japanese package. While the AWD system isnt as responsive as the system in the Mercedes, it has done a good job of getting me around in bad weather. All around, a great vehicle with a cavernous interior. Very pleased, and would buy another.

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  Very Happy - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By Sarah - August 30 - 7:33 pm

  Ive had this car for several months, and I still get excited to drive it. This was my first big purchase after graduating college, and Im very pleased with the performance so far. It drives smoothly and its quiet. Its wonderful for snow storms and I feel very safe driving it in bad weather. Its a nice looking car inside and out, especially for the price.

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  Altima Review - 1999 Nissan Altima
  By Danny Litton - August 30 - 9:36 am

  Great reliability. Have done nothing to the car except tires, brakes and oil. Nothing else has gone wrong with the car. Very low maintenance.

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  Most bang for your buck - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By SDgirl - August 30 - 9:23 am

  When it came time recently for me to buy a new car, I had narrowed my choice down between the 2010 Honda Civic and the 2010 Nissan Sentra. The cars have the same horsepower, and the sentra has more torque and is slightly bigger. For more than 1k less than the Honda, I was able to get steering wheel mounted radio controls, an ipod dock, the Intellikey keyless entry, and Bluetooth. The choice was easy! I was able to get the most amount of gadgets for the least amount of money. Its a great car- very smooth ride, spacious interior, and feels stylish.

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  2009 Nissan Armada LE , 4WD, 5.6L (V8) - 2009 Nissan Armada
  By kimber63 - August 29 - 8:25 pm

  Folks, I have owned my Nissan for over 5 years. It is by far the biggest piece of Nissan crap I have owned. I have had 4 other Nissans before this one. The air conditioning lines have been replaced twice. Side airbag issue, rear passenger door would not open, rear gate would not open. Two sets of front warped rotors have been replaced over a whopping 42K miles. Power Steering line leaking. All covered under warranty with exception to the brakes. And please put some darn tires on the vehicle. The OEM stuff was junk. Every time the repair work done it took 5 business days due to lack of parts. The truck sits at Nissan dealer more than my house. Thank god I bought the warranty.

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  Top Notch Nissan - 2003 Nissan Frontier
  By Greg Gumbo - August 29 - 2:00 am

  I have owned an 84 Nissan truck, a 95 XE V6 ext cab, and now the 2003 Frontier XE V6 Desert Runner. By far the best Nissan I have owned to date. Every design short coming of my previous truck ( which were few) have been re vamped and nicely modernized. Nissan continues to lead the pack in design and performance. My 95 2WD being the work horse it was, I opted to buy an 2WD Frontier. With the added ground clearance, who needs 4WD? She gets me every where I wanna go........