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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  A Real SUV w/Looks Too! - 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Ron-Independence, KS - August 14 - 9:13 am

  A true SUV. Looks good too! Ride is fine, the handling is amazing. Took 1 road trip to discover that this is an excellent handling vehicle. Ammenities are nice, but I do have my issues with it ... none serious, mostly my preferences. Let me back track, a lot of peoples preferences I assume. Recommended for its quality, styling and very powerful engine. Never ceases to amaze me how smaller vehicles believe they can "blow by" this iteration of the PathFinder. This thing came quite literally move you quickly and under control. To conclude on this point, if you dont want to be passed by the majority of vehicles you will not be OR at the very least you can keep up!

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  love it - 2000 Nissan Sentra
  By melissa - August 14 - 7:30 am

  kind of cramped inside with two kids in the back seat, but otherwise I love this car. Have had it for over 3 years.

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  Beat a path to this LE! - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Richard Spafford - August 13 - 11:16 pm

  Excellent vehicle. Only have 1,000 miles on it, but the build quality, ride, and handling are just great. Got it for $500 below invoice and 4.2% lease interest rate for 39 months. Were coming from 9 years of Grand Cherokee V8s, so I have to admit that I miss the power a bit, but its all right. I recommend premium gas for more punch and better mileage, but it runs fine on regular. If youve owned Nissans (this is our 4th, plus many test drives), you know they have a certain feel or personality that is not as plain vanilla as Toyota and Honda. This is true of the Pathfinder LE too. Fine vehicle.

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  6 months and still loving it! - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By funneverends - August 13 - 3:03 pm

  This is my first Nissan and my first SUV. I have been reading every review I could find and test driving all makes and models before I chose this one. It took me a year before I decided. I am still so happy every time I walk up to my SUV. It is so easy to drive. One of the best decisions that I have made.

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  2000 Crew Cab Frontier - 2000 Nissan Frontier
  By DWhite - August 13 - 10:00 am

  I absolutley love my Crew Cab Frontier. I have had it for over two years now and it is still running strong. I use it to pull my horse trailer and still get double digit gas mileage. Pulled a loaded UHaul across country this past March and got double digit gas mileage,too. It is a pathfinder with a truck bed. It is sharp looking, fun to drive, good on gas, just a great truck! I really like the Nissan products, this is my third. It satisfies my need to pull my horses and yet can be utilized year round without costing a lot on gas. Highly recommend!

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  Better than I expected - 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
  By drugdealen - August 13 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I just bought our LE 4x4 3 days ago, and we are very satisfied with our decision. For us, it was down to the Pathfinder and the Pilot. My wife favored the Pilot because the on- road ride quality is a little better than the Pathfinders. However, we both feel that the Pathfinders interior is much more luxurious than the Pilots. I was board looking at, and driving the Pilot. I mean,it will probably have better resale b/c it is a Honda, but I would much rather be seen in the Pathfinder. The wood trim with the tan leather looks great - esp with the creamy white exterior paint. Very upscale - moreso than some of the Infiniti QX4s I have seen.

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  This is a BAAAAD beast! - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By Deva - August 13 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Murano after more research and consideration than should be legal. I drove them ALL (Infiniti FX and QX4, Lexus,Pathfinder and Rover to name only a few). This car is HOT. The comfort level is awesome (had a Lincoln Mark VIII) and Im as happy with it as can be. Everything is high quality, from my black leather seats to the adjustable pedals and memory seating. This puppy MOVES, and a Sunday drive through windy roads with the sunroof open is equal to nothing I can think of.

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  Awesome machine - 2003 Nissan Murano
  By flinlow - August 13 - 10:00 am

  My fiancee and I just bought the vehicle three weeks ago. We absolutely love it. It has plenty of room for us and a kid. The power on it is more than enough. The transmission is probably the best feature as it makes the vehicle ride smoothe.

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  Wow...what more could I ask for?? - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By RogerN1967 - August 13 - 10:00 am

  I took delivery of my 04 SE 6sp manual last week...and have logged nearly 1000 miles so far. I am truly amazed by the silky smooth power delivery from this engine. It is so torquey that around town it easily works as a four speed..meaning that I shift 1-3-5- 6...the engine is so smooth...so silky..that there is no vibration at all...in fact I have frequent looked down at the tach to notice that I need to upshift. I love how this engine feels so refined and smooth in all RPM ranges.

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  Extremely Nice machine - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By rktrex - August 13 - 8:28 am

  The fully loaded 2013 2.5SL, It is 100 percent perfect. I thought I was dreaming when I test drove the fully loaded Altima with every available option. The sticker price was way out of my budget. But the dealer/incentives made it happen at 26k. Who knew? At 1,000 mile mark, it is really nice and the blind side warning and rear view camera is awesome. The leather seats are sweet -Nav & XM radio and all these other features work very well (after learning how to run them).. The value proposition (Price vs Features) - is unbelievable. The build quality and finish is perfect. It isnt an infinity - but close enough for me. Wow..!! Im happy. Good work Nissan!!