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:

• 

  Still going - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By jma10 - January 12 - 8:11 pm

  I inherited this car from my parents. My dad used to drive for a living and I received it with over 200K miles. I just hit 303K and still going strong. I love this car and the only problem Im having is finding something equivalent to upgrade it. The newer pathfinders are completely redesigned with a third row seat that I am not thrilled about. I love my cargo space and moving 4-5 time in college, I could fold down my seats and fit just about anything including large furniture. Of course I didnt maintain my car as properly as I should have being a young adult but my check engine light stays on.

• 

  2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SL - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Charles Minauskas - January 12 - 5:00 pm

  Nice Ride and power.

• 

  Rear bumper is plastic and is unsafe - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By Plastic bumpr unsafe - January 12 - 4:06 pm

  Someone rear-ended me and I got a horrible whiplash and the rear was bent badly at 30 mph. Turns out that the rear bumper is made of PLASTIC, not a steel bumper like the Toyota Sienna. Also, the headrests are ergonomically wrong because they are too far back so it does NOT protect you from a whiplash. The Nissan Quest also rides too low to the ground so it tends to scrape things and the long wheelbase got me scraping the pavement which took out a baseball size hole in my the vans body. The wheelbase is too long so turning radius is huge so you cant make a U-turn and parking is difficult because it always require backing up and forth.

• 

  Awesome! - 2006 Nissan Altima
  By Jmendoza - January 11 - 9:06 pm

  This is the 2nd Altima I haved purchase and there are many reason why. What you get for the price speaks for itself. Nissan offers great pricing and incentives and that was a major factor in selecting this car.

• 

  More with Number 4 - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By RWP - January 11 - 2:56 pm

  This is my fourth Pathfinder (same model). Just finished an 890 mile trip that included approx.600 interstate miles,and the rest through the Adriondack Mts.loaded with camping gear. Quiet (the best yet), smooth ride, hugged the mt curves, and with power for hills and passing (big improvement over previous Paths. Comfortable to drive. For the most part interior & exterior design are above average. Climate control, audio, etc, no problems, no complaints. Though the enterior seems smaller I find it quite satisfactory, and the third row seats-perfect for the two grandkids. I have only chalked up just under 4,000 since March, but enough to know its a keeper! Havent tried off road, yet.

• 

  We love this car! - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By Kevin Courcey - January 11 - 2:13 pm

  Most dealers will tell you this is a great 2nd car for around town driving. But this has been our only car, and weve taken it on trips numerous times. You just need to plan your route more carefully than with a gas car. I suppose it helps that we are retired and under few time constraints. But we do love this car. The acceleration is fast... surprisingly so. The car is incredibly comfortable to drive, even on long distances. My wife loves the heated seats and steering wheel, I like the Bose sound system with XM and the ability to plug in a USB drive and play music off that. Maintenance is minimal, and its a very safe car. UPDATE 3-15-17 Weve traded in the LEAF for a Volt. This occurred after coming home from the beach and finding that the chargers we usually use were out of service. We ended up running out of charge on Rt 26 outside Portland and had to call a tow truck. The problem isnt with the car. The LEAF is a great car. However, the charging infrastructure is not reliable at this point, and with the current administration so aggressively oil friendly, is likely to degrade further. The Volt allows us to use EV for all our around town driving, while not having to worry about going on day trips and not being able to charge. After owning the Volt for 6 months, we are averaging over 170 MPG.

• 

  Well built, loved the quiet - 2011 Nissan Leaf
  By rufustf - January 11 - 3:06 am

  We are in TN, so only Nissan dealers are supplying the charging stations making "range anxiety" a very real concern for me after hours driving. It will just take more planning until I adjust to it. When DC quick charging stations are more available, range anxiety will be much reduced. Handles very well.

• 

  fun on the road - 2000 Nissan Maxima
  By maxlover - January 11 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned or driven couple of dozen cars over the last 20 years including Mercedes Se400, Brougham, Bentley etc.Maxima is not yhe most powerful or luxuriuos, but when it comes to quility, craftmanship, comfort or reliability itll hold its own against any. Its a great drivers car thats fun, fun, fun to drive

• 

  Best Midsize - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By SteveH - January 11 - 2:00 am

  I test drove all the midsize SUVs before buying and this won was the best. High quality, reasonable price, and its very reliable. The power is great and gas mileage is decent. Its not uncommon for me to get 19 mpg. Would recommend it and would buy another one myself in a heart beat.

• 

  Driving In Style.. - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By skyhawk352 - January 11 - 2:00 am

  Overall a great car. It Handles well. Very Spacious and comfortable. Sleek, and looks more like an Infinity than a Nissan.. Like the title says, driving in style..