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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  Nissan 1996 GLE by Long time owner - 1996 Nissan Maxima
  By crouchde - June 8 - 10:00 am

  A solidly built, good looking and comfortable car with excellent performance and handling. I owned a 1986 for 10 years and have owned my 1996 for 7 1/2 years. Ill be glad to buy a third.

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  the best Pathfinder ever - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By JerryBaito - June 8 - 10:00 am

  What can I say, the best Pathfinder ever made by Nissan, shift-

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  Inside Out - 2004 Nissan Sentra
  By pennywise - June 8 - 10:00 am

  This car is just what I was Looking for. Good, no, great gas milage, stylish, and inexspensive. What suprised me most was this car at a little over 12,000 felt like a 20,000+ from the drivers seat. With the road trip package (leather wraped stering wheel, and upgraded stereo), and the exstreamly comfortable seats I could just sit in it all day. My pevious car was an old IROC camaro, so I wont compare performance, but again the gas milage, and the projected reliability (i have only had the car a week) more than make up for that.

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  Love that Murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By C. H. - June 8 - 10:00 am

  I purchased the sheer silver, with touring package (black leather) 3 weeks ago. I just turned over 1,200 miles and am really enjoying the Murano. It has averaged around 19 mpg so far and Im expecting that to continue to improve. It is built solidly, is roomy, and looks great !! It rides smoothly and Ive been very pleased with the CVT transmission. I got a great deal from a local dealer, who matched the Carmax price of $500 under invoice.

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  great ride in my murano - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By love my murano - June 8 - 10:00 am

  I love the car it handles like a more expensive car. looks great nothing like it. inside is comfortabe looks are great. my kids have more room in the back then in my mini van. 15000 miles and not one problem. what else can i say iam very happy.

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  OUR NEW BABY - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By todd and donna - June 8 - 10:00 am

  THIS TRUCK IS GREAT! THERE IS SO MUCH ROOM INSIDE I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT ALL.

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  awesome - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By allenas - June 8 - 10:00 am

  car rides and looks great

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  350z: best sports car for the price - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By nash - June 8 - 10:00 am

  Ive only had it for about 2 weeks now, but the feeling when driving it is awesome. Great road handling, and its quick! The clutch seems a little heavier than other sports cars Ive driven, and sometimes it seems that you need to push on the gas a little harder to keep from stalling when pulling out of 1st gear. Again it might just be being new to the car, but down shifting out of 6th can be a little awkward. Sometimes you need to double check to make sure youre going to 5th and not 3rd.

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  Abnormal Rear Tire Wear - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By Stan - June 8 - 7:46 am

  For the most part, I love my Sentra. Positives are the high driving position, the smart key (which has spoiled us), the responsive CVT transmission, good fuel mileage (average 28-32 MPG in combination driving), and Sentras great exterior styling. Negatives include small trunk, wind stability, and a unexplainably discolored center storage compartment. I have also been thru 2 sets of rear tires in only 42,000 miles, which the dealer service dept was unable to explain to my satisfaction. Says they are not out of alignment. I thought it was very commendable that Nissan also extended the warranty on the CVT to 120,000 miles showing their confidence in that technology.

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  very nice car - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By lydfra - June 7 - 7:10 pm

  I owned SUVs , this is my first car. I thought down sizing would be difficult but with this car I am very impressed. It has a nice ride. The 4cyl is very powerful, cannot tell the difference from the 6 cyl.