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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  Winner - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By Majestic - April 18 - 8:46 am

  A great daily driver with the ability to become the weekend toy hauler as well. Power seems never ending, great looking exterior with very functional interior. The cab seems almost as big as prior truck, F250 crew, but the drivability is much easier. Ive seen complaints on cloth interior but it met my expectations. Cant complain about mpg, I get what I expected - around 15, mixed (60 hwy, 40 city). Tempting to use the gas pedal for fun though!

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  07 Titan - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By Nick - April 17 - 3:23 pm

  Best built and best handling truck on the market. Great value for the price paid. Sport tuned ride and suspension not duplicated by any other truck maker.

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  I love my car! - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By ak725 - April 17 - 2:00 am

  This is the best car that I have ever had. I just love it. Its comfy, quiet and (knock wood) has not given me any problems.

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  I love my 2004 Nissan Murano.. so far.. lol - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By tish86 - April 16 - 10:45 pm

  I just got my 2004 Nissan Murano at a cheap price with high miles a little over 140k but have been told for years since I was a teenager that Nissans are good cars and last for a long time. I never realized though that it would be so costly.. but its worth it. I get looks whenever I drive my truck and love it. I do need to replace the tires and its a bummer that I have to replace all four instead of just the usual one that I am used to. The best deal that I came across was from Walmart for $550.00 for all four. It drives smooth so far and no problems so far.. will keep posted. Of course a suv is gonna be more costly to keep up then a car but I have three kids so I need a suv

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  Great Improvement - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By Dan - April 16 - 11:33 am

  I owned a 2005 Murano, which unfortunately was totaled after 38K miles. Looked at the Highlander, Pilot, Venza, and Infiniti FX. Ended up purchasing the 09 Murano LE and have no regrets. Best of all worlds: Power, comfort, tons of gadgets. Feels like a completely different vehicle than the 05 model...across the board a great improvement.

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  All good! - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By Ricax - April 16 - 12:53 am

  I bought my Maxima last week and Im loving it so far. Its just so fun to drive. Im still getting used to the CVT but Im liking it. Lots of power when I need it, plenty of space (passenger and trunk), and sexiness doesnt hurt it either. My only regret is not getting the Premium package.

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  Rogue is fun, well-built, very nice! - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By jw rogue 08 - April 15 - 8:30 pm

  Just picked it up, but first impressions is that this is going to be a very fun cross-over. Driven them all, and this one feels like a very nice, sporty car in a small suv package.

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  So far so good - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By Dbubba - April 15 - 6:46 pm

  Like most who have driven this car I found that the 2.5 with CVT is a good combination of power and efficiency. I own several large vehicles so fuel cost is a concern with my daily driver. With only 50 miles on it my car is already posting an average of 27 mpg vs the 14 my truck gets. Nissan has done a good job with isolating the driver from engine and transmission noise common on 4 cylinder engines. when driven normally you can barely hear the engine.

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  best deal out there - 2004 Nissan Murano
  By mjdj74 - April 15 - 10:00 am

  Car is great, couple little qwerks to iron out like driver window was making noise and leather on center console covering the entertainment system started coming off and the breaks started to squeak after just 15000 miles. Other than that the only thing that sucks is dealing with the dealer, we have tried three different dealers between California and Arizona and customer service is a negative about Nissan. But eventually everything gets taken care of. The SE ride is a little harsh but is a good trade off for the standard tiptronic trans. navigation sys. is a must along with the bose sound sys. We would definitely buy another murano.

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  Awesome - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By jessnga - April 15 - 10:00 am

  Nice truck. Ride is as good as F-150. Engine is in a league of its own. Fuel mileage surprisingly good...if you stay away from the 305 horses. I got 22 on a trip across South Carolina that combined Interstate and secondary roads. Some fit and finish issues...but dealership is fixing those. Dash rattles have sorted themselves out with miles. I would buy the same truck again!