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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  Very nice - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By kanya - October 22 - 9:40 pm

  I like it very much because it has very good Fuel Economy and Comfort.

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  Windows & lights - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Brenda - October 22 - 11:53 am

  I really like my little car but have more trouble with the electric windows. Have always had elec windows but motor replaced once and still in cold weather refuses to go down. Second never had to scrape my headlights off. The shape of these makes it necessary. Hope it lasts me 5 yrs because other than that really like.

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  My 7th Nissan! - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By Rudy - October 22 - 4:53 am

  I bought my 2010 Sentra on the last week of January to replace my 1996 Altima; hated saying goodbye to my Altima. I was pleasantly surprised at the room of my new Sentra .... almost that of my old Altima, if not bigger. Gas mileage has been sweet and I love have access to the more than 6,000 tunes on my iPod! I have been driving Nissans since 1992 and I currently own 3 of them; a 1993 Pathfinder, a 2002 Pathfinder and now, the new addition to the family, my 2010 Sentra. I cant see myself driving anything else. BUY THIS CAR! You will NOT be disappointed! NISSAN DELIVERS!!!

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  Repairs Have Been Painful - 2006 Nissan Xterra
  By Dana - October 22 - 2:10 am

  My Xterra is only 4 years old and Ive had to replace the fuel sensor (a year and a half before the recall) and now the radiator. Thank goodness I was able to get the full sensor reimbursement from Nissan but I pretty much had to call and threaten to file a written complaint just to get it. I have always enjoyed having Nissan cars but this is becoming painful and expensive. I wanna hang in there with my "black beauty" but one more major repair and well have to part ways (bye).

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  Great fun - 2008 Nissan 350Z
  By figgsy4ever - October 22 - 1:26 am

  Great performance car with lots of torque and passing power. The seats are a little stiff but with time should soften up a bit. Audio controls are easy to operate and climate controls are the very best Ive seen, I love the auto climate feature with seemingly endless supply of fan speeds. Build quality is excellent and rattles are few. A bit like watching a widescreen movie when looking out the rear window. Gas mileage should improve as the engine breaks in (20 mpg city/highway average now). Nissan left very little room for improvement with this newest version of the "Z".

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  My Xtreme Xterra - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By angela - October 21 - 7:53 pm

  I love my Xterra and feel it is everything I expected it to be. I have yet to see how dependable it is, but if it is like the rest of the Nissans I have owned, no problems. I am not too keen on the comfort zone, but it was built for xtreme usage so I overlooked that aspect. I dont have the courage to take off road yet, but plan to soon. I dont think it gets near the gas mileage they claim it gets. All around this vehicle gets a darn good review from me.

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  Excellent Car for the Money - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Johnny D - October 21 - 7:16 pm

  My wife and I bought the Altima 3.5 SE, last week looked @ Honda Accord and Toyota Camry , did not think they could compare . The Altima CVT Transmission is smooth as silk , the ergonomics of the Altima is great , the 3.5 V-6 is quiet,but has a nice roar in the exhaust when taking off, the handling is also exceptional ! Good Job Nissan , this is our first Nissan , normally buy Toyota and Hondas , love the sound system to !

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  My second review - 2004 Nissan Titan
  By TSTORY - October 21 - 5:36 pm

  See my post on 10/7/04 right after I bought the truck. Its now been two months and I still love the truck. Being a first year model I knew their would be some kinks along the way too. Ive had some minor brake problems. I say minor, but will know for sure tomorrow when it goes in to the dealer. Feels like the rotors have warped, after only 4000 miles. If they are warped, they will be replacing, not cutting them. If their cut, its that much sooner I have to replace them at my expense. Also, had a minor problem with the driver window not coming back up immediatley. It took about 5 tries to get it to come up. Think it was because I pushed against it a little as it was going down.

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  versa hatchback 1.8 manual - 2009 Nissan Versa
  By john - October 21 - 12:10 pm

  Have 4000 miles on barebones, manual locks, windows, 6 speed hatchback. AC is strong enough for Florida summer. Quick enough for highway merging. Comfortable seating, front and rear. Very good visibility, this and crash rating were seller for me. Paid 13500 out the door including tags and taxes . Also included dealer installed cruise control. Only negative is that 1st gear is sometimes hard to find.Have driven sticks for last 20+ years and have never had this problem before. Wife feels gearing is too short between gears as well. OVERALL happy with purchase but would have liked ABS. bundling would increase price by $2000.

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  A Car for the Adventurous Spirit - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By slymekween - October 21 - 10:00 am

  My Xterra is fun to drive around town, on the highway, and off the pavement. I never have to worry about taking it into poor conidtions. With 4WD and a high clearance, snow, mud, and dirt roads are not an obstacle. There is plenty of room inside for the dog, groceries, or backpacking gear. And if you run out of room inside, theres always the rack up top. The Xterra is designed for adventure down to the last detail. Do not expect luxury here, just functionality. Lots of functionality.