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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  Tough Canadian SUV - 1997 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Rob Dunne - October 20 - 11:33 pm

  With 191,000 km I have found my pathfinder to be one of the best used vehicles I have ever owned. I like everything about it except it could use more power. This was resolved in 2001. I love all the power options and the bose stereo is the bomb! I am getting my mechanic buddy to change the timing belt and all the fluids for longer life. I dont foresee any problems.

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  Excellent Family Truck - 2008 Nissan Titan
  By Scott - October 20 - 2:06 pm

  Traded a 2005 Silverado Crew Cab for the Nissan, and have been very pleased so far. Excellent power and smooth shifts. Hauls wife & kids like a full- size car, but carries anything you can throw in the back or hook to the hitch. Very comfortable seats and roomy cab with great options. Would prefer an auto 4WD mode and a Neutral on the transfer case, as well as mechanical anit-spin differentials instead of the brake system. Love the R-F sound system and the DVD entertainment. Could do without the 20" rims and low-profile tires as I prefer capability over bling. Have had a couple minor issues, but Ive had that with every truck Ive ever owned.

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  Great value, reliable, fun, and nice interior! - 2012 Nissan Rogue
  By tagamasid1023 - October 20 - 11:44 am

  Glad that we chose the Rouge and didnt follow the stereotypical Toyota and Honda advice. Our Rouge is now a year and half old (9400 miles) and still very reliable. Fuel efficiency is amazing, but it greatly depends on ones driving style - learn to maximize the CVTs advantage and youll save a lot of fuel! The Rouge meets all our demands and needs. The cargo space is fine with us, since we dont load a lot of stuff. I noticed the engine "drone" happens when the engine is not sufficiently warmed up in the morning, especially during winter. Nevertheless, I wouldnt trade the Rouge for a CRV or RAV4.

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  Yes, Ild rather drive a Buick - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By Phil - October 20 - 2:06 am

  Yes, it gets better mileage than my Rendezvous but you give up a lot. No place to put your right arm. Cup holder too few and in wrong place. CVT very noisy. AC needs a lot of redesign help. Have to run fan at setting 3 or 4-much to noisy. Steering wheel position not comfortable. Visor mirror has no lights. On the plus side doors are nice and wide and lots of headroom make getting in and out east for tall person like me. Rear wiper improves vision greatly. Suburban driving getting 28 mpg-great. Interstate trip with cruise on 65 mph only getting 34 mpg. Buick would get 31 to 31 mpg on trip. All in all wouldve expected better mpg and miss Buick features including ONSTAR.

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  NEVER AGAIN - 2006 Nissan Maxima
  By dhayward4 - October 19 - 6:11 pm

  Was driving a 01 Accord, got bored and wanted a change. So I purchased this car on St. Pattys Day in 09 with 57xxx miles on it. Got a good deal on the car. At first I loved my new car. But then it changed. QUICK. I heard of the transmission problems but figured that it wouldnt happen to me. Well it did. Shortly after that I had to replace all 4 tires 2 times. With 18 factory tires arent going to be cheap. Add the Z rating, now tires wont last long at all. After the tires came the headlights. $200 for all the lights up front to be changed. Next was the struts, shocks, bearings ect. $1200 later. Now I am in need to replace the timing belt. Car is a money pit.

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  Awesome Car - 2007 Nissan Sentra
  By John - October 19 - 12:50 pm

  I now have 25k miles and not one problem. Im 64" and fit comfortably in the Sentra. Much more head room in the Sentra then any other compact car on the market. I drive smooth and easy (the speed limit)and get 28/29city and 36/38highway. I dont think you can find a better car for the money(I paid $15k).

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  4 years and still happy - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By Satified Owner - October 18 - 6:50 pm

  I bought my 3.5 SE new in 2005. I only have 28000 miles but I have had very few problems. The car has only been in the shop for routine maintenance. However, in march of 2009 I had to replace my battery. I have heard of others with this problem. Overall I am happy. The 3.5 engine has a lot of power. This is fun at stop lights and has gotten me out of a few jams on the freeway. The complaints about the road noise (esp in the back), turning radius, and cheap interior are valid. They are not prohibitive however. I live in DC now so the turning radius is more pronounced. I have taking this car on 400 mile trips (I can get 33 mpg on the highway) and have been completely satisfied.

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  Great little car! - 2001 Nissan Sentra
  By bmmwcs - October 18 - 8:57 am

  I bought my sentra new. Very reliable. Good feel. Great control on snowy roads. Easy to service. Had the car for 8 years. Had to let this car go after it got t-boned. But even in the accident, the structure of the car held up extremely well. Id buy one again if I had the opportunity. Only negative, for nissans in general, is that they use cheap brakes and tires that need to be swapped out after 2 years.

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  Carls review - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By pcnbpt - October 18 - 2:16 am

  love it so far...navigation system has some dead areas geographically

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  Extremely Reliable - 1995 Nissan 200SX
  By wiphillyfan - October 18 - 2:00 am

  Great, reliable car. Only regular maintenance has been done. Bought it with around 5k miles in 1996 and it now has 84k. Altenator went bad after 5 years, but that is all. Have always changed oil every 3k miles. I expect this baby to give me another 100k miles.