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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  3rd Time Wasnt a Charm - 1999 Nissan Maxima
  By I miss my Stanza - December 5 - 10:00 am

  This Nissan was my 3rd product, and it will be my last. Although nothing major went wrong, little stuff did. Examples, engine is so heavy, I had to replace all four tires by 20K miles; found out just before the lease turn in that I had had a bad throttle from the first day I drove it off the lot and it wasnt covered under warranty; a 35K miles, the trunk is already rusting.

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  For Me It Is a Fleet Vehicle... - 2015 Nissan Rogue Select
  By nibblecuda - December 4 - 3:59 am

  I have driven the Rouge Select for 30k miles in the first 11 months of being assigned to the vehicle. Some days I may only drive a few miles running my kid to school, other days I will drive as much as 733 miles. First off, if you are in the market for a cheap suv / crossover / tall wagon that will get you from point a to point b and is better than public transportation, you may actually appreciate the Rouge Select. It is make from the left over 2013 Rouge parts and offered in the same year as the new Rouge, for a lot less money. So for as far as "value" goes, its not bad. There are many annoyances I have with the Rouge Select however. The small overlap crash tests are rated at marginal (better than poor) by the IIHS. The headlights are horrible / dangerous when it is raining. I ended up installing some good aftermarket LED fog lights to help (no factory fog / driving lights on my model) just dont tell my employer... The sun visors are small and fixed, so I typically spend my mornings that I drive south with one hand on my head to block the sun. In the evenings driving north, same thing. It always sounds like the rear right door is ajar or window is open, especially when the roads are wet (my coworkers experience the same thing). The front seat is uncomfortable (no adjustable lumbar in mine). This has been to the benefit of my chiropractor however. The OEM tires are, well, made by the lowest bidder and were never intended to be driven on ice or snow (mine is a FWD not that that matters when you are sliding through a red light asking for forgiveness to the person who has the green). Snow tires helped a lot! The OEM tires have about 20k miles on them and will need to be replaced soon. Bluetooth is ok at best for phone calls, but it does not stream audio so you still need to use the auxiliary input (more cables, thanks). It does have an iPod button however (do they still make iPods?). The back up camera is decent except when there is dew or rain as it is not well protected and collects water. It gets decent gas mileage (I am averaging a little over 27 with 80% highway miles), but, the gas tank is too small (still a gas tank from a car). I will only be able to get 350 to 400 miles on a tank when on road trips if I overfill the tank. Less if I am mainly in town. The brake rotors needed to be turned at 25k miles (same with my coworkers). Considering how many miles I put on, the car spends a lot of time with the cruise control on and not braking. My personal vehicles will go 60k or so miles before brake work is needed. The ground clearance is nice for when there is snow. Power is adequate from a dead stop for the class it is in. Passing power from 50mph is, well, kind of scary / boring / not that safe. There is a lot of drama coming from under the hood, but not much going on in the ways of actual acceleration. This is the first CVT vehicle I have driven, and it is different. I get that it helps improve the fuel mileage especially with the CAFE standards the auto manufacturers need to meet, but I do appreciate a hard shifting automatic. Speaking of gas mileage, if you are fortunate enough to live in a state which allows a choice at the gas pump (I dont as everything has a minimum of 10% ethanol), if you pay a little extra and get fuel without ethanol, you will get 10% or so better gas mileage with the Rogue Select. It does haul a decent amount stuff when you fold the rear seats down, remove the passengers side head rest and lay the seat all the way back. I have brought home a lot of home improvement stuff in it. At the end of the day, you may find the Rogue meets your needs, BUT if you travel a lot like I do, pass this one up, spend a bit more and get something that is comfortable, or ignore my advice and give the money to your chiropractor. P.S. I am in the process of giving the Rogue back and using my own vehicle for work.

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  Overhyped Car - Too Much Noise/Vibration - 2009 Nissan Altima
  By Jason - December 2 - 5:13 pm

  I was in the market for a new car and after reading reviews and test driving a lot of cars, the Nissan Altima was my eventual choice. First the good - great power for a 4-cyl and great gas mileage. Interior is plain but functional. Very stylish. But now the bad. After 1 week of driving - A LOT of vibrations in the floor and pedals from the road. It is to the point now that my feet physically hurt if I operate the car for more than 20 minutes. According to 2 different Nissan mechanics, this is "perfectly normal" and "why the car is so cheap." I dont consider $24K to be cheap and I certainly dont expect any car to operate like this one. This purchase is a regrettable one for sure.

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  Nissan Quest 2004 - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Matt Ferdock - November 22 - 9:56 am

  We are lifelong Nissan customers, but after this car we are switching. The problems weve had include 2 new sets of tires in 50,000 miles, wheel alignments every other time we change the oil, leaking roof, leaking driver and passenger door seals, left front wheel clunks when turning hard left and the car "floats" when its loaded down. This last issue is particularly troubling because when the car has 4 men in it and suitcases, it does not handle the road well. Turns and bumps cause it to fishtail and you truly feel like the car is floating. Very disappointing.

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  only problems - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By marian TIGANU - November 22 - 6:40 am

  The car look great but the praise stops there. I spent over $5000 in repairs. ABS replaced (@2500), bearings wheel ($1000) axle shaft ($500), fuel rail ($450) to name just a few. I spend more time dealing with the problems of this car than with any other car I owned, and I have quite a few The dealership service was very unprofessional and rough, All in all I wouldnt recommend this car to anybody to buy.

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  Do not buy the 2004 Quest - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By mike,ATHENSGA - November 21 - 10:00 am

  We bought this van in Jan 04 after the first couple of weeks the quality began its decline,parts began to loosen and fall off, horn died, handle stuck,handle broke and the sliding door drivers side rattles since the beginning and they cannot fix. We are very dissatisfied with this van and Nissan has not made any effort to help. We have now spent a lot of time and energy going back and forth to have it fixed and the problems only continue. I am stuck but I write this to save others what I am going through...PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF A LOT OF TROUBLE AND DO NOT BUY THIS VAN!!!!!

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  got horrible gas mileage!!!! - 2012 Nissan Sentra
  By chevypat83 - November 14 - 4:52 am

  I got my certified pre own sentra just 4 mounths ago and hate it now! I traded in my 2002 pt cruiser for ths becase it was newer and had all the options(except leather and auto dimming mirror)but I just drive it back and forth to work and I only live like 7 miles from work and the past few mouths ive gotten 18mpg or less! and the comfort is horrable too wish never traded my pt!

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  Piece of Crap! - 2006 Nissan Murano
  By raymarie11 - November 11 - 3:33 pm

  Ive had this car for almost 2 years now and within first month I was stuck at work with a car that wouldnt start. Ended up being battery which wasnt covered obviously. then I had to go back like 3 months later for another problem, car wouldnt move, they claimed that from a good previous rain storm that something got flooded out internally and whatever repair it was, was covered. Then I went back again for some grinding noise, ended up being wheel barrings which were covered again. Then I went BACK again for some rattling noise it was making. Ended up paying 1100 freaking dollars for all these repairs only to have to come back 2 weeks later for a squeeky noise. and then it cut off. Beware

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  Average Altima - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By Blair - November 11 - 9:30 am

  I bought this car after trading in a 2001 GLE Altima that I had numerous issues with, purchased new. Still decided to give new Altima a try. Car is very cheap looking inside and not comfortable. Im a average size female 55 and 125 lbs. The seats hurt on long distance trips. After 2 weeks I traded this car in.

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  It will do - 2007 Nissan Versa
  By Kansan - November 11 - 4:43 am

  Just turned over 5,000 miles on my Versa equiped with 6spd and power package. Interior room is great. Kids like the back seat. Layout is functional for a car of this price. No defects so far. Gas mileage is a real disappointment. Rarely get 30 mpg in mixed driving i.e 50% hwy 50% city. No way will this care get 30 mpg with the AC on no matter how you drive it. Performance isnt great, but as expected for a car this size. But, for $14K with front and side airbags, it will do.