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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  Enjoying - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Randy - August 21 - 10:00 am

  I love it! I feel like I am sporting around in a sport car with the sport car insurance rates. The S model has all the toys one would expect and more.

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  Disappointed with no way out - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By Mark - August 21 - 3:06 am

  Being an eager child I thought Id get a nice bright red 2 door loaded with everything, the Altima was one of the cheaper coupes in the marked and without thinking a traded in my previous car for this one and rolled over almost 2 grand on top of the Altima. Point of the story, Im stuck with $5000 negative equity because of the cars horrible resale value (even if I hadnt rolled over money I would be $3000 in the hole). And I cant think of a worse car to be stuck with, up or down hills the cvt underperforms, actually, its always underperfoming but especially then, the 2.5 liter 4 cyl is slow and sluggish just like the cvt, trying to get some acceleration you have take it to 4000 rpms and that itself is a struggle, the car has 61,000 miles and paint is already chipping from the spoiler and front and rear bumpers and the hood, "leather" is peeling off the steering wheel in every spot, the road noise is awful and every interior panel squeaks and rattles (common Nissan problem) I wish I had more characters to complain about the cvt because I could go on for days, but even at high rpms the engine doesnt do much, very disappointing

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  A Real Sports Car - 2009 Nissan 370Z
  By Musashi - August 21 - 1:50 am

  I have owned a lot of sports cars that cost significantly more money and let me tell you the handling and looks of this car for the value is untouchable. The manual transmission is great and so is the sport package. The touring model has all of the amenities you need for daily driving. Well worth the price.

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  2005 Nissan SE Crew Cab 4x4 - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By Lee - August 20 - 11:43 am

  I have my 2005 Nissan Frontier almost one and half years now. I really enjoy driving this truck. Four wheels driving is exciting. I drove in the mountain when I was in Idaho, this truck gives me enough confidence to climb high mountain and handling is quite good. I really have nothing to complain about this truck.

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  2012 Maxima review - 2012 Nissan Maxima
  By geo2010maxima - August 20 - 6:42 am

  My comments only apply to the Maxima with the Premium package - totally different car than the base model - upgraded leather, double moon roof, heated/cooled drivers seat, Xenon headlights, driver seat, mirrors and steering wheel memory, power tilt/telescopic and heated steering wheel, reverse tilting/heated side mirrors, rear window sun screen, USB and Ipod connectivity, etc. - it is a front wheel drive Infinity and since we have winter in Oregon, we need FWD. We had a 2010 previously and the 2012 has significantly reduced torque steer and vastly improved low speed transmission performance - they got the CVT dialed in finally. It is a very comfortable road car for long trips also.

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  Solid ride - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By Darryl Fulton - August 20 - 3:54 am

  Very nice car & superbly maintained.

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  Update to Original Review - 2007 Nissan Maxima
  By maross - August 19 - 8:33 pm

  Two and a half months later and I really like this car. I look for excuses to go places. Smooth, comfortable, fun to drive. Previously I said the bluetooth was the best feature but with use, I love the smart key. Since I have owned this car I have never used the key. And this week the key even saved me. Returning from a trip, I put my bags and coat in the trunk BUT the trunk wouldnt lock, instead it kept beeping at me. I had left the smart key in my jacket and the trunk would not lock. Smart key - smart car. Buy one.

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  A Decent Commuter - 2007 Nissan Altima
  By autojunkie79 - August 19 - 6:13 pm

  As my daily driver, the Altima is very quiet compared to the previous generation and gets great gas mileage (30.1 mpg avg) despite spirited driving tendencies (70+ mph, squirting through traffic). Now at 56K, it has been very reliable though there are several minor quality issues: A heat shield that rattles when engine is cold, air intake that keeps coming off and rear wheel well liner that keeps popping out - nothing that affects drivability or safety. For a midsize family sedan, the Altima handles surprisingly well but the electric steering is lifeless and OEM tires are horrid in the snow. I dont love this car, but I dont hate it either. Its a safe bet, just like Camry and Accord.

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  Very Impressed - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Mark - August 19 - 3:36 pm

  I will say that I looked at the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla. The Sentra was levels above on both. The Sentra with the CVT made the deal even better. Overall the Sentra had a great feel and value as well as great fuel economy.

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  i liked it untill..... - 2008 Nissan Versa
  By 08versa - August 19 - 2:30 am

  bought it in 2008, so its 2 years old. has about 20000 miles on it. Bought it to go back and forth to school and work, so far has done its job. mpg is average-good. Handles pretty good in the snow but dont always trust it. shaky in the wind. love the inside, but ugly outside. Having some issues now where the car hesitates. like its not getting enough fuel or power. taken it to the dealership, they say nothing is wrong. BS!! Great for the price i paid. if i only had $12000 to buy my next car, would buy it again, but hoping not it. Great on long trips and storage space. was wishing for a little better gas millage.My dogs love the back seat. over all, Good-average car.