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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  Excellent ! Nissan is Number 1 - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By George V - October 6 - 10:00 am

  Saw the concept 2 years ago,just had to wait for the production model. Awesome, simply awesome, no other minivan comes close.The room is unbeliveable, the center pod and instrumentation make so much sense placed the way they are.My 3 kids just love this vehicle.Checked out Honda,Toyota and Mazda. The Quest is miles ahead of the competition. If your in the market for a minivan do yourself a favour and test drive the new Quest you wont be disapointed. Excellent, simply excellent, way to go Nissan.

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  Hope the 2004 is as good as the 2003 - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By Sammy_22500 - October 6 - 10:00 am

  The 2003 is everything the manufacturer said it would be...it is fun to drive and great to look at.

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  Altima Is Back ! - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Ssgtdac - October 6 - 10:00 am

  Truly a wonderful automobile. It is my wifeÂ’s car and she doesnt like a harsh ride so we went with the 2.5S but the performance belies the four cylinders. It is no racer but has peppy performance and great comfort. Great rear seat room, huge trunk. At its best on the highway. Good acceleration, smooth and stable ride plus great mileage. The styling is the Altimas greatest strength. It makes a statement in class populated by "never took a chance, never will" styling. I recommend this car for many reasons but the biggest is the overall package. Styling, Roominess, performance, and price.If you buy the 2.5S, consider the Convenience Package.

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  Impressive replacement - 2007 Nissan Frontier
  By Randall - October 6 - 4:36 am

  Test drove the Tacoma first, very nice truck that I felt lacked muscle to get up to freeway speed. Tested the Frontier and talk about impressive! The power, ride, options and then the real deciding factor, price! Icing on the cake is the fuel economy. At present with 1500 miles, freeway runs at 75-80 mph, a/c on, I get 21.3. City driving I get a fair 16.

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  Just bought it but i love it already! - 1995 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Nicole - October 4 - 11:50 pm

  I just bought my pathfinder two days ago it has a little over two hundred and ten thousand miles on it. I work at a car dealership and they tell me the car is in excellent shape, its a 5speed manual, it shifts and drives great! the only thing it needs is one brake calipor and the cv joints in the front. But overall this car is a perfect 10! If you want a great truck that is dependable no matter how many miles you have on it this is the truck for you! I know I really love it, and ill be sure to reccomend it to anoyone!

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  04 Nissan Quest - Better than Ever - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Quint - October 4 - 10:00 pm

  This is the best Quest weve owned, The other two were great, we had a 1999, and a 2002; my wife who is disabled loved the ease of entry and drivability of the others, she had only driven four door Ford sedans prior to those two vans. She absolutely loves this one to the extent she does not want a new one as she used to do every 2 or 3 yrs. Oh I should probably mention that she started driving at the age of 48 14yrs ago.

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  Another Great NISSAN - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By ruski1987 - October 4 - 2:16 pm

  Researching cars and engines, I decided to buy a Nissan. Didnt like the blown-up Maxima so I bought the Altime 3.5 SE. Great acceleration when manually shift it (5 speed automatic) goes 0-60 in 5.5 seconds with slightly modified engine (performance intake).Gas mileage is good too (19-20 city, 29-30 highway with 93 octane). After rebuilding an older Maxima, I realized you get the most quality and performance for your money with Nissan. Nissan has a great luxury line of autos (Infiniti) especially the G3 5.

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  Great SUV - 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
  By Cynthia CA - October 4 - 10:00 am

  This SUV is great in every way possible. Purchased this car in 2007, the car has 40,000 miles on it, the only problem is the tire pressure sensor and was replaced by the dealer in, less than 20 min for free because I have 6 years warranty or 75,000. I traded my pathfinder for 2010 maxima to get better mileage. Sure enough the next morning returned the maxima and got my truck back. The ride and the confidence you have when you drive this truck make it worth the extra money for the gas. I love this truck and after what happened I appreciate it even more.

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  2nd Nissan bought in a month time - 2010 Nissan Sentra
  By Jay - October 4 - 10:00 am

  I bought an Altima 2.5 SL last month and absolutely found this to be a joy to drive. I didnt want to buy another Altima but I was surely sold on Nissan so I bought a Sentra. I enjoy driving this as much as the Altima. I would sincerely like to offer a word to a new car looker, buy one of these cars. You will be pleasantly surprised. I came real close to buy a Honda Accord, but found that the pricing and quality are far superior in the Nissan. I didnt even give the Civic a look see.

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  3000 mile review - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By Jimbo - October 4 - 10:00 am

  Get 22-23 mpg, expected better with 4 cyl. 6 tall and felt squished in everything I got in except for Rogue, has best view of road including Murano. rear and side views not good, have already had some close calls. will not exactly cruise effortlessly at higher speeds like my 15 yr old 6 cyl Accord could which could still drive circles around Rogue but had to let it go. have to drive Rogue more gingerly/less aggressively but maybe thats a good thing. alarm will not arm automatically like Im used to. seat wont tilt. took a while to get used to tranny which is smooth but a little draggy. good luck opting out of satellite radio auto-renew, you are in for frustrating experience.