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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  Infiniti...err Nissan Maxima SV - 2010 Nissan Maxima
  By Brian - April 27 - 2:26 pm

  Coming out of a 2008 G35 sedan, I am thoroughly impressed with the Nissan Maxima and cant believe it actually is a more refined vehicle. From the leather, to the dash material, to the leather on the wheel and updated Navigation software...the Maxima might as well be an Infiniti. My biggest disappointment with the G35 was the materials and the Maxima definitely beats it hands down. Even the 2010 G sedan doesnt have the refinement the Maxima does. The editors have it wrong...price being equal, the Maxima is a better vehicle and far better value.

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  Great Truck - 2005 Nissan Frontier
  By RoissyW4N44 - April 27 - 12:13 pm

  Ok,so maybe its a bit early,I just bought it a week ago,but so far it seems absolutely phenominal.The NISMO model is a bit tougher on the bumps,but then it is a 4x4 after all.If you are in the market for a midsize pickup I would look no further.After exhaustive research,not one of the others is as well equiped,or has as many great features.The Frontier is the only truck in its class with STANDARD four wheel disk brakes.Compared to the more popular Toyota Tacoma,this is the better truck.I think my only two complaints would have to be:no long box option,and gas milage seems a bit lower than expected.

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  No Nissan....ever again!! These cars have a serious safety issue!! - 2003 Nissan Sentra
  By zoilus - April 27 - 4:16 am

  I bought this car exactly 4yrs ago for my GF. it had about 33k miles on it. it now has about 93k miles on it. These cars & other nissians , have had recalls due to crank and or cam sensors going bad. When this happens...your car STOPS...the engine just shuts completely off! You could be at a light, driving on the highway, going up a hill or on a wet or icy road....the car will just die without warning! BOTH senors went out within a few months of each other. Once on my GF in busy commute comming home! We have no kids and dont smoke and we take care of our cars, however we also have had, 2 window motors die, glove box just broke, visor fell apart, ignition wont unlock..etc etc

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  40,000 Lemon - 2004 Nissan Altima
  By TonyM - April 26 - 9:10 pm

  This was a great car til it hit 40,000 miles. Now I have problems that the dealer cant fix. The car shakes and vibrates then kills. The check engine light comes on. The dealer checked the computer and changes sensors at $250 a pop and the car runs good for a day than the problems start over. This is my first and last Nissan!!!!!!

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  Full Size Strength in a Mid Size - 2008 Nissan Frontier
  By Mac - April 26 - 7:23 am

  This truck is as fun to drive today as the day I bought it. It has plenty of power, amazing handling, great 4x4 features and capability, and it very comfortable. Reliability has been great so far, and the interior and exterior hold up well to the elements. Its a great looking truck, and I frequently get compliments on it.

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  Titan Happy! - 2006 Nissan Titan
  By Trey Vo - April 26 - 4:43 am

  I waited a couple of years before buying my titan to see how the truck held up. To me, I am very pleased to see how solid the titan is. The power, the looks, the excitement, the reliability, and the compliments has kept me happy about my titan. I am impressed with how much more power is there even while towing a trailer loaded with my other car going 70-80 mph with a/c on. My only suggestion when towing is making sure there is automatic trailer brakes or replaced the stock brakes with heavy duty brakes.

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  Great for parking garage. - 2016 Nissan Versa Note
  By Erik - April 25 - 3:00 pm

  Forgive the wall, Im on mobile.So got this as a rental, it looked cool and I wanted to try it. It had just over 2k milkes and I put 350 miles on it. Did a bit of city ( vegas!!) freeway and some "mountain" driving. Lets point out the Pros of this. The blue tooth is simple and easy, and you can take it a step further by downloading an app. But I just used Google maps, which only works if you have the stereo on Bluetooth mode) Its great for parking, tight turns, great for those u turns, braking, and decent fuel economy. The steering response is middle of the road, maybe a bit above because the car doesnt roll if you have to jerk it over to the next lane. It does have a back up camera and you can see all around when in traffic. I didnt get a chance to see how well The traction control worked. The A/C did okay for 110F heat and no window tint. Meaning it was on full blast 95%, even when it was under 100F. The audio system sounded better then I imagined! Weaving in and out of traffic is a breeze, and youll have plenty of room. Its not the ugliest or boring for a compact. There was plenty of room for just the two of us. The dash is nice to look at and the double glove box was very convenient. Heck the knee one was very deep. Seating was firm but comfy. Combine the seating and suspension for a sporty feel. Now the cons; even if you are at the front of the line at a stop light, youll be last. Not only is take off unnaturally slow, the actual throttle response is about a whole second behind. Then after that youll start to crawl forward ( no need to worry about burn outs!) This can actually be annoying because if traffic speeds up a tad while rolling down the road itll be a few before youll catch up. It was amazing that it could go 70mph ( okay there were times we may have went 85mph but we were just keeping with the flow!! And the ride was challenging due to the swaying. Well get to that later) Imagine you are getting on the freeway, you hit the Apex and pin the throttle, the rpms jump up and as need to start merging, desperately, you look down and realize you are only doing 55-60mph, pending if the hill was in your favor. Okay you get it, accerleration is not what this car is meant to do. But you may think this can hold its speed. I mean come on, its modern, it has a CVT, and its small! Well sure it can. But only if its minor. If you start climbing a little itll rev up. And if its a 6% grade, you might want to take the slow lane with the truckers. So how does it handle? Well on a flat road its perfect, that goes for the pavement. If its concrete with slits youll start swerving like a tractor trailer with high cross winds, sad part is its only a slight over exaggeration. At around 50mph it becomes noticeable. Maybe its a safetly feature to keep you paying attention! I too thought maybe someone hit something. But seeing another versa I had to follow and see if they did the dance, and they did. With all the negative I wrote, I really do not hate this car! Sure its gutless, the road surface can be a challenge, and the suspension is borderline cheap feeling, but it was fun! The only way I would own this was if I got it with 6sp and 30 more ponies. ( I do kick my self for not getting the fiat 500!)

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  value of a 1998 nissan sentra - 1998 Nissan Sentra
  By Barbara Batts - April 25 - 2:00 am

  I am buying this 1998 Nissan Sentra and I would like to know the value of the car. It has 113,000 miles, four door and it has never been wrecked.

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  best car ever - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By reveti - April 25 - 2:00 am

  The nissan maxima is the best vehicle you can own. it even beats out the camrys and accords. much more comfortable. this is a cadillac without problems.

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  Maxima Rocks! - 1995 Nissan Maxima
  By Tom in Portland - April 25 - 2:00 am

  Was told to look at this car by a friend when we we looking to buy. Hadnt even thought of the Maxima. Test drove everything else out there under 25K and nothing compared. This car is a screaming value! Performance for the price is off the charts. Now has 130K, and going strong. Car is still tight as the day it was purchased. Only problems were bad Oxygen sensor @30K, locks need to be rekeyed & buttons on radio are worn down. No other mech problems! Drives like a sports car.