Overview & Reviews

The Nissan Quest has typically had a supporting role in the minivan market. The first two generations, in particular, were rather anonymous and subpar. The more recent third-generation Quest made a huge leap ahead in terms of styling and performance, though it, too, never really caught on with the public.

The newest and latest fourth-generation Nissan Quest, however, is the most competitive model yet. Its bold styling, interior refinement and smooth V6/continuously variable transmission (CVT) place it firmly in the discussion among the leaders of the pack: the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.

Current Nissan Quest
The Nissan Quest minivan is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 making 260 horsepower, put to the ground through a CVT. There are four trim levels: S, SV, SL and LE.

The base S is sparsely equipped for a minivan, but still offers an auxiliary audio jack and a few other niceties. The SV adds a wealth of other items such as alloy wheels, power-sliding doors and high-tech items like Bluetooth and an iPod interface. The SL trim is more luxurious thanks to its leather upholstery and one-touch folding third-row seats, while the top-trim LE gains a navigation system and an advanced "Around View" parking camera, while offering an optional panoramic moonroof spanning nearly the length of the roof. The kids will be thankful that a DVD entertainment system is available on all but the base S.

Inside, the Quest's controls are logically grouped on the center stack and easily navigable. Interior materials are the best you'll find in a minivan, with the leather-appointed cabins in the range-topping trims feeling especially premium and luxurious. On the downside, the Quest's standard second-row captain's chairs eliminate the option for an eighth passenger. And although the Quest's seats fold neatly into the floor, this design results in about 40 cubic feet less cargo capacity than other mainstream minivans.

Overall, though, the Quest is a legitimate, if commonly overlooked, choice for a minivan. Thanks to its compliant ride, composed handling and smooth power delivery, it should serve families quite well.

Used Nissan Quest Models
The current, fourth-generation Nissan Quest was introduced for 2011. There have been no significant changes since then.

The third-generation Nissan Quest was produced from 2004-'09 (there was no Quest for the 2010 model year). At its debut, it shook up the minivan world with its avant-garde body styling, unique cabin design and a marketing campaign that did its best to disassociate the van from its soccer mom image. The Quest's pillar-style center stack was certainly distinctive, but the multitude of similar buttons made operating often-used functions a hassle. Thankfully, the busy center stack was replaced by a much more user-friendly layout in a 2007 refresh.

All Quests of this generation were powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 235 hp, and power was sent to the front wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. Four trim levels were available -- the base 3.5, 3.5 S, 3.5 SL and 3.5 SE -- each with an increasing number of features and conveniences. Oddly enough, none of these trim levels included rear seats -- forcing customers to pay extra for a seat package that included second-row captain's chairs and a flat-folding rear bench.

This Quest had a few things in its favor, including a roomy interior and handling that was a cut above most other minivan competitors. However, downsides were numerous, including a third-row seat that wasn't split, a relative lack of cargo capacity and limited availability of stability control. Overall, minivan shoppers would be better served by other top choices in this segment.

The second generation of the Nissan Quest debuted for 1999. Offered in base GXE, midlevel SE and leather-lined GLE trims, this Quest featured a 3.3-liter V6 with 170 hp, as well as a unique sliding (but not removable) third-row seat that could be stowed right behind the front seats -- after the second-row seats were taken out. The van's questionable ergonomics, iffy build quality and poor crash test scores, however, made for a last-place finish in an Edmunds minivan comparison test. The model run continued through the 2002 model year, but there was no Quest sold for the 2003 model year.

Introduced in 1993 and sold through 1998, the first-generation Nissan Quest had a 151-hp 3.0-liter V6. Base XE and uplevel GXE trims were offered and seven-passenger seating was standard. The biggest change for this generation occurred in 1996 when a minor face-lift yielded a new grille, bumpers, headlights, taillights and dashboard.

The first two generations of the Quest were rather anonymous and subpar. It might also be helpful during the shopping process to know that these Quests were also nearly identical to the Mercury Villager from the same time period. With either variant, however, minivan shoppers are still advised to consider better-ranking minivans first.

User Reviews:

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  My 1995 Nissan - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By John Good - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Our van has surpased our Chevy Van 20 whith more than 100,000mi and it still runs like new its been all the way from C.A to Canada,even our cousin is imprest becaus there is no oil in the exaust,(The verey secret is you though because if you dont care for any car it will soon become a pile of junk).our Chevy Van 20 only has about 80,000mi and its already needing major overhaul.

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  Pretty Good vehicle - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By quest888 - August 18 - 1:53 am

  I bought my Quest brand new in january 2006 and I take good care of it, always have. It has paid me back well since I have never had any engine problems and its going on 128,000 miles now. this van has taken me and my family everywhere. the only thing i have replaced is the engine mounts, one catalytic converter and lower control arms all after hitting the 5 year mark. it was expensive to replace these but considering the amount of driving ive done on it i didnt feel too bad and chalked it up to wear and tear. as far as the engine goes, no problemo! still running smooth like new! just take care of it and do not neglect regular maintenance services and this van will keep running well......

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  Our first ever Nissan - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By FirstNissan - August 14 - 10:00 am

  Great styling and fun to drive. Great center console. Comfy seats and killer Bose sounds system. Had problems with rear distance sensor and driver side sliding door not closing. Dealer fixed eventually and everthing works well... except the radio. Not sure if they used college students in Nepal to design it but the reception is worse than my clock radio next to my bed. They should be ashamed of how aweful that is. Glad we got the CD player! Got two flat tires in the first month (sorry not under warranty). Really like the power everything for side doors and trunk

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  Little bit disppointed - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By No more Volkswagen - June 7 - 10:00 am

  I get the new Quest because of its radical styling. I like Oddessey, but it is outdated. The new Sienna has very conservative stying. For the power, I feel it has less power than it supposes to have. Maybe the van weighs heavy. It is pretty slow to pick up speed for the first 2 gears. Also, it is kind of noisy for Japanese engines. The new Quest is one of the best van out there, but it is absolutely not the leader.

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  Neat Van - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By nubbinator - May 26 - 2:00 am

  This is a neat looking van. Lots of the "new extras" that families need. Only major complaint is that the fan for heating and AC is LOUD. Drives smooth, acceleration and power are sufficient. Center console takes some getting used to but I prefer it now over a traditional console.

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  Nice, but always room for improvement - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By sfelten - May 15 - 10:00 am

  We bought our van one year ago and have 26000 miles on it. Overall it is fun to drive, very comfortable and really fits our lifestyle (2 kids, dog, active). Not so happy with the dealer, and when we bought the car (S model) they said we would be able to add a roof rack system later, as an accessory but this is in fact not true. We travel a lot and would never have bought the van if we knew it would never be available. Occasionally there seems to be wierd things going on with the transmission, the sliding doors rattle, the interior plastic trim is CHEAP and the air conditioner whistles on fan speed #2 (drives us crazy!) I also feel the paint is cheap.

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  Greatly dissapointed - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By In look of lemon att - May 15 - 10:00 am

  I bougth Quest mostly because my wife fall in love with is from the first sigth. Now shes crying calling me that air conditioner is not working AGAIN - and thats in Arizona in August ! I lost count how many times I vizited Pinnacle Nissan dilership (which is even greater dissapointment then car itself). Rattling doors, squeeling front suspention,falling down interior lights, intermittent problem s with AC, 8 recalls... I have had it enough - Im looking for lemon lawer.

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  Nissan Quest by DBW - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By David Whiteman - April 30 - 9:20 am

  Great van. Dont understand some criticisms on brakes, 33,000 miles and they just now need changing. The Goodyear LSs, JUNK, 33,000 miles and have to be replaced at over $105.00/tire. Nissan design engineers, fire the suspension guys, picked odd size tire 225/65/16 only manufacturer - Goodyear LSs, had to go to a 235/60/16 for more choices. Wont buy the LSs again. Bad design/marketing by Nissan, dont design with single manufacurer odd size tires. Ride, comfort, mileage all aces. Had two Windstars, they were primitive compared to this Quest. Love Nissans backing door problems on early models. Nissan needs to pay attention to dealer service network. Real turn off with lousy dealer service.

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  Best for the price - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By mike - April 22 - 9:30 am

  I looked at all the 2007 vans and drove most. Absolutely the best for the money and better than most regardless of price.

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  A Great Family Van - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By KDeVoogd - April 2 - 10:00 am

  Overall my wife and I really like the vehicle. Family travel is much improved since we opted for the DVD entertainment system. The navigation system is nice but not used enough to justify the 2K price tag. We love the interior space. It is easy to move around in. Engine performance has been great, but gas mileage is no where near the sticker values. The best weve one on long hauls is 22 mpg. (expect 17-18 mpg avg.) We have had some intermitant trouble with the electronics in the transmission. Nissan claims that no problem exists, but at times the van will not accelerate past 30mph. This is usually remedied by turning the vehichle off and restarting.