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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  Overall a good van - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Albert C - March 28 - 10:00 am

  SO far I have put 4k mile on it. It runs great. Powerful engine and confortable ride. Some drawbacks are rattling sliding doors and weird shifting tranny. I took the car back to the dealer and they did not fix anything but make the rattle noise louder. anyway, I spent a day and fixed the rattle noise on both sliding door myself; no more noise. Now I still have the tranny problem sometimes. Over all, I would give this car 8 to 9 rating.

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  Improvements needed - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By pmich - March 8 - 6:10 pm

  We test drove many minivans on the market before buying our Quest. The space was one of the main reasons we chose it. We love our Quest on trips with our 3 kids. The performance of the car is top notch. auto sliding doors are a problem in the winter. Ours wouldnt shut because it froze. Dealers are not properly trained in how to service vehicle. I am one of the fortunate ones whos door stopped rattling after recall. The DVD/sound system is great. Love the info center. It didnt take long to get used to. Plan on keeping this vehicle for a while assuming the issues that Ive read about dont occur on this one.

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  some problems - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Grannyat62 - March 1 - 2:00 am

  Have had some problems with the car. Have had it to not change gears twice. Had to turn off engine and restart. Will not start when it is below freezing outside. Rattle in the side sliding doors. When taking it to dealship we get the same ol "Cant fix if it is not broke" Once it starts all the problems go away.

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  Baby Quest - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By L.M. - February 19 - 10:00 am

  It could be better on gas mileage and pickup as far as speed.

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  Great car, some annoying bugs - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By bdrury - January 13 - 10:00 am

  Very much like the drive and look of this minivan. Best of the ones we drove. Would absolutely love it if the build quality were better. Squeaking overhead console has been "fixed" 4 times in 6 months. Passenger side sliding door rattles and no solution available for that.

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  Gas Mileage - 2002 Nissan Quest
  By kzanne109 - January 11 - 10:00 am

  I purchased the Quest after a long time driving a suburban.....The drive doesnt compare of course to that but its a great vehicle for the cost..It had a lot of neat features and i enjoyed it alot.....however i bought the van mostly for fuel economy and it doesnt get what its supposed to get....i repeatedly asked the dealer to check to see if there was something wrong that was causing it to get low fuel mileage and they said it has to be broken in.......i think they just missed the boat on what they rated it...

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  Quest - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By Ross Curti - January 5 - 7:23 am

  I would Give the quest an overall 7.8 it is not perfect but then again no other car is

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  2012 Nissan Quest SV - 2012 Nissan Quest
  By ep1 - December 10 - 2:52 am

  Just bought my Quest it was used at 43,000 miles and it still drives very quite, the ride is supple with no rattles and compared to my 2004 Pacifica the Quest is right on par with the German engineering and in ways even better! Now after a year of ownership and putting on 20,000 miles the Quest still manages to be very quiet where you can have a conversation inside with out raising you voice, all this car needed in a year was new brakes, tires and oil changes. My wife just loves this vehicle

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  I loved and lost... 2007 Nissan Quest - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By sports3mom - November 20 - 2:17 pm

  I bought the 2007 Nissan Quest brand new off the dealers lot to replace a 2004 Nissan Quest which was wrecked in an accident. All was peachy ... I wanted a new car but didnt want to give up the space my Quest provided - I loved my minivan. (Trust me - if you know me then you know I was not the minivan type before.) But all of a sudden - my air conditioner started blowing at different speeds - the gears started whirring a bit... engine oil leak after 74,000 miles and rack and pinion oil leak. I contacted the dealer and of course, its not covered. The used 2004 Nissan Quest was 100% better than my new 2007 Nissan Quest. To each his own, but I have moved on. Ciao to my first love.

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  OK but still not a Honda - 2001 Nissan Quest
  By dlass10 - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Performance only marginal. Good around town, bad through hilly/ mountain areas on the highway. Driver side window has problem going up/down. Radio display goes in/out at times. Comfortable seating. With 45,000 miles, van has been very reliable. Some squeeks..side and rear windows???