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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  Best Minivan For the Money - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Larry Amoso - January 28 - 10:00 am

  Therere two things Im against in a vehicle: Front wheel drive and Minivan. But yet weve had this Quest since 01/2004 and my wife loves it. She likes it better than the Mercedes ML430 weve had for the last three years. Me, I have nothing against this front-wheel drive minivan.

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  Happy with the van - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By dlb333 - January 28 - 2:36 am

  We have been happy overall with this van. I love the interior design, especially the center console. The car continues to drive well and has been very reliable. Handling is good. It is comfortable to drive on the highway. One drawback, backing up and parking are both difficult. Material- wise, I like it but have a few complaints. First of all, the water temp and gas gauges are poorly lit and have poor graphics. Second, I am not happy with the coating on the center console which has worn off in places and in others has become dirty and cant be cleaned. We have had a couple of minor electrical problems with console lights going out, but not a big deal. Overall it was a good deal.

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  More bang for the buck! - 2002 Nissan Quest
  By mathew - January 26 - 10:00 am

  We love our Nissan Quest, we have driven the Windstar, Caravan, MPV, Montana, Cienna, and Odyssey and found that with all the features we wanted and for reliability, nothing compared to the price/performance of the Quest. We can take my parents, us and our three children and everyone is plenty comfortable. We love the rear deck shelf with net for carrying groceries. Our kids love the family entertainment system. Engine performance is good. Check the features you get with this vehicle for the price, Im sure you wont be disappointed!

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  More bang for the buck! - 2002 Nissan Quest
  By Mathew - January 26 - 10:00 am

  We love our Nissan Quest, we have driven the Windstar, Caravan, MPV, Montana, Cienna, and Odyssey and found that with all the features we wanted and for reliability, nothing compared to the price/performance of the Quest. We can take my parents, us and our three children and everyone is plenty comfortable. We love the rear deck shelf with net for carrying groceries. Our kids love the family entertainment system. Engine performance is good. Check the features you get with this vehicle for the price, Im sure you wont be disappointed!

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  skeptical at first, now never happier - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By patty thomas - January 23 - 10:00 am

  The 2004 quest is very stylish. i never saw myself driving a minivan, i couldnt even get myself to say it. our family got bigger and our pathfinder got smaller. with a new baby and an 8yr old(both boys) we were running out of room quick. we test drove the quest and i really liked it. it was truly the right purchase. now, we also have room for other family members instead of taking more than one vehicle. i never thought id say it....but i love my minivan, although at 17long it really isnt that mini. it is actually a foot longer than our pathfinder was.

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  More good than bad - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By Rob - January 21 - 1:23 pm

  We have loved driving this minivan. We have 2 children which the roominess and TV are great for. It really does drive like a car, and accelaration is great. Drive is VERY smooth. I do a lot of woodworking and have tested out putting 4x8 sheets of plywood in, and yes, they do fit, but it is pretty tight. Still amazing though. The bad has been new tires at 30,000 and new brakes already, which Nissan blames on the weight of the vehicle. Yes, the doors do rattle, and we were aware of this potential problem before buying. However, the power gate has been giving us problems. It currently does not work, and Nissan has had our vehicle for 2 weeks and still cant fix the problem.

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  Excellent Family Van - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By jod5 - January 16 - 2:00 am

  Very nice van to drive that is relatively quiet. It does not feel as heavy and bulky as it really is. Fantastic acceleration, solid braking (althought soft pedal), and reasonable cornering ability. The kids love the dual screen DVD (I love the sound of silence that eminates from the rear). The Navigational System is wonderful. The center console design is really nice when the van is equipped with a Nav. system. Everything is right there in the center and your eyes track to the same area for speed and direction versus down for speed and over for direction. The AC and fan controls are right there also within easy reach. Passenger door ticking appeared at 500 miles (fixed).

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  a few things about the quest - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By vette55 - January 16 - 2:00 am

  1. nicely designed 2. too many interior knocks (supposed to be repaired by recall..knocked more after "repaired" going in to the shop again. 3. over priced aftermarket items ( dvd player, navigation system ( this should be doen in factory) 4. terrible terrible mileage, nowhere near posted (12mpg local driving) 5. dealer seems to make service as inconvienient as possible. 6. manual back windows pain to open and close. 7. side windows do not open 8. back hatch never completely catches on first attempt. 9. lots of storage 10. great seat design 11.problem with passenger window controls.

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  Incredible Machine - 2012 Nissan Quest
  By majordude - January 11 - 10:08 am

  This is a spectacular van. Its pretty wide but handles well. We were looking for a new family car and compared honda, toyota, crossovers, and vans as well as the Town and Country. You have to step in one of these machines decked out in leather. We got the SV with leather package. Wow, best 32k you can spend on market. So luxurious.

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  The right rear door - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Mardi - January 6 - 9:30 pm

  In two months my car has been back 4 times for the same right rear door problem. It intermittently decides to not latch, leaving the door to slide front and back while driving. Very unreliable after 3 years of a good relationship.