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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  WORST CAR EVER PURCHASED - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By WOOODYWOOD - December 7 - 1:16 pm

  I bought this van with 3 miles on it! I wanted a family car and I really liked the way the quest looked. Thus, I bought one. This was the worst purchase I have ever made! It has been to the dealership 7 times since March! I have had 4 tire sensor problems, that the dealership cant fix! I also had a mildew smell coming out of my vents! The dealership told me that something could have crawled into the van and DIED and that this would not be covered under my warranty! I would have to pay for them to fix this problem! A brand new van!!! Finally, the dealership has the smell in the vents fixed, but the tire sensor is still flagging and the van doesnt qualify as a lemon per Nissan. DO NOT BUY!

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  What were they thinking! - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By ontheroad24/7 - October 14 - 2:00 am

  It gets plenty of looks, and the engine is strong. However it the ergonomics of this craft that werent thought through. I cant tell you how many times I have rapped my knuckles on the gear shift selector,while reaching for the other instrumentation. And a few times while in city traffic, hitting the O/D button and throwing the engine into a 600rpm jump in the attempt. The interior is also too dark, with little to no illumination while driving at night. There is also no ilumination for the multifunctions of the six switches in the steering wheel. So one must memorize there function or turn on the interior lights to use.

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  Never Buying Nissan Again - 2008 Nissan Quest
  By cmadd78 - September 17 - 3:06 pm

  We bought a NEW Nissan Quest in 2008. When we first bought we enjoyed every aspect of it. About a month later the problems began. The windows would whistle as we picked up speed (dealership claimed it was normal), we had some problems with ac not working properly (dealership fixed), and then a few years later the cheap car starts having more and more issues. The passengers side mirror cover on the visor falls off, the body rattles, the passengers side window motor quit working, the brake disks warped and had to be replaced, you so much as sneeze on the thing and the paint will scratch or the body dents. Features are nice but van is built too cheap. Cant wait to get rid of it!!

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  Tranny troubles - 2012 Nissan Quest
  By SadVanMan - July 15 - 12:06 pm

  We enjoyed our Quest for the first five years. The van had a smooth ride. I liked the interior layout with the folding seats and no need to remove large middle-row seats. We could haul large objects without having to remove clunky middle row seats, and we thought we were getting a better quality van than a Chrysler product. With the back two rows of seats folded flat, we had a bedding area for long trips to Florida. The hidden trunk in the back provided nice storage. We were making some nice memories with our van. In the first year or two we started to worry a little when our van would stall on downhill angles with 1/4 tank of gas or less. A technical service bulletin software update fixed that problem with no cost. Routine maintenance generally kept our van rolling along. Second set of tires at just over 40,000miles and that set lasted nearly 60,000 miles. Brakes replaced at about 88,000 miles. Only unexpected repair had been a rear A/C line at 80,000 miles. Well, things began going bad in the last few months. The van began lurching or having RPM surges while driving at speed--especially with cruise set while going up a small grade or hill. Was that the transmission slipping? The problem happened rarely enough that our local Nissan dealer could not replicate it during a test drive. Then after the 105,000 mile service the transmission problems worsened. On a long trip we had lots of cruising on the freeway. The tachometer would bounce while maintaining speed. If we encountered a hill the RPMs might bounce from 2000 up to 2400 with no gain in speed. The bounce lasted a second or two and it occurred on minor inclines. Local driving too and from work seemed fine, but then a short trip to family was the last straw. A couple times on this trip shifting from reverse to drive produced a clunking sound with marginal acceleration. (That cant be good.) We had two or three episodes in which the van took a long time to move from a stop on an uphill grade. (That experience seemed marginally dangerous.) Then the check engine light confirmed our fears. We nursed it back to our dealer. The tranny was dead. We are now two weeks into waiting for a replacement. Five years with the van was fine, but then we learned the error of our ways in purchasing the Nissan Quest with the CVT. Our dealer is still waiting for a replacement transmission while we kick ourselves for not purchasing the Honda, Toyota, or even the Chrysler. While it may not help our efforts to unload this thing in a year or so, buyers should beware of Nissan CVTs...especially in the Quest. A quick contact with corporate produced the expected apology for inconvenience with no real help. Five years old and just over 100,000 miles and the transmission pukes? Please learn from our experience.

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  Nissan Engines design to require timing chain replaced after 100k miles - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By ctylr12 - February 27 - 4:47 am

  I have been a Nissan fan and loyal customer for 20 years. The 2007 Nissan Quest was a huge disappointment when it came to reliability. When I had the major service done at 105k miles, three Nissan dealers informed me that I needed a new timing chain kit and would cost $3,200. The purpose of a timing chain is to be maintenance free unlike timing belts. Nissan told me that this is a normal wear and tear item and is normal to replace every 100k + miles. My 2000 Infinity has 235k miles and never had a problem. Several independent mechanics have told me that all Nissan and Infinity vehicles after 2006 have poor engine design. Its a metal chain riding on plastic guiders. Purposely set up to fail

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  Lemon from the Start - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By Disappointed in Tenn - January 13 - 6:40 am

  Within a month of the purchase date, we had the van back into the dealer with a shaking problem when braking from extended driving periods. It was taken to the same dealer 4 times before it was finally diagnosed. It was not a safe feeling to be on an extended trip and wonder if you were going to make it home or not. Within a month of the last service visit, the driver sliding door began to rattle and squeak when driving over any type of bumps in the road. Then water began dripping through the sunglasses holder just above the rearview mirror. This was caused by improper sealing of the front windshield and they are having to replace the entire windshield. Bottom line...DONT BUY A QUEST!

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  2008 Nissan Quest - 2008 Nissan Quest
  By Phil Glasser, Sr - October 26 - 2:23 pm

  I purchased a used 2008 with 500 miles. At the time I wondered why anyone would trade this vehicle with under 500 miles, but was taken with the style and the lay down 2 row seats. Long story short, after my first long ride, over 100 miles, I took the van back to the deal complaining of hard ride that left my kidneys aching for two days. After some counseling, we exchanged tires, used nitrogen, reduced tire pressure, tried every seating position with electronic seat and manual lumbar adjustment during the next week--all to some relief but still could not get comfortable. Talked to managers, other salespersons all to no avail. tried leather seat vs cloth--no

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  Died at 6950 - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Bob English - September 8 - 10:00 am

  The transmission started slipping at 6950, every door rattles and the dash, the transmissions shift points are the worst I have ever driven (been driving over 40 years), there is a whistling sound around the outside mirrors, etc. Basically Nissan did a extremely poor job on designing and building this vehicle!!! I planning on getting rid of this vehicle ASAP!

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  Reliability???? - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Dan - July 24 - 1:03 am

  Have had this van for 3 years. Biggest complaint are tires. Nissan corporate gives you the runaround when you try to call in & complain about the substandard tire wear. Corporate tells you its a tire manufacturer problem & to call the tire manufacturer. DO NOT BUT THAT LINE FROM CORPORATE!!! They are the ones who send out the specs for tires to the tire folks. Averaging only 20K to 30K til tire replace. Were on our 5th pair of tires with only 41K miles on it. Had a complete brake job at 30K miles. CD was stuck in the CD player. Slider door seals keep detaching. Lower engine cover keeps falling off. Van sits too low to the ground. Overall maintenance & reliability are very, very poor

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  04 Quest has known problems - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Bryon Brelsford - May 27 - 1:13 pm

  One week after we bought the car the drivers window was making a noise. We had numerous rattles which were fixed then made noise again. The brake pedal made a squeaking noise. Clamps broke under the car that held the exhaust pipe in place, causing more noise while driving. The rear windows dont go down. You have to really slam the hatch sometimes to get it to close properly. Our radio was replaced after 6 months when it wouldnt turn on in cold weather. With the heat and air conditioning on their highest setting the air dribbles out. Finally, I called Nissan Corp. and they were willing to do nothing for all the times I had to bring the car in to be fixed. I got rid of it!