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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  nissan quest is an excellent buy - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By kl douglas - April 3 - 2:00 am

  every inch of the 2004 quest is used to the driver and passengers advantage. the front console allows more room than any other vehicle i have seen, and i have test drove all the minivans made. great design, it doesnt even feel like i am driving a minivan, its more like a smooth riding suv.

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  Aweosme - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By shortbutcute111 - March 29 - 10:00 am

  This is the best car ever

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  EXCELLENT - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Carlos C - March 29 - 10:00 am

  I love this van!!! I had 4 vans in the past but this one beats them. Quest have a very sexy and cool style over all the vans in the market right now. The driving is so Nice. I am very happy with my purchase. Carlos.

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  Great Family MiniVan! - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By ilikenissan - March 26 - 10:18 am

  We have had our 2005 Quest SL for 8 years now, bought new. It has been the perfect van for us. Spacious, strong engine, drives great (for a van), and gets decent highway mileage (we average 24 on trips). Electronically adjustable drivers seat. It was worth buying the extended warranties, as minivans (weight and usage) put a lot of stress on transmissions and suspensions. We used the warranty and saved a lot on major repairs common to the entire minivan category.

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  Love my Quest but.... - 2011 Nissan Quest
  By diamondeyes333 - March 25 - 3:23 pm

  I have had this vehicle for 5 weeks now and love it overall. I purchased a 2011 Quest leftover that had 15 miles on it. However, I just had a new battery installed by the dealership (covered by warranty) since it kept refusing to start. We thought my kids had left light on or one of the doors was left open (kinda hard to believe since we always use the buttons to open/close). Long story short, two people my husband works with bought new 2011 Quests and said it was a bad battery. Sure enough, brought it to the dealership and the battery was bad. This seems to be a pretty common problem with this vehicle. Hopefully no more surprises.

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  MOM WHO? THIS IS DADS VAN! - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By EDWIN - March 21 - 9:16 pm

  I leased a 2004 nissan quest se, it was good to us. I feel comfortable knowing my family is safe, my wife tested that, thankfully the van passed and my family walked away, the van made a full recovery. I take that heavily. So in respect to the van I looked for another and bought my 2007 se. Its like falling in love all over. We checked out the competition but found things we didnt like in all of them. Now the Quest, thats a cool Dad, a happy wife, and an entertained 4 year old - did I mention dual 8" screens and skyviews.

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  Overall I am satisfied but.... - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By wheelsless - March 20 - 12:37 pm

  this car has some really annoying issues. I purchased my 2005 Nissan Quest in 2006. It drives well. I replaced brakes about 18 mos ago and had to replace again a month ago. The rear windshield wiper has fallen off, the two sliding side doors are difficult to open due to the rubber being loose. The gas gauge and mileage has dissappeared making any trip outside of my town scary. The right side window is stuck open...but the left one is fine. The air vent, heating/AC in front of vehicle has stopped blowing air and the vent cover has fallen out behind driver street. Since this is a gently used vehicle i expected these minor issues not to happen.

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  Infinity with a Nissan Badge - 2012 Nissan Quest
  By assembly - March 8 - 8:10 am

  I wasnt sure about the Quest when my wife took me to look at it. I walked away from it to be honest. When I went back the WOW factor kicked in. This is an Infinity with a Nissan badge. It has all the stying youll ever want or need. I have the top of the line model but lesser models are equally impressive. Nissan got it right! Id give this van a hard look. The price is definately right.

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  In Quest of the Perfect Van - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By Northern Driver - March 6 - 12:43 pm

  Besides the 2004 Quest SL with 33,000 miles we run a 2000 Odessey and 2001 Sienna.Quest- most fun to drive (comparing their 1st year of operation) with the best combination of effortless road handling, speed, comfort and quiet,stereo. The body construction both inside & out seems less durable than others. Auto rear door hatch - great feature when carrying parcels. Unfortunately the lift device on ours just fell off. Instrument controls -too confusing (all digital with no manual click and stay buttons). The digital buttons are flush- tricky to engage-distracting. When the van is shut off the fan defaults to feet. Bracket holding adjustable pedals very dangerous-scathes toe. Hard on fuel

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  Think outside the box!!!!! - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By Johnnie O - March 5 - 11:30 pm

  It is refreshing to find that minivans are fun to drive after all. I have been putting off purchasing a minivan and my wife finally won the battle. My 2 kids and dog refused to accept they were comfy in an SUV, despite my attempt to bribe them with ice cream and doggy treats. After test driving all minivans, the Quest proved to be the most spacious and most modern feeling of them all. It drives like a sportscar (at least in my mind it does:) ) Great spunky engine and the most comfortable interior (that I sat on) Visibility is far better than in the other vans in this class. I also liked that I saved some cash compared to the other models. Great value for your buck! I recommend this!!