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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  A great car to own - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Viviana Morales - July 21 - 2:00 am

  After much research, the Quest won our over the Odyssey and Toyota. It feels like youre driving a car not a van. The interior is great and its like they thought of everything you could ever want/need. I also love that the minivan doesnt look like a minivan. It has great style!

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  thems the brakes - 1999 Nissan Quest
  By Big Ali - July 20 - 10:00 am

  Nissan make a great van. This is my second Quest. It has tons of room, drives great and looks good. I have only one complaint, the brakes. the breakes needed doing over completely in less than a year. I was not impressed. Vehicle isnt cheap, I lease, but you get what you pay for.

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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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  Disappointing in the end - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By Lex - July 14 - 1:53 pm

  Bought the van new with the full nav and entertainment system. Has been a great people mover for family and friends. During the annual safety inspection the mechanic mentioned I may want to look for new tires due to balding and dryrot. I thought this unusual for tires with only 29,000 miles so I went to get a second opinion and was introduced to the Michelin PAX run flat tire ripoff. $1500 tire bill every 30,000 miles with service available in limited facilities (some Honda dealers or Michelin). Even if I would replace the tires and rims myself Nissan allows no options to replace with other tires without voiding the warranty. Customer service you can believe in. Last Nissan for me.

• 

  good car , could be better. - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By shishou - July 10 - 10:00 am

  had alot of problem with the car since i bought it, very comfortable car but it has it share of problem, my car as 14.000 miles and i already change my tire evendought the dealer said that they rotated the tires. my gear change handle already broke, and the dashboard was peeling and was replace.

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  The best one Ive owned - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By gqclothier - July 10 - 10:00 am

  My wife is disaballed, and this is the 2nd Quest ive gotten for her. She loved the 1st, and her only regrets were it didnt have power doors and a power passenger seat so it would be easier for her to get in. There were concerns about the way the seat configurations had to be done and the weight of the seats. All of these concerns were met and then some. I would like to thank the design folks at Nissan for listening to those of us who buy and drive the cars they make. It was truly worth the wait.

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  Think about the Sienna or Odessy first! - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By shotgun - July 4 - 10:00 am

  Not a bad vehicle if only Nissan could improve build quality! We had the interior lights falling out of the ceiling. Knobs coming off. Numerous times the engine would not start and would take about 4 minutes of trying. One time, while driving the van lost all power. Regardless, of what I did nothing helped. After leaving if off for about 5 minutes, it worked fine. The dealer has had similar compliants and said there has been no guidance from Nissan as to what is wrong/correct fix. Cannot recommend this vehicle because of reliability.

• 

  Best Van Ever - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Dianne - July 4 - 10:00 am

  its wonderful, I cant believe how wonderful it made from the inside out

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  Bought with 49,000 miles - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Scot T. - July 1 - 4:03 am

  We bought our 2004 Quest fully aware of potential early build issues. The 04 has an extended warranty of 5 yrs/60,000 miles bumper to bumper, aiding with these minor build issues. Dealer has been very good about taking care of these minor rattle issues.

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  Ahead of Its Time - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By Mike McGrath - June 28 - 10:13 am

  This is a very nice van. My only complaints are that the liftgate were misaligned when I bought the vehicle, and the "service engine soon" light came on before 1,000 miles. I believe the bugs are worked out now. Before I bought this van, I test drove the Honda Oddesey and the Toyota Sienna. This van is roomier than either. It has much better second row head room than the Oddesey, and handles much better than the Sienna. The 3.5L engine gives it plenty of pep. I like center mounted instrument panel, which is easy to see, and the controls are right where I need them. I bought this for several thousand less than a Honda or Toyota. Great job, Nissan!