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:
Showing 331 through 340 of 969.00-
Great van but consider the cargo space. - 2014 Nissan Quest
By flyingdutch1 - June 26 - 5:55 pmComing from a Chrysler T&C (terrible quality!) I also looked at the similar priced models of Honda, Toyota and Kia. I picked a Nissan Quest SV because of the interior styling and best drive. The Quest drives very smoothly with a very peppy engine when you need it. Just came back from an Ohio-Florida-Ohio trip with 3 adults and 3 children on board and the van was perfect. The only "gotcha" is the cargo space. Most other vans have a system where the back seat folds into the trunk but the Quests seats all folds forward creating a somewhat flat loading floor but you lose significant space in height. The Quest has a deep compartment but not very wide so packing was a challenge.
-
Pleased so far....... - 2008 Nissan Quest
By Samuel - June 23 - 4:36 amWe purchased the Quest about 2 months ago and to my surprise, have had no real issues. This is our first minivan and I was leaning hard to the Sienna simply because I have owned Toyotas in the past and have had no major problems. After much research, we went with the Quest because of the incentives offered at the time. We got much more van at a lower cost than the Sienna. Happy so far, but only time will tell.
-
excellent customer service. - 2006 Nissan Quest
By tita - June 19 - 10:06 pmgot the nssan quest se recently and was very impressed with appearance. dash board is nice, seats are comfortable, huge space but the best is the customer service in central ave nissan. everybody was just very accomodating and helpful, very detailed about the features of the car. not like honda dealer, they just gave the key and that was it. didnt even show me how to operate cd. will definitely buy from nissan central ave in yonkers again!
-
Its awsome - 2004 Nissan Quest
By coryell - June 15 - 10:00 amThis is the most vehicle for the money ! We love it this is my 7th nissan
-
Excellent! - 2004 Nissan Quest
By Patraleyeon - June 15 - 10:00 amI LOVE MY NEW NISSAN QUEST! ITS ROOMY, STYLISH, HUGS THE CURVES, THE COLOR IS AWESOME AND EVERYTHING IS RIGHT IN REACH. MY SON LOVES IT. MY BOYFRIEND LOVES IT TOO. AND THE PRICE WAS VERY VERY REASONABLE FOR THIS MINIVAN.
-
DO NOT BUY A NISSAN QUEST - 2004 Nissan Quest
By Carol Doyle - June 13 - 9:16 amI have had nothing but trouble since purchasing this car. 2 months after purchase, car broke down numerous times. After taking it in for service a couple of times without a diagnosis, it turned out to be the fuel pump. The only way they figured this out was by receiving a recall notice from Nissan. One year later, I received a recall notice about possibility of sliding doors not working in cold weather. When I brought the car in, I found out there were a total of 6 recall items!! In addition, they were rude and would not guarantee the car back that day even though I called a day earlier for an appt. Horrible customer service is worse than the car itself. I am selling soon!
-
Great Van with some glitches - 2005 Nissan Quest
By vxk1 - June 9 - 6:40 pmThe van has beaten all my expectations except that when it is really cold, the driver rear door will not slide open. When I take it to the dealer, nothing can be done unless he reproduces the problem. Bad Servicing Policy!
-
No Problems Here! - 2004 Nissan Quest
By S. - June 9 - 5:43 pmSorry to hear about problems other 04 Quest owners are having, but Ive had mine almost a year with hardly ANY problems. Absolutely no door rattles, electrical, or performance issues. About once every two months the stereo would not come on. Dealer replacing it. Took it on a long camping trip, with the canoe on a Yakima roof rack. It was rock solid, served us well, and still does. Spirited performance, tight handling. Poor gas mileage around town, though (~15.5 mpg). I have come to *prefer* the gauges/display in the center - they are not hidden behind the steering wheel which keeps my eyes up on the road. Yes, there are some things I would change, but Im like that with everything I buy :-)
-
Too young & cute to be a soccer mom! - 2004 Nissan Quest
By sassy - June 9 - 5:56 amDriving this van has been a pleasure and while its capacity is that of a soccer van, the image is simply not there. It drives smoothly, accelerates well, and handles corners. Nissan has handled the expected recalls of that of a new design quite well and our family is quite happy with it.
-
Quest is superb! - 2006 Nissan Quest
By Garey - June 8 - 9:30 amThe 25-26 mpg has been far exceeded, curently getting 28-30 mpg on the highway far exceeding the manufacturers stated numbers. Feels much safer than the previous Quest, 2002 we traded in for this one. Far superior craftmanship - much more solid vehicle than previous years.
