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 31 through 40 of 969.00-
New to Quest - 2008 Nissan Quest
By New to Quest - February 6 - 2:06 amGreat car. Been debating b/w odyssey, sienna, crossovers. Very happy with quest. Wasnt thrilled with a minivan but this is acceptable. Coming from an Audi so quality and road noise are not as nice but the amount of room is great. Kids love the van.
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unsafe on steep downgrades. - 2004 Nissan Quest
By Ed Brenneman - February 2 - 2:00 amWe love and hate our new Quest 3.5S. The problem is the transmission. In low gear, on a 10% downgrade,from a complete stop, the car will accelerate to 50 mph in 0.3 of a mile without ever using the gas pedal. I have since test driven one other Quest 3.5S and a 3.5SL they both performed the same way. If you think it is unsafe please write the NHTSA to get it recalled.
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Rattle Trap! - 2004 Nissan Quest
By T in T-Town - February 2 - 2:00 amLike other reviewers, we were initially attracted to the Quests sleek body style and "non-minivan" appeal; indeed, every day we get comments from admirers. Unfortunately, though, the vehicles integrity does not match its style. Weve had it back to the dealer 3 times for interior/side door shudders, rattles, and other mechanical malfunction, and for starting failure during cold weather. Generally, we receive inconclusive answers from the service department. We would love to keep it but need it to just WORK!!!
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More bang for the buck! - 2002 Nissan Quest
By mathew - January 26 - 10:00 amWe 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 amWe 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 good than bad - 2005 Nissan Quest
By Rob - January 21 - 1:23 pmWe 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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a few things about the quest - 2004 Nissan Quest
By vette55 - January 16 - 2:00 am1. 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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Dont want another one - 2005 Nissan Quest
By Randy - January 1 - 7:40 amWe fell in love with the minivan at the dealership. It had plenty of power. Went on vacation the fuel mpg was showing around 20.8 mpg. However the mileage continued to get worse traded it in this week was showing 17.5 mpg. It was in the shop right after we bought it to repair the manual sliding door (drivers side) because it would not completely close all the way. The dealership swore we had wrecked the van since they could not fix it in their shop. Tires were bald at 29k miles and the front brakes were terrible. The car would shake badly when applying brakes during normal stops. For 30k dont buy one of these. Traded it in on a 2007 Nissan Armada. Will give Nissan one more chance.
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Too much plastic for the money - 2007 Nissan Quest
By Usker - December 8 - 4:26 pmWe bought this car because my wife wanted her dogs to have easier access to get in. It is a beautiful van! Mileage is not what they tell in the city. Its way better on long vacation trips. So dont by this one unless you can afford the expense to have it. It takes some work to keep it clean inside. So in other words this better be your second car. Specially with the games they play with the cost of gas. When gas was at its most expensive, close to $5 a gallon, it cost almost $70 to fill up. Now that gas prices have fallen to $1.50 in our area, its under $30 a tank. Is the inside as good as I saw 4 years ago. No. I miss the center console idea, I saw in another friends Quest.
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family freindly - 2002 Nissan Quest
By ameaustin - November 15 - 2:00 amDuel rear air is a very nice feature, driver controls and passenger comfort exelent! Power and road handling above average.
