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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  "Lemon" I Need Help! Not happy! - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By 2004 NISSIAN QUEST - July 24 - 8:00 pm

  From the very beginning of my purchase, I have encountered problems. Electrical disaster. Problems on the dashboard. Had to get tires, brake job. Took to Nissan to replace alternator. Have a whole lot of squeaking in sliding doors and other places. Had some problems with acceleration hesitation. Interior lights & air vents falling out of ceiling. Vibration and ratting problems. Engine smoking and burning oil need a ring job. The warranty will not cover it because of requirement to have all oil changes information on it. We did not get all of our oil changes from them so we need proof of getting them from other establishment so that we can get our motor fix. It has been a nightmare.

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  buyer beware - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By william - July 5 - 7:30 am

  My car makes a loud noise & there is vibration in the front of the car when the car is accelerated. I brought the car in to the dealer lots of times for a period of over 3 months. They said I needed to replace the entire exhaust system. I paid to replace it but it didnt fix the problem. They then replaced the catalytic converters, fuel rails, engine mounts, adjusted the front cradle and finally the transmission. They couldnt fix the problem & Nissan corporation told me after replacing all those items on the quest, that the vibration & noise was normal for this vehicle & to just deal with the problem. Nissan acknowledge the car had a problem in the beginning, now they dont want to help.

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  Piece of junk! - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By dissapointed05 - June 30 - 1:36 pm

  Well from reading many of the reviews it seems apparent that they are common.Our Car has had constant Brake problem from the time we bought it new..We now have 85000K and have the following list of repairs that need to be done from Nissan and 2 other Mechanics,3 Motor mounts,upper control arms,shocks and struts, Catalytic converter, selonoid, TRANSMISSION, ENGINE about to go, Bad piston noise, Brakes are almost gone again/rotors. NICE LIST, Total estimate from Nissan was $10,190.00 I would never buy Nissan again,when they checked the car they said to sell it/Trade it in.I will be doing exactly that but will get anything but Nissan.There is no way a car with 85000k should be this bad.

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  This one sucks - 1999 Nissan Quest
  By Kevlev - October 29 - 2:00 am

  Engine is real bad. It sounds like an overworked mule. Dealership service could never fix it. Jerky action when applying gas. Engine bogs down and is a gas hog.

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  Watch Doors - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Darcy - October 19 - 10:00 am

  Automatic doors were stuck open during cold winter months; happened on two occassions, problem is still unidentified. Electric short on interior dashboard; severe water leak from interior coat hanging feature, still unresolved; loud banging noise when fully turning steering wheel, still unresolved.

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  Wish I did not buy it - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By Noel - September 22 - 2:06 pm

  I bought a new car thinking that that was the smart thing to do. I am so upset about my Quest. At 30,000 I took it into Nissan for the yearly VA inspection. They told me that I neede new breaks and that they were schocked how many miles I had on the car because most of the vans needed then at 20,000. I also needed new tires at 35,000 the van is too heavy of a car for the type that came with the van! That they did not have a milage garentee. I will never buy a NIsann again!!!!

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  2007 quest quality - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By junkyride - August 16 - 1:16 pm

  Worst vehicle I have ever owned. Auto door did not work. Dealer repaired. Fuse block blew I had to fix $400. Major issue was front suspension components. Just replaced control arms, ball joints etc. $1150 my expense. I have worked for Nissan suppliers before and thought the quality would be there. Wrong! I will never buy another Nissan. Service from dealers is poor and very expensive ! Presently there is a shimmy and cant get it out. Beverage holder next to second row seating poorly thought out. Easy for someone to drag their rear end across them and break them. Worst job of Japanese engineering ever. Made in Japan now instead of Mississippi. No more Nissans for me.

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  Bitter lemons!!! - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By 04queststinks - April 15 - 12:43 pm

  We bought this car new in 2004, we immediately started having problems! Rattling back seat which was recalled and the dealers fix for this on our expensive new car was...duct tape! Seriously?! Then the sliding door started rattling, the rubber strip above the side door flew off while driving. Have replaced brakes numerous times, the front windows get stuck when it rains!, the console is made of some cheap material that doesnt wear well, the lights and vents randomly fall out of the ceiling! The timing chain guides broke and the power steering pressure hose broke and it just sucks!!! Waist of $ what a lemon!

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  04 Quest from Hell - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By sugaz23 - February 1 - 6:40 pm

  Where to start. Had the van a month, the 6 disc cd player died, ive replaced it 4 times since. Replaced brakes and rotors every year. Power sliding doors have their own mind, theyll open when they want. Sun roof leaks. Had to replace cam shaft position censor only to find out it need a new computer! Everyone said how reliable Nissans are, well the motor might never die, but everything else around it will! I will never own another Nissan and im telling everyone i know not to get one either!

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  Bugs and more bugs - 2006 Nissan Quest
  By Bxbean - January 31 - 6:30 am

  The end of my story is that we bought out our lease early and walked away from this piece of junk. The list of problems are too numerous to list, but here goes: power sliding doors opened by themselves (recall, fixed), passenger sliding door rattles and lets air in to cabin (not a good thing when its 10 degrees out), starting problems went on for over two years, new brakes needed after only 30,000 miles of driving. Also, interior materials feel cheap, fan blower is very loud, even on the lowest setting, heater works poorly. We took the vehicle to Lemon Law and settled for a modest amount of money and walked away through an early lease termination. Nissan Corporate was not responsive.