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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  Good value for money - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By Bergolive - February 13 - 11:50 pm

  We drive that car on horrible northern Canada roads and up to now (2 years of ownership) absolutely no problem with it. We knew the Odyssey reliability is better than the Quests, but the price and style of the Quest finally got us, and we do not regret at all. The front seats are not very comfortable, but the rest is good. Good value for the money.

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  Quest, Too Many Issues - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Keibie - February 11 - 10:00 am

  We are a month into our new 2004 Nissan Quest, and we are not pleased with the number of issues that have surfaced with this vehicle since the initial drive home from the dealership. 1) The Passenger Manual Door Rattles, 2) The Rear Pop-Out Windows Rattle when they are open, 3) The 3rd Row Bench Seat Rattles continuously when erected (not when it is folded down into the floor), 4) The vehicle takes too long to start after it has not been running for an hour or more, 5) The Front-End and Steering wheel vibrates at expressway speeds during both driving and braking, 6)The A/C Compressor makes a load bang noise when it intially engages.

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  review - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By shepardliz - February 11 - 10:00 am

  I love my Quest! It has so many great features, and it is so well laid-out, with lots of storage spaces. It is fun to drive. I love the 5 sunroofs, and my kids love the dual DVD screens. The biggest disadvantage is that the rear seat isnt split, so if you fold it down you lose 3 seats, on the other hand it does fold completely flat so you get lots of cargo room. The latch to release the seat to fold flat is extremely stiff, I have a very hard time using it. Overall, though, I love the vehicle and am extremely happy we purchased it!

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  A Minivan for All who Hate to drive one - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Hughor97 - February 11 - 10:00 am

  When my wife and I found out that we were about to have our 3rd child,we thought that it was important for us to buy a bigger car.We have a seven- year old, who still uses a booster seat, a two-year old who uses a car seat, a new baby on the way,and grandma who comes home sometimes to watch the kids.We both hated Minivans,so we decided to buy a 2003 Explorer with 3rd row. After the baby was born,it did not take us very long to realize that the Explorer was not going to cut it. When Nissan came out with the 2004 Quest , we both suddenly said, "Wow may be aminivan does not have to look boring,after all." We went to the Dealer for a spin,we were in awe.

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  Love it! ...I think. - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Cory and Laurel - February 11 - 10:00 am

  I think we love this minivan! Chose between 04 Sienna, Odyssey, Quest, but found best features & value for similarly priced trim levels in the Quest SL. All the mentioned vans have a lot of great features, pwr windows (Quest has auto up and down on both sides), pwr sliding dr, rear climate control etc. But the Quest had even more! Love how you never have to remove any heavy seats from the van to carry cargo. On board computer has neat features eg. tire press., trip/fuel econ comp., bright interior lights, printed antenna, etc. Has a great powerful engine, but poor fuel econ. 11L/100km avg. Drive is more car like than Sienna (mushy) and Odyssey I thought.

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  Good Driving-Body interior ? - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Bcreasman - February 11 - 10:00 am

  The motor and driving is excellent so far. I have had problems with the body such as a rattle in the back electric hatch, window wind sound, and electric side door popping sound. All these were fixed. Hunt Nissan is where I purchased it, they are wonderful, they follow up on any complaint and make it as pleasant as possible to bring your vehicle in.This is a new body style, I think these are fixable problems. Although The Nissan Murano is NICE!

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  Great Night Driver - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By SquareDancer - February 11 - 10:00 am

  I drive a lot of night miles and the placement of a center console has been great. We average 23mpg overall and I am not disappointed, because I knew the weight and height of the van. My only regret is the Goodyear tires. The first set were all out of round and could not be balanced and the second set is showing signs of doing the same. I drive in the range of 75-80mph highway and the comfort could not be better.

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  Dr. Melendezs Nissan quest review - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By melendezmd - February 11 - 10:00 am

  The minivan is overall a excellent car. There are some minor glitches that are important to mention. Side sliding door make a noise on bumpy road. This is something I had read in another review. Nissan needs to fix this. The air Conditioning ventilators on the roof are delicate and come of easily, as do the roof lights.

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  Better than CR reviews - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By dabbler - February 7 - 6:36 pm

  Consumer Reports gave this car a low reliability rating but from my experience it has been great, with a couple of exceptions. Like others I noticed that the tires wear out at 30,000 miles and the brakes wear out at 20,000. And I thought my wife used the gas and brake at the same time. My favorite attraction: Safety: it had curtain air bags standard while others gouged the consumer to get them. I hear complaints about the readouts being in the center. They should get some reviewers that are not old fashioned and fixed in their ways. It only took a little while. My first attraction: it didnt have a ho-hum interior, but has a little excitement to it, even with just the standard package.

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  Unhappy with Quest - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Plantation - February 7 - 10:00 am

  We have had many problems with our Quest that Nissan cant seem to resolve. The major recall did not manage to fix these problems. We are trying to Lemon Law our van. It has been in the shop almost one time per month since we got it. We have just given up.