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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  Great Van - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Ranjan Bhai - July 30 - 10:00 am

  Worth the wait for my family. The skyview roof decided Quest over Sienna. Great for long drives.

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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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  Needs work - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By EW - July 24 - 9:46 am

  Nissan needs to work on quality control for the Quest. Ours has developed rattles everywere, skyview window leaks, and the right side sliding door is sticky just to name a few. The dealer has attempted to fix most of our complaints, and Nissan did extend the warranty to 5 years/60K for free, but for a van this pricey it should not have the problems it does The engine and transmission combo are a plus. The trans does tend to annoyingly hunt between gears at 20 mph.

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  Not LOL, but falling apart :( - 2007 Nissan Quest
  By Nissan like Chrysler - July 17 - 5:43 pm

  This is the worse Nissan my dad ever had. We had an Altima S 2004 went in to 70k with out major problems. It was salvage so we went for Quest 2007 with only like 16K. Problems very loud rattling noise from bottle holders between driver and pass seat! Piece of exterior flew away while driving. Air conditioner not working. The part keeps burning very fast after we buy it! Now at almost 30K we want to just get rid of it! Brake pads need to be replaced at almost 30K!

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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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  Could be better - 2001 Nissan Quest
  By carol0311 - July 4 - 2:00 am

  We bought this vehicle because I loved the design. The van looks sleek (two tone) and nice. But too many things wrong with it in the 1 1/2 years Ive had it. Almost immediately a door sensor went out and it kept thinking there was a door open. Sliding door window kept coming loose and would make an annoying noise until replaced. Passenger door window makes a noise when coming up or down and dealer says that there is nothing wrong with it??? Could make it better.

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  81,000 miles plus - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By lynn - July 2 - 8:06 pm

  No complaints on trips. Gas mileage is great for its size. The comfort and engine pick up is fabulous. The tire replacement is an issue because the tires are hard to find unless you get them from the dealer and they are expensive. The tire pressure gauge is on anytime there is a major change in temp and is a pain because the dealer has to reset it. The brakes wear out fairly quickly, we are on our second set, and we have also replaced the bearings. Driver arm rest, not in the right position, replaced. The van still looks good! Even though it is FWD,it slips in snow. Low to ground and can scrape. When packed to the gills, plus bikes, still gets good mileage.Has gotten stuck in gear some.

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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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  They dont get any better than this! - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By Joenissan - June 18 - 10:00 am

  After driving the Oddessy, new Sienna, and the Town & Country, we went with the Quest...our 12th Nissan now. This thing is like a limo. Its larger than any minivan on the market and its cocoon quiet and smooth. The interior is elegant when compared to the competition. We enjoy this Quest better than anything weve driven....and its a MINIVAN! Nissan now has the new benchmark minivan!

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  A lemon for sure - 2004 Nissan Quest
  By ckmontgomery1 - June 11 - 8:36 pm

  I handled all the small problems like rattling doors, doors that had their own mind and spontaneously opened, moonroof that leaked, doors that squished my children but at 100000 miles my entire computer system/ electric system was corroded and left the van inoperable. Nissan Corp has not helped AT ALL. The part was ordered by a dealer and it is now on 2 months of being unavailable with no excuse or reason why. We have made every effort to speak with Nissan to get answers to no avail- nothing past the call center who claims they resolved our problem- part will be in in 3 more weeks Only that was said 1x already. I just cannot wait to get the car fixed + gone!