Nissan Quest

The Nissan Quest is a minivan manufactured by Nissan, and is currently in its fourth generation. The vans debuted in 1992 in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show, and were originally part of a joint venture with Ford. The Nissan Quest is a pretty good minivan, but most reviewers agree that in a competitive class, pretty good simply is not good enough. It received a 7.5 rating from U.S. News, and ranked 5^th out of the 6 minivans it ranked.

Performance

Critics are not terribly positive about the Nissan Quest’s performance (although they are not overly negative either). U.S. News gave the Quest a pedestrian 7.1 performance rating, one of the lowest ratings in its class. It comes with a 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 260 horsepower and generates 240 pound-feet of torque. It is paired with a continuously variable transmission. According to the EPA, the Quest gets around 19 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. The small turning radius makes it very easy to drive around town, although fast corners leads to a significant amount of body lean. The elctrohydraulic steering helps make it one of the most nimble minivans available, and it rides fairly smooth.

Interior

The Nissan Quest comes with an upscale interior that offers sophisticated styling. Although the 8.0 interior rating it received from U.S. News is not exceptional, it is a better rating than it scored in the other categories. It is able to seat seven people, and reviewers say the seats are comfortable and spacious. Standard features include a stereo with an auxiliary input jack, power windows, and a push-button start. Optional features include a rear-seat entertainment system, Nissan’s around view camera system, Bluetooth, power doors, and a USB port. Behind the back row, there is 37.1 cubic feet of cargo space available. This increases to 63.6 cubic feet when the third row is folded down, and 108.4 cubic feet when the third and second rows are folded down. There is a heavy-duty cover that allows drivers to stack cargo on top of the space.

Pros/Cons

Reviewers appreciate the Nissan Quest’s engine and small turning radius, although there have been complaints about the significant amount of body lean when taking corners, and how some road noise intrudes into the cabin. The CVT gets mixed reviews, with some complaints about how it allows the vehicle to roll backwards when stopping on a hill (although others say it operates very smoothly). The gas mileage is also a little low for the class. Inside, the controls are easy to use, although the gear shift impedes access to climate and entertainment controls. The seats are spacious, although the front passenger seat lacks knee room, and the visibility from the driver’s seat to the rear is poor. The biggest drawback is the fact that the rear seats cannot be folded into the floor or removed; instead, they simply fold down, which creates an elevated cargo area, making it more difficult to load large or heavy cargo.

Other Features

According to the Nissan dealership website, there are three different base prices for the Quest depending on what model you want to purchase. The S model starts at $25 990; the SV model starts at $29 740 (which includes a rearview monitor and 16-inch aluminum-alloy wheels); and the SL model starts at $33 520 (which includes leather-appointed seats and Quick Comfort heated front seats). The Quest does not fare as well as other minivans in terms of safety, and while it has a decent amount of standard safety features, it lacks some of the leading technology that can be found in its rivals. It still was able to achieve a 9.6 safety rating from U.S. News, however. Unfortunately, it earned the lowest score possible (“acceptable”) from the IIHS in the roof-strength test.