Nissan Quest Review

2008 Nissan Quest 3.5 SL Minivan Shown

Nissan arrived nearly a decade late to the minivan party when it brought out its Quest in the early '90s. A successor to the Axxess (a people mover that was more of a small, tall wagon than a true minivan in terms of passenger and cargo capacity), the Nissan Quest didn't break any new ground as it followed the established minivan formula of V6 power, front-wheel drive and seven-passenger capacity.

The first two generations of the Quest were rather anonymous and subpar, but the current, third-generation Nissan Quest made a huge leap ahead in terms of styling and performance. But the cabin was criticized for its oddball design (which placed the instruments in the center and many too-similar buttons on a large pillar-style center stack), flat seats, abundance of hard plastic and inconsistent build quality. Thankfully, a recent midcycle refresh brought about significant interior improvement via a redesigned dash and center stack, and upgraded materials.

In general, the Nissan Quest remains a mid-pack choice for a minivan, as it's never been able to match top vans like the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna in terms of quality, refinement or reputation for reliability. The first- and second-generation vans are mediocre picks on the used car market, while the current Quest, though improved, has never quite caught on with consumers.

Current Nissan Quest

The current Nissan Quest is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 235 horsepower. Power is sent to the front wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. Four trim levels are available -- from the base 3.5, to the 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 include rear seats -- forcing customers to cough up extra cash for the seat package for second-row captain's chairs and a flat-folding rear bench.

The current Quest has a few things in its favor, including a roomy interior and handling that's a cut above most other minivan competitors. However, downsides are numerous, including a third-row seat that isn't split, a relative lack of cargo capacity and limited availability of stability control. Overall, minivan shoppers will be better served by other top choices in this segment.

Past Nissan Quest Models

The current- (third) generation Nissan Quest debuted in 2004, shaking the minivan world up 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 enter stack was replaced by a much more user-friendly layout in a 2007 refresh.

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. However, the van's questionable ergonomics, iffy build quality and poor crash test scores 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.

SELECT A SPECIFIC NISSAN QUEST MODEL YEAR*

* Edmunds.com maintains vehicle data as far back as 1990.