DAVE: Before Jimmy starts raving about the interior of the Quest — and if he doesn’t, I will — I want to get to the driving experience. It starts under the hood, where all four Quest models come with a 260-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine that is found in several other Nissan products. Among minivans, this is certainly a worthy powerplant. Paired with a continuously variable transmission, the Quest does well on the highway. Although the CVT does not provide abrupt response to a hard pedal push, which can cause initial consternation when merging into moving traffic, it more than holds its own once the driver expectations are tempered. Although the Quest weighs more than two tons, it definitely handles like a car. Don’t ever let somebody besmirch the ease of maneuvering this vehicle. And now, since Jimmy’s getting anxious, here comes his interior report. As a forewarning, this could take awhile.
JIMMY: Inside, it certainly rivals its competition and even surpasses it, in some regards. My LE model came with leather, an entertainment system and excellent touchpoints. The second-row moonroof that was indepedent from the one above the first row. Both could be fully opened. This was a much-appreciated feature that isn’t found in many vehicles. Was that succinct enough for you, Dave? I know you want to talk up the extras and features found in your Quest.
DAVE: My test vehicle was the top-of-the-line LE as well, which is stocked full of standard features. Among those that were most appealing — and are add-ons to the SL, the third highest of the Quest trims — were the navigation system, driver’s side memory system, power third-row seat, DVD entertainment system, second- and third-row sunshades and blind-spot alert. Noteworthy were the monitor sizes for the navigation (8-inch) and rear-seat entertainment (11-inch) systems. And as Jimmy mentioned, Nissan has optional dual-opening moonroofs for $1,350, which is pretty cool.
JIMMY: As is the case with all minivans, Nissan was on a quest (see what I did there?) to make moving non-human cargo a priority. The third row (which can accomodate three smaller people or children) folds forward. Other vans have fancy contraptions where seats disappear out of sight. Not the case here with the Quest, and it does reduce cargo space somewhat. Second-row seats also fold forward, but these go flat. It might be a little different than what other vans offer, but in the end, it provides more than adequate cargo space.
DAVE: Quests start at $27,750 for the entry-level S trim and work their way through the SV and SL to top out at $41,350 for the LE. There can be great value in a minivan, with customers able to go bare bones and still reap the benefits of a versatile people or cargo mover or adding any number of amenities.
JIMMY: I know minivans don’t have a lot of cache and the segment has gotten smaller, too. But in the quest (that’s the last time I’m doing that, I swear) to dominate the minivan segment, Nissan presents a minivan that separates itself from the competition.
Jimmy Dinsmore is Wheels Editor for Cox Media Group Ohio and Dave Mikesell is a freelance automotive reviewer based in Indianapolis. Across Generations looks at similar vehicles from two different perspectives.
About the Author