Much less bland than other minivans, could use additional refinement
Written: Sep 12 '03 (Updated Jun 22 '05)
Product Rating:
Pros: Styling, all rear seats fold flat, storage
Cons: Poor ergonomics, body flex, noisier than most, third row eats fingers
The Bottom Line: The styling and feature list make the new Quest more appealing than other minivans. Unfortunately, its ergonomics and structure need work.
Conventional wisdom within the auto industry is that a minivan is a minivan is a minivan because there’s not much you can do to differentiate a box on wheels. It’s also well known that many people who need the functionality of a minivan wouldn’t be caught dead in one, and thus spend more for less functional SUVs. (Minivans are considerably roomier than all but the largest SUVs, and are much easier to get into and out of.) In an attempt to prove the conventional wisdom wrong and attract those resistant to buying a minivan, Nissan’s 2004 Altima-based Quest breaks many conventions: the exterior styling is swoopy, the interior styling borrows themes from high-end European furniture, the instruments are in the center of the dash, and dual longitudinal skylights grace the roof. The only thing missing is the Murano’s CVT. Maybe next year? To see how the new Quest measures up, I took one for a test drive.
Nissan Quest Reliability
You cannot assume that a vehicle will be reliable just because it's a Japanese brand. In one study the Nissan Quest was the least reliable 2004 model.
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Styling
Strange as it is, the Quest’s styling actually works. Especially from the front quarter, a view that emphasizes the complex chiseled surfaces of the front end, this is a sharp looking minivan. The dipping beltline precludes hidden door tracks as seen on many competing minivans, but the conventional tracks are narrow and do not overly mar the clean rear quarters.
The interior styling is even more unique. The instruments are centrally mounted; a storage compartment is located atop the dash where they would normally be. The audio and climate controls are located with the shifter atop a round pedestal.
Perhaps reflecting Renault’s influence, the seats resemble furniture from Roche-Bobois in both design and upholstery. At least when clad in leather, as they are in the SE I drove. This leather is covered with tiny dots, perhaps to suggest skin from a non-bovine creature. This furthers the exotic ambiance of the interior. The finely ribbed cloth standard in lesser Quests, sadly, looks awful. The design of the seats is rather hard to describe. The upholstery is taut and flat laterally, with sharply defined cushion edges to the sides but an unbroken curve sweeping under the seat at the front. The cushions’ side stitching suggests that the top surface is a separate piece, like with a pillow-top mattress but much tauter and more precise. One reviewer thought this design suggested that of a chaise lounge, which is apt.
In addition to the typical beige, a “rouge” interior is available. A red interior in a minivan, crazy. There are limits, though. The red interior is not available with the red exterior. The green van I drove had the beige.
The ceiling has also received attention. Rear seat passengers are treated to two rows of fixed longitudinal skylights (four panels) flank an “airline-style” roof-mounted console containing video screen(s), paperback-sized storage compartment(s), air vents, and reading lights. The $1,900 entertainment system (only available on the SE) has one screen for each rear row. The van I drove had a $1,500 single-screen system, with a second storage compartment in place of the second screen. Front seat passengers get a conventional sunroof in the SE, and no sun in the others.
Accommodations
The previous Quest was roughly the size of domestic short wheelbase minivans. The new one with 124 inches of wheelbase and 204 inches of length is the longest minivan available, and its width and height are also at or near the top of the class. This is one big van (still a “mini” van), and even though the styling detracts a bit from packaging efficiency it is still among the roomiest available. There is plenty of legroom in all three rows, though the third row is too close to the floor to provide good thigh support.
The seat’s design lends them a strange, taut feel, at least in leather. Other minivans have much cushier seats. Whether this will make a difference in long-distance comfort I could not tell during my test drive. The seats provide no lateral support, but then this is a minivan.
The center instruments are not as difficult to use as those in the Echo and ION because they aren’t truly centered. Instead, they are located just to the right of the steering wheel. They are, however, too small and awkwardly styled.
The pedestral-mounted controls are more of an issue. They are too far away and too horizontal to be operated comfortably from the driver’s seat. Worse, their position makes them difficult to see, a problem compounded by the fact that the overly small readouts are contained in an easily washed-out flat panel display. Overall, I found it far too difficult to adjust the stereo and climate controls in the new Quest.
Cargo capacity and versatility are strengths. Numerous storage compartments, many in novel locations, are just the beginning. Not only does the Quest’s third row seat dump into a well, but the optional captain’s chairs also fold flat. Well, somewhat flat. The resulting floor is uneven. Aside from folding, the captain’s chairs adjust to three different fore-aft positions to shift legroom between the second and third row. Folding any seats requires that the headrests first be removed, and unlike in the Honda no place is provided to securely stash them. It’s interesting the Nissan could come from nowhere in this segment to offer the most innovative interior.
One safety issue: My test drive of the new Quest was the first to cause me injury, courtesy of the third-row seat. With the Nissan, you must pull hard on a tether to flop the very heavy third-row bench over and into the hole. Alas, I did not withdraw my fingers from this loop as the seat descended, and said fingers were pulled into the well with the seat. In a major design oversight, the tether is not long enough to extend outside the well when the seat is stowed. I expect another six inches to be added to its length, perhaps as a consequence of my experience. Nothing was broken, but the fingers involved were still a bit stiff and sore over a week later.
I didn’t suffer injury with Honda Odyssey, and do not recall such difficulty stowing its third-row seat. But even the Honda is no longer the best. The also new for 2004 Toyota Sienna has by far the best third-row seat design. First, the seat is split in two, making each piece lighter. Second, the headrests do not have to be removed. Third, the seats do not flop over in the process of stowing so the tether remains on top—it does not even go into the well. A much safer design and one that adults with limited upper-body strength will vastly prefer.
Maximum cargo volume matches the Sienna at 149 cubic feet and slightly exceeds the Odyssey’s 146. The Chrysler minivans offer 168, but the seats must be removed.
On the Road
Like about half of Nissan’s line-up these days, the Quest is powered by a 3.5-liter V6. In this application the engine produces 240 horsepower. The automatic transmission in the SE, unlike that in lesser Quests, has a fifth ratio. Strangely, fuel economy is one mile-per-gallon lower with this transmission, likely due to the SE’s extra poundage. Also owing to this mass, about a half ton more than a V6 Altima, the V6 doesn’t feel so strong here. Initial acceleration is even on the soft side. Once over 4500 RPM the engine feels much more energetic. Its note is strangely pedestrian given its DOHC configuration. Heavy throttle application yields mild torque steer. The transmission’s shifts are rougher than most these days. Overall, the Honda Odyssey’s powertrain feels stronger and smoother.
Handling is better than that of most minivans, but that’s not saying much. The Quest leans less in hard turns than I expected from such a tall vehicle, the steering is moderately firm, and the rear end stays planted. On the downside, the Quest understeers early and heavily. The overall handling bias it towards safety. It can be tossed about, but it doesn’t ask to be, and, well, this is a minivan so no one’s going to be pushing that hard.
My largest performance issues concern the Quest’s ride quality. Wind and road noise are higher than in many competitors. The ride is not uncomfortable, but it lacks the composure and refinement of the Honda, Toyota, and Chrysler Town & Country. Most troubling, I sensed considerably more flex in the structure and heard the rear doors squirming in their openings over uneven pavement. The Nissan is larger than the others, and has a lot of glass in the roof, but does not weigh much more (especially not compared to the Honda). This suggests structural stiffness was compromised to keep mass down. Although I would not expect this to affect safety, it could lead to many rattles down the road (a common problem with minivans).
Update 12-2003: Other reviews I've read criticize the Honda, not the Nissan, for road noise and praise the Nissan's ride. Two things might have biased my evaluation of the Nissan's ride quality: I tested it on rougher roads than I tested the Honda and Toyota, and I drove it immediately after driving the new Maxima. Even the quietest minivan is noisy compared to a good sedan.
Pricing
For quick, up-to-date pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.
The following is from when the review was originally written:
The well-equipped SE I drove listed for $37,180. Shave $2,000 if you’re not interested in the nav system. I discussed entertainment system prices above. This van also had the $750 captain’s chairs and $150 floormats. Stability control, rear-obstacle detection, side and side curtain airbags, dual power sliding doors, a power liftgate, heated leather power front seats, and a Bose stereo with CD changer are standard on the SE. Edmunds suggests no discounting, but I find this hard to believe as Quests have not been flying of dealers’ lots where I live. Maybe it’s just too early in the model year to calculate the typical discount? For comparison purposes I’m cutting the nav system, yielding a $35,180 price.
The 2004 Toyota Sienna if flying off dealer’s lots, so I would expect to pay at least sticker. Equipped like the Quest I drove (XLE with #16 and floormats), this sticker is $35,541. The Toyota lacks rear obstacle detection (in XLE form), a power passenger seat, and the Quest’s nifty ceiling, but has a fold-flat front passenger seat, sunshades, and a removable center rear console. Overall, the Quest is slightly better equipped. Compared to the Quest, the Sienna is more refined, comfortable, and quiet and has a better third row seat but does its styling and performance are both more much more bland and it lacks a fold-flat second row option.
Pricing for the 2004 Odyssey is not yet available. With leather and entertainment system the 2003 (my review here) listed for much less than the others at $30,360, and Edmunds suggests dealers typically knock another $1,300 off. Discounts are new to this van, a sign of the new competition. But will this discount continue into the new model year? The price will probably increase by a couple hundred dollars. I’d guess just under $30,000 out the door for an early 2004. The Odyssey is not as well equipped as the others. Aside from lacking the Nissan’s and Toyota’s unique features, there is no sunroof, premium brand stereo, CD changer, power tailgate, curtain airbags, or stability control.
Equipped closer to the Honda (but with a four-speed automatic, power passenger seat, rear obstacle detection, curtain airbags, and a power liftgate—but no left-side power door), a Nissan Quest SL lists for $31,530. Adjusting for equipment, this puts the Nissan about a grand over the Honda. It lacks the Honda’s refinement and does not perform as well, so unless the styling and ceiling treatment really move you it does not seem worth the extra money.
At some point in 2004 the Chrysler and Ford minivans will offer a fold-flat third row. GM already does, but few of its minivans are so equipped. In general, a domestic minivan will list for as much or more than the Japanese, but after discounts and rebates will often cost less.
For example, a Chrysler Town and Country eX equipped like the Odyssey EX-L (but with a power tailgate, power passenger seat, and CD changer but no stowable seat) lists for $31,950. The typical discount brings this to $30,600. Currently no rebates are available on this value-priced version of the Chrysler (created to compete with the Odyssey EX). Other trim lines have a $2,000 rebate.
Last Words
The old Quest was an also-ran among minivans. The new one, in contrast, stands out for its striking design and innovative features. However, it lacks the refinement and ease of use of the segment leaders and I would be wary of rattles down the road.
Update 12-2003: I find myself liking the Quest's styling more and more. It truly stands out among minivans. In another review someone mentioned that Nissan has a fix for the squeaker door issue, so maybe that's not a serious concern. However, the Nissan remains less refined and less quick than the Honda and Toyota, and I do not see myself warming to its instruments and controls. The Honda remains the best bet in my view, but in my review of the 2004 Odyssey I recommend waiting to see what the redesigned 2005 Odyssey will be like. I expect a much nicer interior, among other enhancements.
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 37,180
Model and Options: SE with nav and single-screen entertainment
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