Second place is a tough pill to swallow; it's a superior performance, but it's not superlative. It's the first loser, as some say, and the Nissan Quest knows the feeling all too well.
In our 2011 Minivan Comparison Test, the Nissan Quest tied for 2nd place against such big-name minivan competitors as the Chrysler Town and Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna SE. The Quest's solid drivetrain, competent ride and plush interior made it a crowd favorite during the testing. Unfortunately, a high (but flat) load floor, smallish cargo space and seating for only seven kicked the Quest off its perch and vaulted the sporty Toyota Sienna into the top spot.
The winner in that test has already spent a year in our long-term test fleet and the other 2nd-place finisher, the Honda Odyssey, is closing in on a year here, too. Now it's the Quest's turn to rack up the miles.
Twelve months and 20,000 miles with a 2012 Nissan Quest 3.5 LE starts today.
What We Got
There are four trim levels for the 2012 Nissan Quest, and one powertrain option: a 3.5-liter V6 cranking out 260 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque connected to a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
The base S model comes with 16-inch steel wheels, cruise, tilt-and-telescoping wheel and even keyless entry. This model starts at $27,750. Jump up from there and you wind up in an SV, which gets alloy wheels, foglights, power-sliding doors, leather steering wheel, rearview camera, front-seat center console, Bluetooth and an audio system with a 4-inch color display and a USB/iPod interface. That one's only $31,050. The SL sweetens the pot with 18s, automatic headlights, leather, heated front seats and one-touch fold-flat third-row seats for $34,500.
The top dog of the Quest crew is the LE and it's the one we got. It takes everything above and adds xenon headlights, a blind-spot warning system, driver memory, four-way power front passenger seat, power-return third-row seats, navigation, rear entertainment with an 11-inch screen, 13-speaker Bose stereo and an 8-inch display. This one retails for $41,350.
But we didn't stop there. We added a $1,350 dual-opening glass moonroof, $205 carpeted floor mats for all rows and $350 roof rails. If the Quest is ever going to have a chance of outshining its rivals, a loaded LE is its best chance. The sticker price totaled $44,065 but Nissan provided the vehicle so there was no haggling on the price.
Why We Got It
Pretty simple, really: This is a van on the verge of being a segment leader. During the big minivan face-off, the Quest impressed us with its superb ride/handling balance, intuitive cabin, spooky-quiet highway ride and a "sweetheart of a drivetrain."
It looks a little funny and it doesn't haul as many people or as much stuff as the other vans in this segment, though, so we're curious whether such drawbacks amount to much after a year behind the wheel.
Our long-term test of the 2012 Nissan Quest LE overlaps with the end of our 2011 Toyota Sienna and 2011 Honda Odyssey tests so for now, it's a repeat of the last showdown. Can the Quest win us over this time? How about 12 months from now? Follow along on our Long-Term Road Test Blog for updates.
Current Odometer: 835
Best Fuel Economy: 19.7
Worst Fuel Economy: 18.1
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.8
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Add A Comment »
greywulfe says:
08:29 PM, 01/15/2012
The new Honda Oddessy is by far the ugliest minivan. The whole front and back end look like they were different designs fused together, with a super large door rail. I don't think the Nissan is that bad...for God's sake its a minivan - it will never win any awards.
nissanmasttech says:
08:10 PM, 01/07/2012
I think the back of this van is butt ugly, but I have to say that the fit and finish on this vehicle is head and shoulders above the previous model. This model Quest has been very dependable, I have seen very few problems, I guess that building them in Japan makes a difference.
lonewalden says:
04:37 PM, 01/03/2012
For those saying the Quest does not have any room compared to other minivans, have you actually sat in the new quest? I was like you when I read about the quest. I immediately wrote it off my minivan shopping list. However, after test driving the honda and climbing around in the toyota I decided to give the nissan a look. Trust me when I say this, you will not realize the van is down on cubes compared to the other two.
Everyone I show the van to is absolutely shocked when I show them just how much room the well has. It looks even bigger with the back seats folded down. As long as you dont get the upgraded stereo package. I have owned a SL for about 5 months now and hands down this is the nicest vehicle I have ever owned. Past vehicles have included a Borrego limited, 2006 Quest van. This is truly a luxury car. If you dont at least give this a van a look in real life you are shorting yourself.
carsgalore says:
12:03 PM, 12/28/2011
@blackdynamite1
Answers to your question in order of your previous post:
#1 Not really, I will give you that one. All of the car companies who were developing their hybrid technology were taking risks, definately not a safe bet.
#2 Putting hybrid powertrains in Lexus LS after the technology was refined and made reliable/commonplace therefore it is "safe" by default. They are smart enough not to be "risky" and put a new technology (back then) in their Lexus brand without refining it in Toyota. That was good business sense.
#3 Umm, it is a hybrid so there is a gasonline engine, not sure what you mean but it is safe because they already did the groundwork to make this technology reliable and so forth; therefore a safe bet since Toyota refined this technology in their Prius (same engine) and same platform as the Corolla and Matrix which the CT comes from.
#4 Yes, nissan had already done this with the quest years prior. In fact most of the minivans out there used a modified "sporty" suspension of their car counterparts. therefore, it is safe.
#5 Of course this is safe since Subaru has already established themselves as a viable compact car company to begin with. This partnership has been in the works for many years so it is safe, there is no risk at all here. I actually think this was a smart and safe bet!
#6 I will agree with you on this one because that was and still is a gamble and definately not a "safe bet."
skinnyg says:
10:09 AM, 12/28/2011
Nice interior, fugly interior. The Honda Odyessey, is a much better overall product.
ne1butu2 says:
10:29 AM, 12/25/2011
Goog gawd this thing is horrible looking! At $44k it might as well cost a million bucks, because this thing is a total joke.
blackdynamite1 says:
06:55 AM, 12/25/2011
Says
Thank you, my annoyance.....
BD
jackmehoff says:
06:36 PM, 12/23/2011
Shoulda got a ZR1. American metal. I mean plastic.
says:
04:16 PM, 12/23/2011
Wonder Bread called--they want their loaf back! OO-ugly.
BD--As much as your posts usually annoy me, it annoys me more that I agree with you today.
Copying the competition is the best form of flattery--Nissan should have kept a well in the back--it's the #1 thing I like about our Odyssey. I can create a flat loading floor without removing seats simply by folding all the seatbacks forward, PLUS can remove the middle seats for more storage. How often do we need to take them out--at least a few times of year. Tables, charirs, sofas, furniture, construction debris, you name it
300zxguy says:
02:13 PM, 12/23/2011
@06scooby,
thanks for your comments. Having not checked it out in person, it wasn't clear to me that the quest has so much less cargo space with all seats in use.