William Maley

Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

July 19, 2012

Updated: July 25, 2012

Well, the Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC and Volkswagen Passat 2.5 SE have left the Garage and in their place is this; the 2012 Nissan Quest LE.

The Quest LE comes with a 3.5L V6 producing 260 HP and 240 lb-ft of torque, and is equipped with a CVT.

First Impressions:

• Woah, this is very distinctive. I feel that the Quest's design is a love it or hate it. I like it myself.
  
• I've been in houses that aren't as nice as the Quest's interior.
  
• V6 and CVT combination is a surprise. Really can get the Quest moving at a surprising rate.
  
• Don't like the Quest's transmission gate. Think I'm in Drive when I'm actually in Low. Very annoying.
  

I'll have some updates on the Quest as the week goes on. In the meantime, drop off your questions for the Quest.

Update: Sorry for the lack of updates on the Quest, I've been busy with some other work. But after spending a week and close to 550 miles on this van, I can say the Quest does make a good case for itself as a contender. Yes, you can't fold the seats into the floor or remove them to increase cargo room. But if you're main goal is to transport family members or people, the Quest fills that need perfectly.

Fuel economy wise, the Quest did ok. 21.2 MPG was the test average, and on the highway run I got 22.3 MPG. Not bad for a van that weighs closely to 4500 lbs.

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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More Pictures please so we can see the front, 3/4 view, interior.

In regards to the car, do they still have that terrible shifter as part of the dash?

Fit and finish both inside and out, I expect it to be good, but does it have anoying form? Some rear doors I see coming have these huge long flares that will cause door dings and be hard to get in and out of in tight parking. So are the front door normal van like with sliding rear or what?

Road noise when driving, how does it compare to a buick?

Blind spots?

What type of Nanny devices did it come with?

The interior is really pleasant, overall design not so much.

Question for W.M.....given the choice between this and the Odyssey, whoich do you prefer?

I'm a fan of the exterior look. I think it looks much more upscale than its competitors. I haven't spent any time inside one to know much about the interior.

I'm a fan of the exterior look. I think it looks much more upscale than its competitors. I haven't spent any time inside one to know much about the interior.

I'm really surprised you like this...I thought this would be one of your least favorite new vehicles.

But then again, you always did like wagons....

I tend to like well styled cars that are different in their class from the mainstream somehow. There isn't a lot you can do with a minivan to make it look different and special, but I think Nissan hits closest to that mark here.

ugly....my aztek was a peach in comparison

ugly....my aztek was a peach in comparison

If your Aztec was a Peach...this explains why I no longer live in Georgia....

ugly....my aztek was a peach in comparison

About the Aztec it seems like eveyone of them ever sold is still on the road.

The Quest definitely has a JDM look to it. Totally different from the yam that came before it.

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been busy working on some other items.

More Pictures please so we can see the front, 3/4 view, interior.

I will have some more pictures tomorrow..

In regards to the car, do they still have that terrible shifter as part of the dash?

Fit and finish both inside and out, I expect it to be good, but does it have anoying form?

Road noise when driving, how does it compare to a buick?

Blind spots?

What type of Nanny devices did it come with?

If you mean the shifter right next to the HVAC and Radio controls then yes.

Fit and Finish is very good.

For a van, wind and road noise is kept to a minimum. It won't rival Buick for quietness though.

Yes, but the Quest does have a blind spot warning mounted in the side view mirrors that alert you when a car is in your blind spot. The rear is a bit tough as well, thankfully Nissan has fitted a backup camera as standard equipment.

Some rear doors I see coming have these huge long flares that will cause door dings and be hard to get in and out of in tight parking. So are the front door normal van like with sliding rear or what?

Uh, What?

The interior is really pleasant, overall design not so much.

Question for W.M.....given the choice between this and the Odyssey, whoich do you prefer?

Hmm, design and driving wise.. Quest by a mile.

As for carrying cargo.. Odyssey. The reason is I can remove all of the seats from the Odyssey, thus giving me a large amount of cargo space.

With the Quest, you cannot remove any of the seats. You can only fold them which means less cargo space.

Quest is supposed to have a nice interior but lacks cargo space due to the seats.

Odyssey, what is nice, not so much glass. Interior doesn't feel quite so much like a bus then.

ugly....my aztek was a peach in comparison

About the Aztec it seems like eveyone of them ever sold is still on the road.

There was a row of about 12 or 15 of them in an Insurance impound lot I pass regularly....so...maybe not all of them.

Actually compared with the abominations from BMW, The Aztec ain't that bad....

The Aztek was GM daring to be different and being punished for it. Once they lost the cladding, I didn't mind them so much and actually considered them as a work/light construction vehicle to beat around in.

Thanks, Great to see the updates.

Friggin "mini"vans have turned into such PIGS. I bought a maxed out Dodge Grand Caravan LE back in '89 and it weighed 3250-lbs. Had loads of interior space and the rear cargo floor was flat. Loved that car.

At 4500-lbs., The Quest is probably on the low end of current minivan weights. Think I saw that the Odyssey is up around 4800 lbs, as are the Mopars and undoubtedly the Toyota. This is as much as--or more than--my '72 Olds 98 Regency weighed!!! That thing had a wheelbase of 127", was 225" long and 80" wide. Guess the new crop of "mini"vans aren't that far off from those dimensions...

Edited July 30, 201212 yr by NeonLX