1998 Nissan Quest Review

Most minivans look pretty much alike. But they come in a variety of sizes and shapes and have individual features that set them apart. For instance, the slick Nissan Quest is exceptionally carlike--one reason it has been the top-selling minivan with an import nameplate since 1993.
Although designed by Nissan, the $23,099-$27,348 Quest is made in an Ohio Ford plant with the nearly identical Mercury Villager.

The front-wheel-drive Quest closely follows Chrysler's original, wildly successful 1980s recipe for a minivan in that it has a fairly short wheelbase but offers the best possible interior room for its size--along with carlike ride and handling.

The Quest has a single length and is a few inches longer than the standard-wheelbase Dodge Caravan and Chevrolet Venture minivans. That makes it fairly easy to garage and maneuver.

Although designed by a Japanese automaker, the Quest feels European in that its accurate power steering is somewhat heavy and its firm, supple suspension provides nearly the ride and handling of a German car. Even the seats are supportive and firm--as in a German sedan.

The brake pedal has a rather stiff feel, but braking is satisfactory. An anti-lock system is standard for GXE and GLE models, but costs $499 extra for the base model.

The Quest is powered by a small 3-liter V-6, which must work hard to give the 4,000-pound Quest decent performance. Minivans aren't supposed to be hot rods, but the 151-horsepower V-6 provides only marginal 65-75 m.p.h. passing times on highways even with just a driver on board.

The weight also eats into fuel economy; the Quest delivers only an EPA-estimated 17 m.p.g. in the city and 23 on the highway. However, the Quest is a good highway cruiser, with the quiet, smooth engine turning over at only 2,300 r.p.m. at 65 m.p.h.

The V-6 works with an electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission, which upshifts seamlessly and downshifts quickly.

The Quest lacks a driver-side sliding door, but has a sliding passenger-side door and allows seven adults to sit comfortably.


It comes as the base $23,099 XE model and as the $26,049 GXE. There's also a luxuriously equipped $28,597 GLE model, with a leather interior and power glass sunroof.

Even the XE is well-equipped, with front air conditioning, cruise control, power front windows and door locks with an anti-lockout system, AM/FM/cassette, tilt steering column, remote keyless entry and power-heated side mirrors.

Added to the GXE are rear air conditioning, power driver's seat, anti-lock brakes, and power rear windows. The GLE gets dual power front seats in addition to the leather interior and sunroof.

The attractive interior is quiet and has plenty of instrumentation, in keeping with the Quest's sporty nature.

Most controls work with commendable smoothness, but the small radio and climate controls are difficult for a driver to operate without taking his eyes off the road. And the wiper, headlight, cruise and power mirror controls are blocked by the steering wheel rim.

A fairly low floor height and the sliding door allow easy entry and exit. And a large tailgate facilitates loading and unloading the cargo area. That all helps make the Quest a sound minivan for--should we dare say it?--``soccer moms.''

The driving position is comfortable, and a driver sits high for good front and side visibility.

But there are blind spots to the rear, so rearview mirrors must be used a lot in traffic. And the cargo area is small when all seats are in their normal position.

The standard, seven-occupant XE has front bucket seats and second- and third-row bench seats, which can be arranged to create 20 different configurations.

The GXE and GLE have second-row captain's chairs, which allow fully 24 possible arrangements--but reduce seating capacity to six occupants. The middle-row seats are difficult to remove, but the third seat slides all the way to the back of the front seats once they are out of the way.

A redesigned Quest arrives for 1999, but the current model has a lot to offer.