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 A lot of manufacturers have tried to dethrone the leader in Minivans – Chrysler/Dodge – but have not been successful. The competition has done a great job yet Chrysler has always had the edge….until now. The 2012 Nissan Quest is as good as it gets when it comes to hauling the family and everything that comes with it – soccer, groceries, camping, tail gating etc, etc.
The first thing noticeable is the exterior styling. It’s rather box-like but that helps fill the van with everything the family needs to haul. Dual sliding side doors and the electric rear door opening helps, too. My model had captain chairs and overhead DVD player for the rear passengers.
The Quest comes with a well tested and proven 3.5-liter DOHC 24 valve V6 that produces 260 horsepower and 240 pound-foot of torque, the transmission is a CVT unit which shifted quit well and all of this should average 19 MPG in the city and 24 on the open road using unleaded fuel.
A driver sits lower in the Quest than the competition, but that’s adjustable. The interior is designed for a family in mind with plenty of room, storage and a convex mirror located in the roof so the driver can keep an eye on the gang in the 2nd and 3rd row seats.
 Included in this minivan are all the comforts of home, an 8-way powered driver seat with memory; passenger gets 4-way adjustments and both seats can be heated. The second row captain seats fold flat for added storage, and they recline and slide. Or they can be 60/40 split to fold flat with power raisers. Plus there is plenty of storage in the rear storage well.
Safety is abundant with front and side air bags for the front occupants and side curtains for the rear occupants. The zone body construction has crumple zones. Included are 4-wheel ABS, Vehicle Dynamic Control, Traction Control, Tire Pressure Monitoring System with Easy Fill Tire Assist and Electronic Brake Force Distribution.
I love a good sound system in a minivan, and the Quest does not disappoint. So anyone who needs a people hauler but has allowed their vanity to ignore a Minivan, check out the Nissan Quest and be surprised.
The base price is $41,350, but with all the options my tester came out at $43,715 plus tax and license. Freight is included.
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