Nissan

2008 Nissan Quest Review

Normally, automakers focus on safety, seat capacity and helpful convenience features when designing a new minivan. Yet when Nissan redesigned its Quest minivan four years ago, it decided to take a different path. In addition to the usual minivan attributes, the automaker gave the Quest bold exterior styling, a powerful V6, responsive handling and a radical interior makeover. The hope was that these changes would finally make the Quest an all-star name in the minivan market.

Like many revolutions, however, hope was crushed by grim reality. Nobody liked the dash's center-mounted gauges, the exterior styling was deemed "love it or hate it" and overall driving dynamics were still overshadowed by the Honda Odyssey's. Sales were slow. Last year, Nissan regrouped, ordering up a more conservative dash design and new features. On the whole, the Quest was much better for it.

The 2008 Nissan Quest is much the same. As before, pleasing driving characteristics and a stylish overall design are its main strengths. But in our opinion, this still isn't enough to make the Quest a top choice. In terms of the more important minivan aspects like versatility, feature availability and value, the Quest falls short....

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