2012 Nissan Quest

by Dave Stall
 
Writen on 2-13-12

2012 Nissan Quest 3.5-LE
"Unrivaled Family Mobility"

A lot of manufacturers have tried to de-throne the leader in Minivans, Chrysler/Dodge and have not been successful, the competition has done a great job but Chrysler has always had the edge….until now, the 2012 Nissan Quest is as good as it get when it comes to hauling the family and everything that comes with it, soccer, groceries, camping, tail gating etc, etc.

The first thing you notice is the exterior styling, rather box-like but that helps fill the van with everything you need to haul.  Dual sliding side doors, electric rear door opening as well.  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 get you 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 miles per gallon on the open road using unleaded fuel.

You sit lower in the Quest then the competition, but if you want to rise to the occasion you can.  The interior is designed for a family in mind, plenty of room, storage and a convex mirror located in the roof so you can keep an eye on the gang in the 2nd and 3rd row seats.

You have all the comforts of home, 8-way power driver seat with memory, passenger gets 4-way adjustments and both seats can be heated!  Fold flat second row captain seats for added storage, and they recline and slide.  60/40 split that will fold flat with power raisers.  Plus plenty of storage in the rear storage well.

Safety is abundant, front and side air bags for the front occupants and side curtains for the rear occupants, zone body construction with crumple zones, 4-wheel ABS, Vehicle Dynamic Control, Traction Control, Tire Pressure Monitoring System with Easy Fill Tire Assist, Electronic Brake Force Distribution.

I love a good sound system in a Minivan, and the Quest does not disappoint.  So if you need a people hauler and your vanity will not allow you to buy a Minivan, check out the Nissan Quest and see if it will change your mind.


Pricing is as follows, base price is $41,350, but with all the options my tester came out at $43,715 plus tax, license, freight is included.