What was once a flourishing vehicle segment has dwindled down to just a few players on the market. Those who persevere and continue to sell minivans must battle the Dodge Grand Caravan, which outsells every one of them by a landslide. Make that an avalanche.
The 2013 Nissan Quest dares to be different. Other minivans such as the Honda Odyssey try to mask their imposing presence with dynamic, rakish styling; the Quest looks like the box it was shipped across the ocean in. A very stylish box, mind you.
Whether you like the Quest’s looks or not, it performs like a minivan should. However, it does have its shortcomings, all minor in importance but that make the Nissan an arguably less appealing choice than a couple of its rivals. And at $47K as tested, our loaded Quest LE is rather pricey for a family hauler.
Fits in a parking space, barely
The 2013 Nissan Quest is big, and feels particularly wide because of the van’s square shape. It fills up a shopping mall parking space pretty quickly.
However, visibility is generally good all around, and the narrow turning radius greatly helps to navigate the Quest through Costco’s parking lot. For 2013, Nissan’s 360-degree camera system was added to the LE trim, further facilitating your talents at parking the family truckster; too bad it isn’t offered in lower trim levels, although a rearview camera is standard in all but the base S version.
What’s especially shameful are the aggravating warning chimes that go off whenever you open or close a power-sliding side door or the slow-moving power tailgate on the 2013 Nissan Quest. Actually, operating both at once produces a cacophony that will probably drive you and your family nuts after two weeks. Deactivating the power assist calmed me down, but then my kids started complaining that the side doors were too heavy to slide.
Plenty of giddyup
No V6-powered minivan sold today can be considered slow, and that includes the 2013 Nissan Quest. Its 3.5L V6 develops 260 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque, more muscle than the front wheels can handle; fortunately, torque steer is minimal, and the continuously variable (CVT) automatic manages the output well.
Throttle response is great and acceleration is quite strong: The Quest dashes from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.8 seconds. Like most other minivans, the Nissan is rated for towing up to 3,500 lbs.
The 2013 Nissan Quest boasts an impressive ride; it’s refined and isolates road noise very well. The brakes are also very effective at scrubbing off speed in this 4,568-lb van. We did find it a little sensitive to heavy crosswinds, though.
Fuel economy around town could be better, although once you hit the highway, it improves quite a bit; we averaged 11.5L/100km during a recent 1,500-km road trip. And at 100 km/h, the engine spins at only 1,700 rpm, so the cabin is quiet.
One for the kids
Of course, a quiet cabin it is not when loaded with kids, so that’s why the rear-seat DVD entertainment system is a good idea, now optional in the SV trim level in addition to being available in the SL and standard in the LE. The large 11” screen electrically swivels down as you power on the system, and it comes with two wireless headphones.
While the front seats proved comfortable on our trip, and seem shaped to fit any size, we started squirming in the second-row captain’s chairs after an hour or two.
In addition, unlike other minivans whose third-row seats flip backward into a well, they fold forward in the 2013 Nissan Quest, leaving a covered storage area in back handy for stashing valuable items and keeping the load floor flat at all times. The second-row seats can’t be removed, or folded down into the floor like the Stow n’ Go system in the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country.
As such, maximum cargo space reaches just 3,070 litres, falling short of the competition. Even behind the second row, the Quest isn’t as spacious as its rivals. On the other hand, there’s still more than enough room for packing all your stuff, and you don’t need to be a Tetris master either.
Lower price for 2013
The base MSRP for the 2013 Nissan Quest S remains at $29,998, but the well-equipped SV trim gets a $2,380 reduction, now priced at $33,398, which is good news. Our LE tester now stickers at $46,998, or roughly $1,600 less than its 2012 equivalent.
Competition includes the Chrysler Town & Country Limited, the Toyota Sienna XLE Limited and the Honda Odyssey Touring. The latter, notably, offers better fuel economy, better interior accommodations and -- on a personal note -- better looks.
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The 2013 Nissan Quest dares to be different. Other minivans such as the Honda Odyssey try to mask their imposing presence with dynamic, rakish styling; the Quest looks like the box it was shipped across the ocean in. A very stylish box, mind you.
Whether you like the Quest’s looks or not, it performs like a minivan should. However, it does have its shortcomings, all minor in importance but that make the Nissan an arguably less appealing choice than a couple of its rivals. And at $47K as tested, our loaded Quest LE is rather pricey for a family hauler.
Fits in a parking space, barely
The 2013 Nissan Quest is big, and feels particularly wide because of the van’s square shape. It fills up a shopping mall parking space pretty quickly.
However, visibility is generally good all around, and the narrow turning radius greatly helps to navigate the Quest through Costco’s parking lot. For 2013, Nissan’s 360-degree camera system was added to the LE trim, further facilitating your talents at parking the family truckster; too bad it isn’t offered in lower trim levels, although a rearview camera is standard in all but the base S version.
What’s especially shameful are the aggravating warning chimes that go off whenever you open or close a power-sliding side door or the slow-moving power tailgate on the 2013 Nissan Quest. Actually, operating both at once produces a cacophony that will probably drive you and your family nuts after two weeks. Deactivating the power assist calmed me down, but then my kids started complaining that the side doors were too heavy to slide.
 |
| The 2013 Nissan Quest tries to be different, looking like the box it was shipped in. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |
Plenty of giddyup
No V6-powered minivan sold today can be considered slow, and that includes the 2013 Nissan Quest. Its 3.5L V6 develops 260 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque, more muscle than the front wheels can handle; fortunately, torque steer is minimal, and the continuously variable (CVT) automatic manages the output well.
Throttle response is great and acceleration is quite strong: The Quest dashes from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.8 seconds. Like most other minivans, the Nissan is rated for towing up to 3,500 lbs.
The 2013 Nissan Quest boasts an impressive ride; it’s refined and isolates road noise very well. The brakes are also very effective at scrubbing off speed in this 4,568-lb van. We did find it a little sensitive to heavy crosswinds, though.
Fuel economy around town could be better, although once you hit the highway, it improves quite a bit; we averaged 11.5L/100km during a recent 1,500-km road trip. And at 100 km/h, the engine spins at only 1,700 rpm, so the cabin is quiet.
 |
| The Quest is powered by a 3.5L V6 matched to a CVT automatic, good for 260 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |
One for the kids
Of course, a quiet cabin it is not when loaded with kids, so that’s why the rear-seat DVD entertainment system is a good idea, now optional in the SV trim level in addition to being available in the SL and standard in the LE. The large 11” screen electrically swivels down as you power on the system, and it comes with two wireless headphones.
While the front seats proved comfortable on our trip, and seem shaped to fit any size, we started squirming in the second-row captain’s chairs after an hour or two.
In addition, unlike other minivans whose third-row seats flip backward into a well, they fold forward in the 2013 Nissan Quest, leaving a covered storage area in back handy for stashing valuable items and keeping the load floor flat at all times. The second-row seats can’t be removed, or folded down into the floor like the Stow n’ Go system in the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country.
As such, maximum cargo space reaches just 3,070 litres, falling short of the competition. Even behind the second row, the Quest isn’t as spacious as its rivals. On the other hand, there’s still more than enough room for packing all your stuff, and you don’t need to be a Tetris master either.
 |
| Even behind the second row, the Quest isn’t as spacious as its rivals. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |
Lower price for 2013
The base MSRP for the 2013 Nissan Quest S remains at $29,998, but the well-equipped SV trim gets a $2,380 reduction, now priced at $33,398, which is good news. Our LE tester now stickers at $46,998, or roughly $1,600 less than its 2012 equivalent.
Competition includes the Chrysler Town & Country Limited, the Toyota Sienna XLE Limited and the Honda Odyssey Touring. The latter, notably, offers better fuel economy, better interior accommodations and -- on a personal note -- better looks.
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