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Comments
And you can always delete your own posts at any time with the Delete button by your post title.
The folding seats in the eBay pics look pretty thin don't they?
Steve, Host
atleast on the altimas.
The nissan website mentions that cloth is standard
on the Quest SL
Also, can we get navigation system as a standalone
package - maybe as an aftermarket offer from dealers ? without having to get leather, sunroof and all other unnecessary stuff that is not related to navigation systems that Nissan forces us to buy ?
It’s not very noticeable in the pictures, but the floor is tiered, with about a 4” or 5” step down from the rear seating area at the middle of the van. It’s this step down that provides room for the middle-row seats to fold almost flat. A side benefit of the tiered floor is a very low vehicle step-in height, around 16”. This compares to approximately 20” on the Sienna.
The middle-seat folding mechanism is very slick and easy to operate. The seat-backs flip forward, and then the entire seat rocks forward to the floor. You don’t have to remove the headrests. The rocking mechanism also provides the means to adjust the middle seats fore and aft, which works OK but feels somewhat awkward. The middle seats recline easily. The Sienna has conventional tumble forward removable center seats. These were heavy and difficult to remove, and I pinched my fingers in trying to do it.
After the slick middle-seats, the folding rear seat arrangement in the Quest was a disappointment. It’s a single bench, and is quite comfortable and roomy. But it is rather heavy both to stow and to deploy. My wife was (just) able to do it. Stowing the seat requires removal of the three headrests. A headrest storage bag is provided, but it is not very useful. You can’t put the headrests in the storage bag until after the seat is stowed, leaving you with the quandary of where to put them while you’re doing the stowing. I predict that the stowage bag will be quickly relegated to the basement and forgotten. The rear seat latching mechanism protrudes from the sidewall of the van, but the latches are spring-loaded so they can fold flat against the side to make room for cargo. In comparison, the Sienna rear seat design is superior. The seats are split 60/40, and are easier to stow/deploy. The headrests in the Sienna are integrated into the seatback, so you don’t have to worry about them.
The handling, steering and braking on the Quest felt very good, better than the Sienna. Both vehicles have adequate power, and both were very quiet (with the Sienna maybe having a slight edge). The 4-speed transmission shifted smoothly, except for kickdowns which were a bit abrupt. The 5-speed in the SE might be better. The Quest center console was easy to adapt to, and we didn’t even think about it after a few minutes.
The adjustable pedals on the Quest are a nice feature. But the driver footwell seems a bit cramped. My wife didn’t have any complaints, but at one point, I got my size-10 shoes snagged on something when trying to move from gas pedal to brake.
The DVD screen is well-placed for viewing, but the player itself is awkwardly located low in the base of the passenger seat, facing the driver. A remote control is provided, which should help. We didn’t try to play a DVD, and we didn’t try out the audio system at all.
The automatic doors operate smoothly, but require a fairly significant blocking force to reverse. The blocking force required would not be enough to hurt anyone, but it might be scary for a child. In contrast, the Sienna power door only needed a very light blocking force to reverse. The Quest non-power sliding door (driver’s side) was very light and easy to open/close.
Overall, the interior of the Quest felt very roomy, and it was easy to move around inside. All of the seats felt comfortable. The rear a/c was effective, with individual vents for middle and rear seat passengers. There were plenty of compartments, cupholders, and 12v power points. In general, the fit and finish of the interior trim was very good, but not quite up the excellent standards of the Sienna.
For those with single car garage doors, I measured the max width of the Quest (side mirror to side mirror) as 86”. (For reference, our single garage opening is 91.5”.)
The exterior styling is very striking. The Quest is a good-looking vehicle. We had to fill up with gas during the test drive. As the salesperson was filling the tank, a Porsche Boxster driver at the pump in front of us asked about the Quest, and said it looked cool. So I guess Nissan has succeeded in their goal to make its minivan look less boring.
Saw a picture on this web site that shows a two-tone looking interior. Thought maybe that was it.
We were very pleased with the exterior, but rather disappointed with the interior.
The post from modena2904 was well-written and very helpful. Thanks!
There were a few additional items we noticed about the interior. Although the middle seats do fold completely flat (nice!) without having to remove the headrests, once the seat is folded flat (with the headrest still in place), the driver's seat cannot be pushed back to a comfortable position--at least for me. The bottom of the front seat interfered with the headrest of the middle seat. I'm only 5'8", so I expect this would be an issue for many folks. Not sure if the front passenger seat had the same issue.
I agree with modena2904 that the DVD control placement is awkward. Although a remote control could be used to operate the DVD, the remote could easily lost or misplaced on a trip. It seems it would be quite difficult to both look at the DVD screen and also operate the controls (located near the floor on the left side of the front passenger seat)--although we did not operate the DVD, so I could be wrong. I did notice that the DVD screen could be positioned a few degrees past vertical, so it might be possible for a person sitting in the driver's seat to operate the controls and still see the screen, though at a very sharp angle. Still, the DVD design seems like an afterthought.
Overall, I liked the interior design (with the possible exception of the pod). However, we both thought the SL fabric looked and felt rather low-quality. The fabric on the driver's left armrest would get dirty very quickly if a light color is chosen. This was a bit of a disappointment because it means we would probably only be happy with the leather interior.
I neither liked nor disliked the center pod. I expect I would grow to like it over time, and it was somewhat refreshing not to find a "yet-another-minivan" type of design. However, again, quality seemed lacking. For example, the smaller knobs for the fan controls seemed "scratchy" when being turned. This is hard to describe. They simply did not feel smooth; almost like plastic was rubbing against plastic. It was less noticeable on the larger knobs. Also, it seems that the mostly-horizontal surface of the pod--where all the buttons are--would get dusty very quickly.
We own a 2000 Maxima now and the overall quality of internal materials (both fabric and plastic)seems noticeably higher than in the new Quest.
By the way, I went back a second time with a tape measure. The van is pretty close to 204" long, just like Edmunds says. (The Sienna is about 200" long.) Be sure to measure your garage before buying
When the middle seat is stowed (with headrest on), I did notice that it was a tight fit with the front seats. But it did not prevent me from adjusting the driver's seat to a comfortable position. I'm 5'10" -- I ended up with the driver's seat somewhere in mid-travel, with the pedals adjusted as far forward as they would go. Maybe I just like to be closer to the wheel than others.
Another point I forgot to mention in my earlier post. The tilt forward feature of the middle row seats works very easily, and provides very easy access to the third row, especially when combined with the low step-in height.
I most definitely had trouble with this, but I will concede that it is possible it was my own error: perhaps the middle seat was not all the way down? Still, there was interference; my wife confirms this.
We've pretty much decided against the Quest now. When we finally saw one with leather, we noticed that they did not put leather on the door armrests; they still have the cheap-looking fabric. The leather I saw was the reddish-brown color. It had a pattern on it which made it look less like leather and more like cloth, in my opinion. Perhaps the beige is nicer-looking.
What it comes down to (for us) is perceived quality. Our perception of the quality of materials used in the interior was that it was not up to Nissan's standards from our experience (two prior Nissan's: 1993 and 2000).
If the quality seems lacking for the things you can observe, how much more so for the things you cannot?
The Renault influence on Nissan may have been one to improve the latter company's financials, but, in our opinion, it has also been one to lower the company's relative quality ranking vs. Toyota and Honda.
Having said this, I will also say that I am disappointed. I had hoped that I would decide on a Quest. I had hoped for real competition for the Sienna and Odyssey. I appreciate the stance that Nissan took to distinguish itself from the others and to provide a unique personality for the Quest. I just think they took the less-expensive path.
Just our opinion, folks! Congratulations to those of you who have purchased a new Quest. Enjoy!
I hope you live nearby.
Sopman
Steve, Host
I also have another question for anyone else interested...Edmunds lists the holdback price for the Quest as 3 percent of the total invoice....does that mean that the dealer receives that money for selling the vehicle?...or do they pay that much more over the invoice, which they have returned once the vehicle is sold? This will help with any potential bargaining...thanks.
I was very disappointed in the look/feel of the leather. Similarly, although the skyview roof looks impressive, the sunshades for the rear skylights did not look very durable. I couldn't help but envision them breaking easily.
I hope that Nissan gets some of this feedback, and realizes that skimping on the interior materials is pennywise and pound foolish.
I have less concern about the mechanicals. Basically, this is the same running gear as the Altima and Maxima, and those have proven to be reliable and good performers.
Since the new Quest hasn't been out 90 days, the dealers are sure to make a profit on holdback for the first few months. Who knows what deals Nissan has made with the distributors or dealers though.
As always, focus on your out the door price and don't worry about how the salespeople are making their car payments.
Steve, Host
Invoice price is what the dealer pays for the vehicle, but that is NOT their final cost. They get incentives, holdback, commission and lots of other hidden things which you and I will never know about. To be fair to the dealer, a price of Invoice price + 2 or 3% profit is a good deal for you and them. Some dealers hungry for sales will share their holdback or part with it completely, but don't count on it - Especially, on new hot selling vehicles (In which case, you ca forget negotiating too :-)
I guess the bottom line is you need to go look at this car and make up your own mind. We've now got an SE on order -- Tea Green over beige, Dual DVD, Nav. Once we get it, maybe I'll post more thoughts about life with the Quest.
One final note -- these things do not seem to be flying off the lots. Most of the dealers around here (Baltimore, MD) seem to have two or three in stock in various trim levels, but none of them has told me they've actually sold one yet.
Regarding the fabric armrests in Quests with leather seats: although neither the factory nor aftermarket leather option includes replacing the fabric on the armrests with leather (as would be the expectation, right?), a salesman told me today that he thought the armrest fabric could be replaced with leather for a "reasonable" fee. The fabric in the middle and rear looked like it could also be replaced with leather. Still, when you add a leather option to a near-$30k vehicle, the armrests should be included.
Regarding DVD control: all of the Quests we saw (SL's and SE's) had, at the left-middle passenger's head level, a little console that *looked* like it could be used to operate the DVD, if present. So it looks like there might be another option for DVD control besides the remote and the ill-positioned main controls at the front passenger's seat bottom.
We saw an SE for the first time. There are a number of "design afterthoughts" in this model. modena2904 already mentioned one: the extremely flimsy retractable sunshades on the overhead windows. These can easily be snagged (and I expect ripped) on the sides of the slots they ride in. We also wondered if they would become brittle and crack after years of sun exposure.
Another design afterthought on the SE: the extensions on the sun visors cannot be extended when the visor is in the forward position. The overhead console in the SE is in the way. The interference is through the entire swing of the visor. I quickly saw two different ways this flaw could have been easily addressed. It was obvious Nissan simply did not think through the SE's overhead console. The SL does not have this problem.
Something else on the SE which might not be a problem, but of which you should be aware, is that the rear power door does not start sensing for obstruction until it is partially closed (about 1/3 to 1/2 way). Once it is far enough closed, the obstruction sensor works very well.
I do NOT like the button on the rear left side which actuates the rear power door. A child can easily push this and the door will close, even with the key out of the ignition. This is a safety hazard: a child can be trapped inside or have his or her fingers pinched in the sides of the closing door. The same button cannot be used to open the door, according to the salesman we talked to.
Finally, the grille. Super-cool-looking, right? (well I think it is) But take a close look at it. The hundreds of right angles will be AWFUL to clean! Yeah, it's a minor point...until you get back from a trip and have to clean off the bugs...
I agree again with modena2904 that these will not be flying off the lots. Wait a few months and I'll bet you won't pay anywhere near MSRP.
"Leaving a small child or infant unattended and alone in the rear seat of a car will get you a visit from DSS in my state."
...as it will, and should, in just about any state.
You are downplaying a dangerous aspect of this vehicle. It will not be an infant or small child who will be playing with the liftgate button on the OPEN liftgate. It will be the 5- to 10-year olds, playing in the back of the OPEN vehicle, at a picnic or ball game or whatever. I doubt that you will have your eyes on that kid--or other's kids--at all times. The kid does not have to be sitting in the back seat--only in the general OPEN area of the liftgate: sitting on the bumper, for example.
I've capitalized the word OPEN several times for a reason: the button is ACTIVE while the vehicle is OFF and the liftgate is OPEN. This is just plain dumb and dangerous. And this "feature" appears on the SL as well as the SE.
It's not such a minor point.
And I'll agree in a instant that the Quest is a very nice-looking vehicle. It you have to buy a minivan, the Quest makes it a bit more easy to do. But if I'M going to drop $30k on a minivan, I'm not so sure that the Quest is the best investment. $30k is a whole lot of money to me, and I think I'd rather limit the depreciation as much as possible.
The Quest better do well in crash testing or sales may never gain a foothold. I'm not sure how many people really look at those scores, but the average results for the '99's couldn't have helped market share.
I also saw some pics of a '49 Jeepster over the weekend. Guess where the speedo and other knobs and switches were? Yep, dead center. Guess there's nothing much new under the sun.
Steve, Host
kmead "2004 Nissan Quest vs 2004 Toyota Sienna" Jul 20, 2003 7:45pm
Steve, Host
1. The curtain airbag is standard on the Quest.
2. Quest uses chain-timing-belt instead of the conventional belt that we have to replace every 60K miles.
3. Quest has In-glass-antena.
4. There's a sensor in the passenger seat to sensor your weight to trigger the airbag on the Quest. According to the saleman, this idea was for the safety of small child when seating in the front seat.
We still have not decided on which van that we'll get yet. Please keep adding more ideas, opinions, suggestions that you know or have.
Hope you all have a good day !!!
I agree the interior of the car looks pretty cheap. I was planning on using the car with one of the 2nd row seats down at all times. After looking at the quality of the fabric, I think the fabric will wear very badly.
Nice car, but it looks unpolished.
The Quest is just kinda odd for the class, so that's why we should go out and buy one, because everyone wants a Sienna right now. By the time Sienna prices come down, you might as well pay sticker to buy an 05' Odyssey.
Here is my situation:
We like to have opened space in the middle row (limo style for kids) so one of the chairs will be in the "down" position for a long period of time. To protect the chair from kids who might step on it while going in & out of the van, the chair need to be able to fold down completly flat with the floor so I can cover it with something or to remove it until the day we need to carry more passengers.
Thanks
Being the SE it had every option and widget imaginable, in my short ride I didn't try to use the DVD or Nav system. I did use the stereo and AC system, the radio was pleasant and easy to use with convenient rotary knobs for making adjustments. The station and other information is displayed on the same flat screen along with the Nav system and AC info. It was a Bose system and was quite adequate, I just used the radio portion. The CD player is separate and lives below the primary controls on the center control "barrel", it isn't in the best position for the driver as you cannot see it without ducking down. The DVD player is in the side of the passengers seat facing the driver with controls the driver could manipulate if you care to reach while stopped at a light, the passenger will be looking at the labels upside down, there is a remote. There are a couple of storage bins on the "barrel", one slides out quite far and has some reconfigure ability, the second is a bin that isn't very deep. The AC system was not as easy to deal with, at least without reading the manual or getting some instruction from the sales person ( I got none on that subject), the rear AC was easier to decipher as it had separate knobs that replicate the controls on the ceiling behind the passenger. There are separate temp displays in the four corners of the screen showing outside ambient, driver, passenger and rear temp settings. It was easy to see even in bright sunlight (it was @130pm), I don't know what it might be like with direct low angle sun. For all the functions that this vehicle has it had a surprisingly small number of buttons, most on the top surface of the barrel, you cannot read the labels without looking down at them and there are few landmarks to orient/learn which button to push. The buttons are all in two sets of double rows one set going between the two radio knobs and the other set between the radio and the AC controls. Perhaps once you get used to it there won't be problem, but if you lend it to someone you need to give a primer on its use, which is not really a good thing for a vehicle in motion.
As for the location of the instruments, they did require an effort to see, especially the engine temp and fuel level which are back lit LCDs that tend to wash out. As I am very familiar with the roads I drove, I found myself only rarely needing to look at the speedo and when I did it took as much effort as looking at a normally positioned speedo so putting it in the center is of little value from that perspective. (They didn't put it there for so much for overseas ease of conversion as the molding of the main part of the dash needs to change anyway due to other features, I think it was another ploy to differentiate the Quest from other vans). The hand controls for turn signals, wipers and so on are interesting to look at and have a quality feel. The shifter on top of the barrel is an odd thing, not so much its position but its lack of choices. There is a primary unlock you squeeze as you change from park to R or D and a overdrive button on the left. What is odd is that it gives you drive and low, which seems bit limiting given that it has 5 speeds, in a mountainous area or an area with snow I would like more control. The wheel controls for audio and cruise were easy to use, I don't know if they are backlit which would make them much more convenient. There are other controls at knee level on the left side for the outside mirrors, stability control, door shut off and rear sonar system shut off. The mirror control cannot be reached from my at normal seated position making me look at the mirror and then lean forward to adjust, look and adjust in stages, this is not a good design and should have been on the door with the window controls. The overhead has controls for the doors, rear hatch, and sunroof. The sunroof has two controls, one for pop up and one for opening, both allow you to set a position and take your hand away while the mechanism moves (the VW rotary control is better). The rear view mirror has the Homelink system integrated and was self dimming. Overall the design of the drivers area is clean and uncluttered, but at the expense of needless control complexity some areas.
The seat were leather covered and upholstered in a home furniture style. They have little side support for cornering but are very comfortable. Both front seats were power operated with the drivers having two memory settings. There was manual lumbar support with a control in a rather difficult to reach spot on the left side of the seat back, it tended to move a large section of the back forward which may not satisfy some as adequate. This vehicle also had adjustable foot pedals which are an excellent feature that allow you to move your body as far as possible from the steering wheel if you are short (which I and most women are). The steering wheel is adjustable for angle, but is hinged fairly close to the wheel which moves it through a tight arc that doesn't correspond to the way your arms and wrist joints do making it hard to find a good position (my wife also commented on this). Overall the drivers position was comfortable and gave me lots of ways to get comfortable or adjust a bit during a trip. The second row seats had a similar appearance with a single piece rear bench.
Continued in next post
The sliders work nicely, requiring just lifting the exterior handle to get the motor running, on the SE there are two as well as a power rear hatch (complete with flashing lights and annoying beeper). The inside power door button on the B pillar is rather small and too close to the door opening. There is a rear hatch button in the rear area as well that can be reached by a 3rd row seat passenger which my 6 year old promptly demonstrated, this should be somewhere else as I would rather a child not be able to reach it. I didn't try to overcome the closer mechanisms or shut off the mechanisms to operate them manually. The front doors have nice heft and don't feel too light and tinny like the Altima's doors did. There was one door rattle in the drivers side slider, but beyond that it was tight and quiet. Wind and road noise was subdued and the engine note was pleasant but not intrusive. I like to know there is an internal combustion engine under the hood and this vehicle doesn't disappoint but isn't overbearing.
Styling is clearly a subjective issue. I think overall its nicely styled in and out. There are some really nice things in the interior in particular the front door handles and the barrel. My wife wasn't taken with its "face" (the front end) or the overall design, but it is a box after all. I do feel Nissan chose styling over function in many areas as a means of differentiating its box from the others so in all likelyhood you will like it or hate it, it is definitely not pablum so they have done what they set out to do.
All of the Quests come with side curtain airbags which is an excellent feature, side airbags for the driver and front passenger are optional on the S and standard on the SE. Three point harnesses are at each seating position and there are at least 3 latch positions in the rear (2 in second row and one in the rear bench).
So in summation the Quest is a good minivan with some unusual features and compromises (as all things are). Compared to its direct competition the Odyssey and the Sienna (the Mazda is much smaller) its a good alternative. The Quest has some options the others just don't offer which is nice but also lacks some features that I think are needed as a baseline especially with the introduction of the 04 Sienna. Specifically the split rear seat, roll down slider windows (thank you Mazda) and 5 speed on all models. I do applaud Nissan for offering side curtain airbags on all models as safety is important to all people regardless of economic position (shame Toyota). I think that anyone who wants a medium sized minivan with 7 seats would be well served by the Quest and it will further erode sales of the Odyssey (mainly due to its age) but will likely not take much away from Sienna sales as I suspect the Sienna buyer is just more conservative. It will provide another avenue and will cause downward price pressure on the Sienna which will be good for all of us.
As for me, its still a Sienna, eight seats with a split rear bench and a 5 speed tranny are major selling points in my case, which Nissan is not delivering.
I'm confused about your tranny comment. We show the SE as having a 5 speed transmission. Unless you are talking about the shifter that only offers 5 positions?
Steve, Host
Yes the van I drove had the five speed, but the shifter itself actually offers only "D" and "L" for selecting gears. There is also the Overdrive button giving in effect 3 selections. To me this is an inadequate set of selections given the number of gears available. In mountainous and cold weather areas (usually one and the same) there are times when you want to be able to use the engine braking ability to hold the vehicle back without using brakes only. This would all be part of having control of the vehicle, something automatics deprive the driver of in any case, but this further limits your control choices.
I understand that most drivers just dump it into drive and go, so for most people this is not an issue but I commented on it because I haven't seen such limited selection since the old3 speed autos. In my case, moving from a manual transmission to an automatic, further losing this level of control is an issue that is extremely offputting and in my view is a safety issue.
This is one of the many things about the new Quest that I found extremely bothersome. For a vehicle that touts being for drivers, it has many elements that take away from being a driver or add more load on the driver for no good reason beyond interesting design (all the buttons on the barrel and the LCD display for all ventilation etc.) It is clear that this van is for moving people around and not stuff: the stepped floor which provides low entry height creates alot of nooks and crannies to clean after a trip to the homecenter or nursery. In addition the carpet on the back of the 2nd row seats is rather ticky tacky, I can see ground in stuff being impossible to remove, giving the third row passengers a permanent inkblot test to think about (dirty carpet on the back of the 3rd row seat is much less of an issue given that you see it when its down or the hatch open).
This is a good van and many people will be extremely satisfied with it. I think Nissan is selling itself short with its remarkably sexist "this is a van for a sexy mom" statements as more than just women drive them and presumeably not sexy women won't want it? Wierd. (I know where this came from, designers prepare trend/lifestyle boards to document the proposed demographic. This was likely a heading that marketing glommed onto and we now get to suffer. That was fine for a working document, but not really appropriate for real use in my view.)
In regards to value, I too question Nissan's pricing to value relationship but at the same time applaud them for including important safety features in all of the Quests. Toyota charges alot for those safety features, effectively raising the price to more than the Quest just to get to the same baseline price. A Quest S optioned is 26700, a similarly equipped Sienna (package 6) is 27400. These are not exact matches but pretty close. Many people I think will choose the Toyota over the Nissan for the roll down windows, split rear seat, 5spd tranny and the brand reputation. Nissan has said it will work hard to gain market share with this vehicle which I suspect will translate into a soft price by way of incentives, dealer money or whatever. Some people do not value the added safety features and won't pay for them on the Sienna so they see the Sienna as being less expensive and the Quest being too expensive with no way to be competitive. You can see this on the Sienna compared to Quest board here.
I also applaud Nissan (and Honda) for making reasonable packages without so many options that allow you to get what you want. In Toyota's case, they have a ton of packages for each level and there isn't quite one that has what I want. Go to any board about the Sienna and you can see the buyer frustration with the system. Nissan has demarcated the market quite well as Entry, Major market (Entry Plus) with leather, and Premium. They then give you entertainment choices, navigation and so on appropriate to the price level you chose (few base level owners want dual screens or nav etc).
Steve, Host
Also, did you noticed that the Quest does not offer a storage drawer below the front passenger seat, as most other are?
They also have a storage drawer that is deleted on models with DVD/Nav systems as the DVD player occupies the space the drawer uses normally.
The SE I drove had armrests.