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The 40 mpg Cars of 2013

2011 Nissan Quest

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Curious about the newer model? Check out the 2013 Nissan Quest

Overview

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2011 Nissan Quest Review

By Leigh Anne Sessions, KBB.com Editor

Looking for a family-hauler with a snappier style and image? Try the 2011 Nissan Quest minivan's distinctive boxy shape. Its tall, angular profile gives it a masculine vibe that dad will dig while, inside, mom will appreciate the overall upscale look and feel that's more adult-luxe than functional kid-mobile. Other minivans are less expensive and offer more power under the hood, but none deliver the wallop of design of the Nissan Quest.

You'll Like This Car If...

If most of your errands are of the in-town variety, it's worth pointing out that the 2011 Nissan Quest's 19-mpg city fuel economy is best-in-class. And, inside, an interior that looks less utilitarian than most minivans gives this box-on-wheels a more premium feel.

You May Not Like This Car If...

If you're hoping for a minivan with a dual-screen rear-seat DVD system or seating for 8, you'll find such features in the Honda Odyssey or the Toyota Sienna, but not the 2011 Nissan Quest. This minivan also runs on the higher side of the price spectrum, with the no-options-available base S trim opening close to $28,500.

What's New for 2011

The all-new, fourth-generation Quest returns to the Nissan lineup after a 1-year hiatus with a bold look that towers above the competition – literally.

Driving the Quest

Driving Impressions The gearless pull of the 2011 Nissan Quest's Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) gives it a very smooth flow of power to the driving wheels. Nissan is a fan of this...

transmission, and we think its application in the Quest is one of the best yet. It's smooth, delivers power rapidly and helps the van obtain an EPA rating of 19 mpg in the city. Dynamically, the Quest minivan feels just like it looks: Large. Despite its masculine outward appearance, the Quest is a bit soft underneath, with one of the least engaging combinations of ride and handling in the minivan segment; if you prefer a smoother ride over more responsive handling, you've found your minivan.

Favorite Features

Interior
With tasteful leather seating and a well-coordinated color scheme, the interior of the SL and LE trims looks like it belongs in a much more expensive vehicle that focuses more on hauling adults than children.

CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission)
With no gears, as such, to shift, this transmission provides seamless power with little lag.

2011 Nissan Quest Details

Interior

The 2011 Nissan Quest boasts the most spacious, luxury-like interior in the minivan segment. All of the knobs and buttons within reach of the driver have a solid, premium feel to them, and the faux wood trim throughout the cabin is well-executed. What's more, the SE and LE trims – which run on the higher end of the Quest price range – offer leather seating that wouldn't be out of place in an Infiniti vehicle. Our only complaint about the interior is regarding the shift knob – with the lever in drive, it gets in the way of the climate controls for the driver.

Exterior

Among the minivans currently on the market, the 2011 Nissan Quest's boxy silhouette makes this van stand out. The Quest is shorter in length and narrower in width than most of the competition, but it also stands taller – by nearly 3 inches in some cases. This extra height serves to illuminate the vehicle's full-surround "privacy glass" and distinctive square back end. Standard equipment on S and SV trims is 16-inch wheels and tires, but 18-inchers are fitted to the more upscale SL and LE trims, which helps fill the oversized wheel wells.

Notable Equipment

Standard Equipment

The 2011 Nissan Quest S minivan comes equipped with a 3.5-liter V6, a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), 16-inch wheels, push-button start, cloth seating surfaces, seating for 7, a 60/40 split third-row seat, a 6-CD audio system with auxiliary input jack and six airbags. The SV trim adds fog lights, a premium audio system with 4.3-inch color display and USB port, 1-touch power side sliding doors, Bluetooth, a rearview monitor and tri-zone automatic climate control. The SL gets 18-inch wheels, roof rails, a power tailgate, leather seats and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. The range-topping LE adds a blind-spot warning system, a power return third-row seat, an air-scrubbing climate control system, hard drive-based navigation and rear-seat DVD entertainment.

Optional Equipment

Aside from a few extras like splash guards, roof-rail crossbars and carpeted floor mats, options remain few on the 2011 Nissan Quest. A rear-seat DVD entertainment system or Bose premium audio system can be added to the SL model, while a dual-panel moonroof is also available on SL and LE models.

Under the Hood

Providing the muscle for the 2011 Nissan Quest's metal is a 260-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Although the Quest doesn't have the most horsepower in the minivan segment, it does have the smoothest transmission and the best city fuel economy of 19 miles per gallon.
3.5-liter V6
260 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
240 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/24

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2011 Nissan Quest Consumer Reviews

Overall Rating

9.1

Out of 10

Based on 28 Ratings for the 2011 - 2013 models.

Review this car

Value

9.2/10

Quality

9.3/10
Reliability

9.2/10

Performance

8.9/10
Comfort

9.6/10

Styling

9.4/10

LEMON

By IMBALMR (OH) on Tuesday, January 22, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 14,250

10 3.0

overall rating 3 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 3/10
Value: 9/10
Reliability: 3/10
Quality: 3/10
Performance: 3/10
Styling: 9/10
Comfort: 9/10

Pros: "Comfort"

Cons: "Mechanical Reliability"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 1

"My wife and I've owned this van for 16 months. We've had nothing but issues with it! 1. It stalled it traffic for no reason twice 2. Idles rough 3. It jerks when coasting to a stop then giving it gas when the light changes. 4.Shifts hard 5. Idles up and down hard when sitting still. We'll never buy another Nissan. We've heard of other people with similar issues."

3 people out of 7 found this review helpful

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From a Sedan to a Minivan

By Blue Mate (MO) on Wednesday, January 09, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 400

10 10.0

overall rating 10 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 10/10
Performance: 10/10
Styling: 10/10
Comfort: 9/10

Pros: "Keyless entry, Interiors (Wow!!!) and Lots more!!"

Cons: "Entry to 3rd row"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I am a guy with 2 kids and I never Imagined I would drive a minivan. I was driving a toyota camry for the last 7 years and really loved it. Since the car started giving some trouble we thought of upgrading to a either a big size SUV or a Mini-Van. I test drove couple of SUV's and even though I really liked the sporty drive I hate the 3rd row seating arrangement in most of them. Of the Minivans I test drove I liked Odyssey and Sienna but the 2012 Quest beat them hands down. There is no comparision to the interiors of the Quest with Sienna or Odyssey. I observed Nissan borrows a lot of their interior design from the up-market cousin Infinity and Quest is no exception to that. The interiors look very stylish and gives an expensive feeling and the exteriors looks awesome (Like couple of other reviewers said, the handles are chrome plated with one touch operation) keyless entry is very good and I really liked that fact that you cannot lock the key inside the vehicle. Drive is very smooth and is pretty sporty. I also got a very good price on the Quest, which made my decision very easy. The only drawback I felt was the second row seats would not fold of their base and would only move forward, also the rear doors do not go all the way back, this makes it little difficult to enter the 3rd row."

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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