2012 & 2013 Nissan Minivan Reviews & Ratings

There has only ever been one model of the Nissan Minivan that was first produced in 1993. No new models have been introduced but the existing model has been updated ever since. Originally the Nissan Minivan was developed as a part of a joint venture with Ford and the co-operation stayed intact until 1999 when the two companies went their separate ways with the Nissan minivan continuing in a revised form. Not especially well known outside of the Coupe, Sedan and Hatchback market, Nissan none... (full review continues below)

There has only ever been one model of the Nissan Minivan that was first produced in 1993. No new models have been introduced but the existing model has been updated ever since. Originally the Nissan Minivan was developed as a part of a joint venture with Ford and the co-operation stayed intact until 1999 when the two companies went their separate ways with the Nissan minivan continuing in a revised form. Not especially well known outside of the Coupe, Sedan and Hatchback market, Nissan nonetheless has managed to maintain sales of its Quest Minivan at sufficient levels to maintain production in the face of fairly stiff competition from other manufacturers.

The Minivan market including the Nissan Minivan took a battering initially when the popularity of SUVs began to surge but has bounced back largely due to the even greater uses the average Minivan can be put to. Most SUV's are limited in the number of people they can carry to 5 and the larger SUV's are usually substantially more expensive than an equivalent seating Minivan counterpart. The additional bonus of most Minivans having a sliding door rather than regular doors and a wide variety of easily customized floor arrangements has meant that increased flexibility and practicality has won out in certain sectors of the market over the 'cool' factor of an SUV.

In addition minivans in general have better fuel consumption than most SUVs. They are also usually more straight forward to maneuver and more effective at combining both people and equipment in the same trip with no loss of comfort for passengers. This makes them ideal for many group sports and families who car pool. Given these facts there are still a lot of manufacturers, in addition to Nissan, vying for the relatively small minivan market in comparison to the size of the commercial market for sedans and SUVs. The biggest two competitors in 2012 to the Nissan Quest are the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey.

The Nissan Quest is the only Minivan in the Nissan Minivan range and was extensively re-modeled in 2011 in an attempt to bolster sales. The Nissan Quest is limited in some ways as it can only carry a maximum of 7 people compared to some of the larger capacities of its competitors. The Nissan Quest comes in 4 different trims with the budget model the Nissan Quest S starting at just $28,000. It has a 3.5 liter V6 260 horsepower engine producing 240 feet per pound of torque at 4,400 rpm. The fuel economy is decent with the Nissan Minivan managing to get 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 miles per gallon out on the highway. The top trim which is the Nissan Quest LE, has the same basic specifications as the S but has various technological advances included such as a Blind Spot Warning system, the Nissan Hard Drive Satellite Navigation System and Advanced Climate Control. The Nissan Quest LE retails for just over $41,000.