Produced since 1993, the Nissan Quest is a minivan that is manufactured and marketed by the Nissan Motor Corporation. There have been two generations of the Nissan Quest, the first of which was a joint effort between Nissan and
Ford and is the reason why the first generation Quest and the Mercury Villager are quite similar. The Nissan Quest was first seen at the 1992 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
The first generation of the Nissan Quest was produced from 1993 until 2002 and was Nissan's attempt to compete in the minivan market segment. The Quest was actually considered a replacement for the Axxess, which was sold in the United States as a 1990 model and in Canada from 1990-1995. The first generation was first powered by a 3.0 liter VG30E SOHC engine that provided 160 horsepower. The Quest also had a couple trim levels, which were the GXE and the XE. In 1999 Nissan updated the engine in the Quest to a 3.3-liter V6 engine that produced 170 horsepower. Nissan did away with the XE trim level and the GXE was now considered the base model with the GLE and the SE being more up market models.
The second generation of the Quest began with the 2004 model and continues today. The Quest was totally redesigned for the 2004 model year while the similar Mercury Villager was completely discontinued in 2002. The new Quest had a much more aggressive design with power provided by a 3.5 liter V6 engine that is capable of producing 240 horsepower and plenty of torque. New features include a flat folding rear bench, two captains' chairs that fold flat into the floor, and an interior volume of 211.9 cubic feet. This second generation has gotten its fair share of praise and criticism. Many like the attempts by Nissan to give the minivan some style; others believe that it's unattractive and inappropriate in this market segment. The sales of this second generation have not been good and Nissan hopes the redesign for the 2007 model will bring better sales.
