2015 Nissan Quest

Nissan’s varied lineup of SUVs, pickup trucks, and EVs usually perform well in our road tests, but their Overall Scores suffer because of up-and-down reliability and average to below-average owner satisfaction. Inconsistent quality across the brand means some Nissans are a better choice than others. Many of its gasoline vehicles use small turbocharged engines and continuously variable transmissions to give owners both competitive fuel economy and sporty performance. Most new Nissans come standard with a full suite of active safety and driver assist systems. It’s also one of the few remaining brands that sells a sub-compact sedan, the Versa. The compact Sentra, a mainstay within Nissan’s lineup, earned a high score in our road test and is recommended. Nissan was an early EV trailblazer with the Leaf hatchback, and now sells larger five-passenger EV SUVs. Used Nissans have average reliability according to our surveys.

After a one-year hiatus, an all-new Quest was introduced for the 2011 model year. Exceptionally spacious and luxurious, it features a quiet and plush interior with a smooth and compliant ride. Handling is sound, but not sporty. Both rear rows fold flat to form a flush load floor, however, this version of the Quest only has seating for seven. Access is easy, with large doors, low step-in and a flat floor. Rare for minivans, the windows on the sliding side doors can be lowered. Standard safety features include antilock brakes with brake assist, traction control, and electronic stability control. Blind spot monitoring is optional. However, this version of the Quest did not score well in the IIHS small overlap crash test.