2016 Nissan Quest SV

[JTK]

We picked up a certified used 2016 Quest last week. This is our 4th minivan. We typically keep them 4-5yrs/ ~70K miles. Our first was a 2001 Ford Windstar LX back around 2003. Then to a 2008 Honda Odyssey LX, then a 2013 Grand Caravan SE. They've all been great. My wife's absolute favorite was the Odyssey. We did some shopping and test drove a few used 2015 Odysseys, but they were well worn and beat for what they wanted for them. We also test drove a 2014 Sienna that was great, but more than I am willing to pay. Pretty common thing for all used Toyotas and Hondas as we know. The Quest wasn't even on my radar until we climbed in and drove this one, especially since 2016 is the last year for them. Super comfortable ride. Lots of power with great handling and braking, even with all 6 of us in it. It's got more power options on it than any other MV we've owned. It was a Hertz rental out of CA in it's previous life, but it came with a 7yr/100K mile b/b warranty. I've bought rentals before and never really had a bad experience. It's got the QV35DE V6 and a new generation Jatco CVT. I'm not really sure which yet given it's new to the 2015-16 model years. It does have a dipstick and what appears to be a hex nut drain plug on it's stamped steel pan. I also noticed it's got electo-hydraulic power steering. First time for this type of E-steering for me. It's TIGHT under the hood. The engine oil filter has to be accessed by removing a plastic panel in the right front wheel-well. We'll see how it goes.

 

[PimTac]

I know someone who has a 2016 as well. Super smooth ride and they love it as well. Jatco' s latest is the CVT8 which seems to be quite responsive as far as I could tell as a passenger. Congrats on your acquisition.

 

[KrisZ]

Congrats on the purchase.

 

[DerbyDave]

I have always liked this generation of Quest. It is different. I like different!

 

[pbm]

I rented one of those in Florida last year and liked it a lot.....decent MPG and plenty of power too.

 

[wemay]

Congrats!

That is my favorite Van.

 

[JMJNet]

It looks nice!!! Congratulation!!!

Do keep us updated.

 

[JTK]

Thanks! They are different for sure and Nissan never sold a lot of them. It has a high roof line with tons of headroom, plus a good amount of ground clearance. The interior does not have lots of storage amenities like the others, in that there's no in-floor storage compartments. The center bucket seats flip forward for 3rd row access or they can fold and tumble forward. They are not removable. The benefits of the lack of those things is you have more passenger room/comfort. The 3rd row does fold into the floor of the hatch area like all of them these days. The hatch storage area is super deep. Like an arm's length reach to the bottom. It has removable lids that are about level with the hatch opening. Spare tire is winch mounted from the center of the van. A pain, but atleast it has a spare. The new Grand Caravans do not.

 

[KrisZ]

My GC does and it is also mounted on a winch below the front seats. But I believe Chrysler made it an option, rather than standard equipment.

This reminds me, I have to remove the spare and lube up the winch mechanism.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: DerbyDave
I have always liked this generation of Quest. It is different. I like different!

Nissan decided to take a JDM minivan and widen it for American tastes - the first two Quests were built by Ford and had an weird marriage of Ford sheetmetal/electronics/switchgear and Nissan mechanicals. The 3rd generation model was known for feeling cheap - as was the case of Nissans of that era.

The Quest was "sporty" feeling for a minivan - even the underpowered Ford era ones. They handled quite well, but the brakes could have used a bit of help.

 

[SatinSilver]

Congrats! Did you trade in the Caravan at the Hertz sales place? I thought you had a Sienna at one time as well.

 

[Huie83]

Those do ride nice and are super spacious. Their horrendous frontal crash test results scared me away. http://www.iihs.org/iihs/news/desktopnew...overlap-results

Granted, the small overlap is a new test so that van wasn't designed to pass it.

 

[JTK]

KrisZ- Yes, the spare tire became an option for the Grand Caravan in 2013-14 I believe. I know my 2013 had one, but I don't recall if I paid for it in an option package or not. I know the new 2016 GC don't have them standard. They no longer offer the AVP/CVP option either. The most basic now is an "SE" with steel whees/plastic wheel covers, no sto-n-go, but they all have rear HVAC and tinted glass as far as I can tell. They are currently offering all kinds of incentives, so you could get one of these new SEs for around $21K. I wanted to go this route, but my wife never fully cared for the GC and she's the one who drives it.

SatinSilver, It was a local mega-dealer chain that had the Quest for sale. They must have bought it at auction. I paid just over $18K for the Quest. I got $8700 for the 2013 GC and it took some doing to get there. It had some front fascia damage, various small dings and scratches, bubbled paint on the leading edge of the (aluminum) hood, moisture in the front right headlamp, magic marker and various small interior stains, and needed front brakes. The tires were about 50%. It had just over 70K miles on it. Nothing I couldn't live with, but I like to keep my wife and kids in something I don't need to worry about.

Huie83, yes, I did research that crash worthiness scenario. For what ever reason the Quest is slightly cheaper to insure than the 2013 GC was.

 

[JTK]

Correction to my statement a few posts above. The 3rd row seats do NOT tumble backwards and fold flat into the hatch storage area on the 2011+ Quest. They do fold forward somewhat flat. This would not be the van for you if you need them in full cargo mode often. The folded 2nd and 3rd row eat up a ton of interior volume.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Correction to my statement a few posts above. The 3rd row seats do NOT tumble backwards and fold flat into the hatch storage area on the 2011+ Quest. They do fold forward somewhat flat. This would not be the van for you if you need them in full cargo mode often. The folded 2nd and 3rd row eat up a ton of interior volume.

Congrats on the purchase!

After a week, how are your kids and missus dealing with it? and juices spills?
is the high roof a plus in head ouchies?
do you plan to use a lot the folding of the 2nd and 3rd row?

 

[JTK]

They're loving it. They better! lol. I haven't driven it much, but my wife is much more comfortable given the more seat adjustability of the Quest over the Grand Caravan we had. The ride is a lot more soft and more quiet with the Quest. So far it's getting ~21mpg with daily around town driving where out other MVs would top out at 18mpg for typical daily use.

The high roofline and recessed step-in areas at the sliding doors are real plus for little ones and grammas and grandpas.

My kids being 5, 11, 13 and 15 now are definitely easier on the interior thankfully.

I don't use my vans often with all the seats folded, but even with the quest, there's still plenty of room in cargo mode. Just not as much floor to roof room as vans with fold into floor pocket seats.