What we think

We applaud Nissan for hearing the complaints surrounding the current Quest minivan and efforts taken to remedy the situation. To their credit, engineers have taken some of the punch out of the overly individualistic design, but without a good deal of advertising, shoppers will be oblivious to the changes. Only minivan nuts (do they even exist?), automotive writers, and Nissan employees will recognize the changes without having them pointed out first, meaning that many shoppers may instantly dismiss the 2007 Quest thinking that it’s the same van they looked at three years ago. Our editors mostly like the look of Nissan’s family hauler, but the real question is – did buyers stay away from the Quest simply because of its interior and build quality, or did exterior styling have something to do with it? If so, a new grille and a splash of chrome will do little to alleviate that problem. This is a workable Band-Aid, though we’ll hold our breath for a complete redesign in the coming years.