yeah I passed the ~last gen this morning and its ugliness is staggering.  I think the sheer improvement from the last model is what makes the next one so impressive.

Saw my first one on the highway yesterday.  Man, that thing sits LOW to the ground!  Looking in the rearview it was tough to tell it was a van.

looked pretty nice in black.  I still think I'm going to be partial to the Quest... but won't be able to see it in person for another couple of months.

2011 Quest Review (USA Today)

Test Drive Column
By James Healey


The 2011 Nissan Quest feels bigger than it is.


Kind of a galloping galoot personality, bounding down the street, tossing its body and occupants more than expected over pavement rills and easy bumps.
How surprising, then, to note that the new Nissan van is derived from the chassis used on Nissan's sporty Maxima sedans and Murano crossover SUV.
And striking to discover that the new Quest is a bit smaller than the competition. About 2 inches shorter and an inch narrower than, say, the redesigned 2011 Honda Odyssey or refurbished 2011 Chrysler Town & Country.
The manufacturers' data sheets also show Quest comes up a bit short on cargo space vs. rivals.

All that seems backward. Most folks in a big machine would prefer a vehicle that's taut-feeling, crisp-handling and generally drives as if it were smaller.

Quest styling also was off-putting. The front appears tapered, stylish. But the upright, overly festooned rear seemed a mismatch.
Yes, Chrysler vans are upright and squared off in back, to their aesthetic detriment. And, sure, the latest Odyssey's look, at least in profile, is over the top. But others' sins seem a pale excuse for Nissan's oddball presentation.
"We wanted the uprightness for a more traditional look. A little less soft (than previously). A vehicle that both the husband and wife would be satisfied driving," says Larry Dominique, vice president for product planning for Nissan North America. The 2011 went on sale Jan. 28, about 19 months after the old model was discontinued.
Quest was co-developed with the Japan-market Elgrand, a six-passenger luxury van, so it had to retain some of the Elgrand's side panels to keep costs low, but the visual collision of the front and rear is hardest to accept.
Maybe the styling matters not. Inside, where the previous Quest's out-of-the-ordinary appearance and layout alienated shoppers, the new Quest seems back closer to mainstream.
And surely most van buyers make their choices on how the inside works as family transport, rather than how the outside looks. So we'll mark off the exterior styling to an issue of taste.

The inside of the high-end test Quest had the allure of a stylish apartment — something Nissan attempted in the last model with less success.
The $29,000 starter Quest won't have the same allure, but generally the vehicle appeared in the hunt from the inside. One exception: The gear lever blocked the view of, and access to, a few key controls, such as stereo volume. Even though some controls are duplicated on the steering wheel, some folks prefer using dashboard knobs, and the Quest makes that tricky. Seems as if somebody would have caught that during development.
As often is true in vans, seats are a big feature.
Fronts were handsome and pretty comfortable in the tester. And Quest's second and third rows fold flat with a single, simple tug for a flat cargo floor. The top model, LE, offers a handy power feature that erects the third-row seat backs for you, so you don't have to lean or crawl into the back to grab a strap or latch and pull them up.

Another plus: Unlike rivals, Quest's third row doesn't flip down into the storage well, so you can stack stuff there and not worry about having to move it if you want to fold the third row.
If you have stinky kids, or drive malodorous routes, you'll appreciate the three-pronged air filtration that Nissan says not only minimizes outdoor stench but freshens indoor smells. Must have worked; nothing ever smelled bad.

A convenience worth applause: optional one-button operation of the power sliding side doors. With that feature, you don't need to yank the side-door handle; just bump the button and the door powers open. Nice when your hands are full.
Mileage needs special mention. Our 12 mpg was far less than the commendable 19 mpg city rating, but our test consisted only of short trips to drop off and pick up family members, and involved some cold-weather keep-warm idling.
Based on past tests of other vans, we'd predict about 14 or 15 mpg for the Quest in less-demanding suburban schlepping.
Keep in mind there's nothing "mini" about such vans. Today's "minivans" are as big as full-size pickups and weigh more than 2 tons empty.
All considered, we'd find it hard to pick Quest over rivals, and not just because of the looks. (What van really looks good, after all?)

The Honda Odyssey offers a crisper, almost sporty driving feel that's appealing.

The 2011 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan are updated with better interiors and get the smooth, powerful 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 that makes them power champs in the segment.

The Volkswagen version of the Chryslers, called Routan, has extra appeal because of how VW does interiors and suspensions.

The Toyota Sienna is unique in offering all-wheel drive, is as lavish inside as the high-end Quest, and has a look that's at least rational and integrated, if not exactly gorgeous.

Nissan might need to try again.

•What? Nissan's re-entry into the U.S. family van market after 19 months.
Conventional, front-drive, full-size, seven-passenger van, offered in four trims: base S, SV, SL and LE.
•When? On sale Jan. 28.
•How much? Starting price range: $28,560, including $810 shipping, for S, to $42,160 for LE.
•How powerful? 3.5-liter V-6 rated 260 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 240 pounds-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm, mated to CVT (continuously variable-ratio automatic transmission).
•How big? Slightly smaller outside and in than rivals: 200.8 inches long, 77.6 in. wide, 71.5 in. tall, on 118.1-in. wheelbase.
Weighs 4,367 to 4,548 lbs. Carries 1,270 to 1,451 lbs. of people, cargo and accessories. Cargo space is 37.1 cubic feet behind third row, including underfloor storage; 63.6 cu. ft. with third row folded flat; 108.4 cu. ft. with second and third rows folded.
Turning circle diameter, 36.1 ft. (16-in. diameter tires) or 36.7 ft. (18-in. tires).
•How thirsty? Rated 19 miles per gallon in town, 24 highway, 21 mpg in combined city/highway use.
Trip computer on tester showed just 12.2 mpg (8.2 gallons per 100 miles) in unfavorable conditions — short, drop-off/pick-up trips in cold weather with some keep-warm idling. Nissan says that mileage is unrepresentative.
Midgrade (89-octane) gasoline recommended; regular (87-octane) OK. Tank holds 20 gallons.
•Overall: Better than its predecessor, but perhaps not the bull's-eye Nissan wants.

A few more from yesterday....

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