Nissan Quest

The Nissan Quest is a minivan manufactured and marketed by Nissan for model years 1993–2017 over four generations.

The first two generations (internally designated V40 and V41) of the Quest were short-wheelbase models co-developed and manufactured with Ford, aside its badge engineered Mercury Villager. For model year 2004 and the third generation (V42), Nissan ended its joint venture with Ford, manufacturing the Quest on its own. For model year 2011, the fourth generation (RE52) became a widened variant of the Nissan Elgrand minivan and became manufactured in Japan. For the preceding generations, the Quest loosely shared its chassis and powertrain with the Nissan Maxima.

Following the decline of minivan sales in North America, Nissan ended sales of the Quest after the 2017 model year.

In 1987, Ford and Nissan entered a joint agreement to develop an all-new vehicle to compete in the minivan segment scheduled for 1991. Development officially began later that year under the codename VX54, with the final designs being chosen in 1989. Prototypes went into initial testing in 1990 at Ford and Nissan test tracks, later real-world testing throughout 1991, with development concluding at the end of that year. On January 6, 1992, the 1993 Nissan Quest was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Unusually, its design patents were subsequently filed by design chief Thomas H. Semple for Nissan Motor on March 5, 1992, rather than in advance of its introduction.

The first Nissan Quest rolled off the production line on April 14, 1992, at the Avon, Ohio plant sourced from Japanese production. While assembly took place at Ohio Assembly, initial production began in Japan and later at NMMC that August. NMMC production began in June 1992 on the main body components, with engine assembly beginning in August. The Quest was launched in September 1992 and sold 1,358 units during its first month. The Quest was a successor to the Nissan Axxess, which was sold in the United States only in 1990 (ended production in 1989) and in Canada from 1990 to 1995. It also replaced the rear-wheel drive Nissan Van, also discontinued in 1990. The Quest was initially powered by Nissan's 3.0 L VG30E SOHC engine that made 151 hp (113 kW) and 182 lb⋅ft (247 N⋅m). For a short time, the Quest was sold in Japan in a right hand drive configuration at Nissan Bluebird Store locations, but sales were limited and cancelled after the facelifted version was released in 1996.

Ford required that Nissan make some design changes to the VG30E before they would agree to use it in the Villager and Quest. Changes included the addition of an oil level sensor and relocating the oil filter assembly for better access. The engine was also modified for the Quest and Villager to become a non-interference design: if the timing belt were to break, the pistons wouldn't come in contact with any open valves in the cylinders. The Quest was available as XE or GXE models. Because of manufacturing issues, Nissan had an arrangement for Ford to assemble the minivan in North America, and in turn they were allowed to rebadge it and sell it under the Mercury brand as the Villager. Many of the interior parts, including the radio, heater controls and power windows controls were adapted from Ford, and were similar to the Ford Aerostar. This generation of the Quest and Villager was built at Ford's Ohio Assembly plant in Avon Lake, Ohio. The van shared the modified version of the VG30E from the U11, and early J30 Maximas, as well as the 4-speed automatic transmission from the Maxima.

Seating was for 7, with a removable 2-seater bench in the middle, allowing the third row bench of 3 seats to slide up (either folded up for more room or down for passengers) behind the front for more rear cargo room. The third row seat was not removable however, and the system was not improved in the 1999 redesign (on which the model was not available in Canada), so newer fold-into-the-floor seats and lightweight buckets quickly eclipsed the system. In 1993, a driver's side airbag was made standard. A passenger airbag was later added in 1995 for the 1996 model year. That year saw the introduction of changes to the front and rear fascias, as well as headlights and tail lamps and the elimination of the motorized shoulder belts.

For 1999, the Quest was redesigned at Nissan Design America in San Diego, California, under Diane Allen, during 1993 and 1995. The production design by Shinken Tanaka was frozen in 1995 and design patents were filed at the Japan Patent Office on November 2, 1995, under patent #1009611. The exterior was given a more aerodynamic look, and the driver's side sliding door was added (it had been absent in the three-door Quests from 1993 to 1998). The Quest also got a power boost via the 3.3 L VG33E SOHC engine, making 171 hp (128 kW) and 200 lb⋅ft (270 N⋅m) of torque. With the new 3.3-liter engine, the 1999 Nissan Quest had a 0–60 mph acceleration time of 11.1 seconds. The XE trim was discontinued and the GXE was moved as the base model. Two new trim levels were also introduced: the top-of-the-line GLE and the sport model SE. This Nissan Quest model became the first Nissan minivan with four doors since the 1995 Nissan Axxess.