A first look at the 2011 Nissan Quest.
Nissan has taken the wraps off it’s next-generation Quest minivan, showing the automaker plans to take another shot at a segment it has long struggled to find a place in – and which a number of key competitors have already abandoned.
The 2011 Nissan Quest significantly ups the level of style in a segment where functionality is normally the touchstone for designers and engineers. The maker went on a similar, er, quest, when it launched the last version in 2004.
That was arguably the most stylish offering of its time, but the last-generation Quest was faulted for some fundamental flaws, notably including a third-row seat that didn’t feature a 60/40 split and thinly padded second-row seats which many found uncomfortable.
Whether the 2011 Nissan Quest will resolve those and other issues related to features, function and comfort remains to be seen.
Quest sales have lagged behind industry leaders notably Chrysler, whose Town & Country and Dodge Caravan models have regained ground since the maker’s 2009 bankruptcy – and which now control nearly half the U.S. minivan market.
(Click Here for more on Chrysler’s resurgence in the minivan market.)
But the 2011 Nissan Quest will go up against some tough Asian competition, as well. And both the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna vans will go through complete makeovers for the coming model-year. Toyota will retain the focus on functionality, while Honda, like Nissan, is hoping that a little more sporty touches to the Odyssey will draw in those who disdain classic soccer-mom shapes.
Nissan is putting a premium on stylishness with the 2011 Quest, but will have to resolve some of the outgoing model's functional flaws.
The American minivan market has plunged by nearly 70% since it peaked, in 2000, at 1.3 million – though it’s expected to jump from 415,000 last year to 500,000 in 2010.
Nonetheless, the tough competition and declining demand helped drive Ford, General Motors and Mazda from the once-popular minivan segment, replacing them with crossovers, which consumers associate with a sportier lifestyle than that of the boxy minivan.
Nissan has opened a consumer microsite for potential customers to learn about its new minivan, which will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November and go on sale in early 2011.