Howdy ya'll. Brought home a new 08 Quest SE 4 weeks ago and I thought I'd wait a bit before giving my thoughts. Being a long time Nissan loyalist the choice was easy however, being smart we had to compare it to the Odyssey. In two words- no comparison! Simply, the Odyssey looks boring, the dash looks cheap and plastic-y and the ride was too twitchy while being lofty and it had a lot of road noise.

That is not to say the Quest is without fault... just when it comes to minivans, the Quest is heads and shoulders above the competition. We traded in our 05 Murano and the CVT, HID and Intelligent Key will be sorely missed which is a good place to start... Why are these not options on the Quest?!?! Am I going to regret not holding out for the new 09's? Hope not.

What else?
A 60/40 split 3rd-row seat would also be nice.
Console/cooler/seat option (dealer) for between the 2nd-row seats.
Thank goodness they're not PAX but those Goodyear's have got to go!
Roll down, sliding door windows.... or, maybe not.
Putting on new brakes this weekend... what's new for a new Nissan?
Wicked arch to front seat backs and short leg support.
Undulating and uneven floor behind front seats.
The couldn't hide the tailpipe/rear muffler better?
Didn't come with compass integrated in Homelink rear-view mirror.
Wide angle mirror to see kiddies in back.
Beep noise instead of horn honk when locking doors. I know it can be disabled.

Likes:
Looks both inside and out.
SE styling with 17" alloys, fog lights, clear tail lights, lower body mouldings.
SkyView, overhead console, 2 DVD monitors, color "Command Center" up front.
07/08 styling compared to 04-06.
3.5VQ, enough said.
Smooth tranny with nice 5-speed range. Maybe I won't miss the CVT after all?
Nice use of materials abound in the fuselage... er, I mean, cabin.
Space behind 3-row, space behind 2nd-row with 3rd stowed.
Center front console. That folding table sucks.
Bluetooth, DVD, backup camera and sonars, cornering lamps, wireless headphones, 8" dual monitors, homelink, TPMS.
Free XM radio for 3 months... now I'm hooked.
Big glove box.
Discreet receiver hitch.
Power sliding doors and hatch and they are oh-so quiet.
Fold flat second row.
10-speaker stereo that you can really crank.
AUX input.

We're no doubt gonna miss the Mo (Murano) but the extra flexibility, utility and all the bells and whistles the Quest offers for roughly the same MPG will be well rewarded in the end. Just 2 days after taking delivery we disembarked on a 1600 mile road trip and it was truly an enjoyable experience. Cruising between 70 and 75 MPH we averaged 19.2 MPG until the clock hit 500 miles at which point we then averaged 21.2 MPG at similar speeds while fighting vicious cross winds in Northern Texas.

FWIW, we dealt with Robbins Nissan in Humble, TX. It was our first vehicle purchase in the state after moving from Ohio. After visiting a couple other dealers to get an idea of how they deal down here, we managed 500 under invoice on the Quest and 500 over book on our trade all with a phone call and they located and transported the vehicle of our choice. It was a very easy transaction... one we had become accustomed to back in Ohio where they don't sell me anything and there is no haggling involved. I tell them what I have and what I want and we sign.

The one thing about it all that sucked was getting stuck ($210) for that stupid cargo organizer. Apparently, they all are coming with those things so it's not even worth anything on E-Bay. Other than that, I'm very happy with our purchase with no regrets. I know some of my nit-picking is delusions of grandeur. Certainly no one else is making a minivan this well equipped. When a manufacturer try to make a van something other than a van, they end up with something called a Caravan or Town & Country with those ridiculous rear-facing seats. lol. Anyway, I just hope my 98 I30t will hang on 5 more years until we get this Quest paid off. Then it's a M45 for daddy. :)

BTW... I was suprised to find a board for the Quest. I just wish more Quest owners paticipated.

Josh in Houston.