Autoblog: So the condom broke: Nissan's new Quest.

[TC]

Well, I just want my steering wheel controls to work with it. I know my factory unit is already set up for a CD changer and satellite radio, so I would hope it's just a matter of plugging in a USB cable and running it to the center console.

 

[rickhamilton620]

The exterior is nice, I have to say ... but ...



... they?ve made quite an efford to hide tha fact that the interior is dead boring and cheap. Problem is of course ... it is cheap even if you only notice it on second glance. The only not cheap looking stuff are the steering wheel and gear leaver (and the stitching on those looks like the sort of stitching that is to look as if it was handmade - but actually isn?t and doesn?t even do anything) ... the rest is just painted plastic to look like the stuff people actually want. For me, personally that?s worse than it just being bad on first look. Because when you finally realise that it does look cheap, you feel cheated. And I haven?t even started about how boring it all is on top of it ... it looks 5 years old.
This car needs an interior makeover before it?s even on sale ...

I actually disagree. I won't know until I get my hands on one at the local auto show, but it appears to have the best interior in the class here. It blows the old Quest's out of the water, decimates the 2011 Sienna (who's hard plastic interior will most likely be worst in class once the new Mopar van's come out) and 2011 Kia Sedona. It's also cleaner looking than the Odyssey's dash as well.:

I think that the fact that it's a Elgrand with 5 inches of width added is also pretty cool along with the Flexesque window treatment. I do think the Quest front and rear end treatments looks better than the Elgrand though, and it'll be interesting to see how buyers used to a third row that folds backwards into the storage well warm up to the Quest's SUV style fold flat third row.

 

[Interrobang]

I actually disagree. I won't know until I get my hands on one at the local auto show, but it appears to have the best interior in the class here. [...]

You have a point there. It has the best interior in the class compared to the others, thanks for posting the pics. I?ve been comparing it to the European products that I know, and with those in mind (Ford Galaxy, Renault Espace, Citoen C8, VW Sharan) I wrote that. It really is a shame how boring and cheap that looks. I think young parents would want something different than that, something more modern ...

 

[rickhamilton620]

You have a point there. It has the best interior in the class compared to the others, thanks for posting the pics. I?ve been comparing it to the European products that I know, and with those in mind (Ford Galaxy, Renault Espace, Citoen C8, VW Sharan) I wrote that. It really is a shame how boring and cheap that looks. I think young parents would want something different than that, something more modern ...

I hear ya, and kinda suspected you were comparing to the vehicles you guys have. Nissan tried different with the last gen Quest. The center mounted gauges (ala' the PSA Eurovans) didn't gain a lot of fans:

Combine that with interior quality issues and Nissan realized they had a problem on their hands. They did corrective surgery on the interior in a mid-cycle refresh/facelift:

While that helped (improved materials, movement of production from the US plant back to Japan, soft plastics, etc...) the damage was done in terms of first impressions and it was yet again...an also-ran in the segment that at the time literally had a van with a near Lexus class in terms of fit, finish, and materials interior (the 04 - 10 Sienna)

I've always liked VW's stuff...and the current Touran, Sharan, Transporter/Mulitvan and Caddy interiors are no exception. They look like quality goods. The Routan less so but still better than it's Mopar siblings at the moment...

Basically I think Nissan's chosen to play it safe in as many ways as possible with this Quest. It's interior is squarely traditional (yet much more upscale...the whole layout reminds me of Infiniti products more than any other Nissan in the lineup) save for the third row, the styling is more handsome and less controversial, etc. Conservative design sells in this segment, Nissan learned that the hard way with the last Quest.

 

[Carmen's Revenge]

I don't mind the exterior design, the straight windows has an artful effect, like windows on a passing train.

As for the interior erm.... The last thing you want are white-ish floors, seats and lower panels. Insert footprints, chocolate stains, mud, etc, everywhere.

(pun) I notice the pedals are wwaaaaaayyyy off the floor. Perhaps they are afraid of a certain episode of uncontrolled acceleration!

I actually disagree. I won't know until I get my hands on one at the local auto show, but it appears to have the best interior in the class here. It blows the old Quest's out of the water, decimates the 2011 Sienna (who's hard plastic interior will most likely be worst in class once the new Mopar van's come out) and 2011 Kia Sedona. It's also cleaner looking than the Odyssey's dash as well.:

Of the selection of pics my favourite is the Kia. Yes, it's cheap plastic everywhere and no bling but that's why I like it. It's cheap and does not try to look sci fi or Art Deco to try and mask it.

 

[Interrobang]

[...]Of the selection of pics my favourite is the Kia. Yes, it's cheap plastic everywhere and no bling but that's why I like it. It's cheap and does not try to look sci fi or Art Deco to try and mask it.

It?s funny you should say that because I came to the same solution ... untill I spotted a small detail that I couldn?t live with.
These Buttons.
http://img17.imageshack.**/img17/6892/fuglyr.jpg

Call me wierd, but everytime I?d spot these, I?d throw up a little. So because KIA can?t put decent Button in the Armrest ... the Nissan currently wins. IMO.

make it go away, please. It?s making a grown man cry.

On the bright side ... look at the door-interior there. MUCH BETTER.
http://img13.imageshack.**/img13/8438/door2bf.jpg
I think while that design as a whole is awful, there are a lot of nice design-touches and with a more ambitious makeover, they could have made this work. But like always, when sales go down, they panic so much, even the good stuff get?s thrown out ...

 

[AiR]

Of those up there I too prefer the KIA, looks outdated but not as outdated as the others.
I'd like to throw this one into the mix though, here Nissan, this is how you do it.

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/11/20/5008_interior_1.jpg

 

[McRae]

I'm just glad we'll probably never see the Quest on Danish roads.

And I agree with AiR; Peugeot know how to put together a nice interior.

 

[rickhamilton620]

Of the selection of pics my favourite is the Kia. Yes, it's cheap plastic everywhere and no bling but that's why I like it. It's cheap and does not try to look sci fi or Art Deco to try and mask it.

It?s funny you should say that because I came to the same solution ... untill I spotted a small detail that I couldn?t live with.
These Buttons.
http://img17.imageshack.**/img17/6892/fuglyr.jpg

Call me wierd, but everytime I?d spot these, I?d throw up a little. So because KIA can?t put decent Button in the Armrest ... the Nissan currently wins. IMO.


make it go away, please. It?s making a grown man cry.

On the bright side ... look at the door-interior there. MUCH BETTER.
http://img13.imageshack.**/img13/8438/door2bf.jpg
I think while that design as a whole is awful, there are a lot of nice design-touches and with a more ambitious makeover, they could have made this work. But like always, when sales go down, they panic so much, even the good stuff get?s thrown out ...

Yeah, I personally liked the way the last Quest looked...sure there were some glaring omissions in the total package (where were the roll-down sliding door windows?, why did they cheap out and put a 4-speed on the entry level and midrange models?, etc.) but it was quirky. This one still is...just decidedly less so.

Of those up there I too prefer the KIA, looks outdated but not as outdated as the others.

My favorite before the Quest came out was the Sedona as well. My only disappointment is that the dashboard's materials are a uncharacteristic for Hyundai/Kia step down from it's predecessor. You see, while a lot of Europe got a god awful interior on the last Sedona:

The US got one that was the among first proof that Kia/Hyundai can deliver a great, high quailty interior:

I must say though, the new Chryslers look promising:

 

[bone]

Who the hell uses CDs?

i do.

i can't convince myself to spend any money on an mp3, they're just worthless bits and bytes. if i spent money on music, i want a fancy disc, a nice case and a booklet!

 

[Crazyjeeper]

Who the hell uses CDs?

Show me one that would use a stock sound system in anything this side of a Bentley and I'll agree with you

i do.

i can't convince myself to spend any money on an mp3, they're just worthless bits and bytes. if i spent money on music, i want a fancy disc, a nice case and a booklet!

And this. If they are charging me real money, I want something physicial, something I can touch rather than just a new stream of 0100100101010010100101.

 

[Blind_Io]

Who the hell uses CDs?

Yo. My X has a six-disc MP3 disc player and I use it all the time.

 

[AudiV6]

I still prefer this:

a rugged builders van interior such as this VW T3 one, simple, unsafe and loud

 

[nsx_23]

Of those up there I too prefer the KIA, looks outdated but not as outdated as the others.
I'd like to throw this one into the mix though, here Nissan, this is how you do it.

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/11/20/5008_interior_1.jpg

Reminds me of an R8 interior, which is no bad thing.

 

[Pedrocas]

Oh hai there!

20?? BYD C3 Minibus

 

[AiR]

Now that's a fast copy by those industrious little fellas at BYD. I do wonder how they are able to come up with so many new cars all the time, do they work on a friday deadline schedule?

 

[DubyaStep]

Who the hell uses CDs?

people who know anything about music. mp3's are shit.

 

[Blind_Io]

CDs and MP3s are both digital so there's really no difference between them that can't be fixed by upping the bitrate of the MP3. If you were a real audiophile then you'd be listening to analog recordings on tube sets.

 

[Crazyjeeper]

CDs and MP3s are both digital so there's really no difference between them that can't be fixed by upping the bitrate of the MP3. If you were a real audiophile then you'd be listening to analog recordings on tube sets.

There is a difference. The max bitrate for MP3 is 320cbr or V0, which is about 240. The native CD mastering is 16bit/44.1khz, which calculates out to 1411kbps, or over 4 times greater than the max quality MP3 encoding. That makes a difference.

 

[Spectre]

If you were a real audiophile then you'd be listening to analog recordings on tube sets.

And not listening to them in the car, because turntables are not really compatible with cars. Neither are vacuum tubes.