Minivan owners are a picky bunch. Their vehicles have to carry the load of children, friends, groceries and hardware, and still provide an enjoyable driving experience. The Quest satisfies those needs with a sleek body that neatly encases a flexible interior package.
The driving position is typical of minivans and sport-utility vehicles. The driver sits upright in a comfortable, if slightly narrow, seat. The view outside is commanding: The front fenders fall away for maximum visibility. The rest of the cabin is tall and glassy, which makes backing up a snap.
Quest GXE comes with a second-row bench seat with optional integrated child safety seats. The SE and GLE come with second-row captain's chairs. Either way, the Quest's seating system wins high marks from owners. It's easy to see why. The second-row bucket seats in the SE and GLE tip forward for easy access to the third bench. The middle bench in the GXE tilts, flips forward, even comes out altogether to create a limousine-style space for important passengers or a large cargo area. Best of all, the third-row bench can be moved forward into one of six positions on a track that permits nearly five feet of movement front to back, allowing it to accommodate every possible variation of passengers with limousine-quality room.
Behind the third-row bench, an adjustable shelf offers three vertical positions, and holds 30 pounds. The two-tier capability adds some usefulness to the area, which is about half as deep as the cargo hold on a standard-issue Dodge Caravan.
The Quest's instrumentation is complete and well-designed, although some of the plastics and vinyls are less than rich-looking. The dash is arranged well, and the flurry of little buttons normally found with a vehicle this well-equipped is absent. Most of the Quest's buttons are square, flat plastic, functional and clean.
Many minivans seem to take pride in lulling their owners to sleep with sluggish handling and slushy ride quality. The Quest reacts to the road more like a sports sedan, with sharp steering and well-damped ride motions that might make you forget you're in a vehicle as large as a Manhattan powder room.
The Quest simply acts smaller than it is. With a fair amount of weight to throw around, but with less body roll than the larger minivans, the Quest felt planted on the winding roads of north Georgia. It responds to small changes in steering with a sense of connection that long-wheelbase minivans with big tires aren't able to match. Combined with a firm, controlled ride, the Quest's handling is among the most satisfying in its class.
The downside to the Quest's amiable personality is its 170-horsepower 3.3-liter V-6 engine. The addition of 19 horsepower to the bottom line has improved acceleration performance, but the Quest won't match the truly quick acceleration of Ford's 200-horsepower Windstar. Weighing nearly 4,000 pounds, the Quest could use some more power. More torque would help the Quest launch quickly from stoplights. More top-end power would allow it to pass other cars with authority on uphill highway stretches. Yet it could also stand some constraint; its 17/24 fuel-mileage rating is a bit thirsty even with premium unleaded running 99 cents a gallon.