Minivans are the cars we hate to love.  Every family wants the space and versatility, but nobody wants to be saddled with the conservative soccer mom label, that's become so uncool nowadays.  The 2005 Nissan Quest is a minivan that tries to reinvigorate the minivan segment, with sleeker lines and upscale looks, as well as a good deal of power under the hood.
The big addition to the 2005 Quest is a new base model with less features and less of a price tag than the existing S, SL, and SE trims.  All have a 3.5-liter, 240-hp V6.  The base and S come with a 4-speed automatic, and the SE and SL feature a 5-speed auto tran.  Also new for 2005, the S trim gets more standard features now that it's no longer the entry level Quest.  These include a power sliding passenger door, a power liftgate, a roof rack, and a rear obstacle sensor.  For all Quests, an anti-theft system is standard, and a new adjustable armrest is added for the front seat.
The Quest features three rows of seating.  Both the second and third rows fold completely flat, laying out a cavernous storage space.  An optional seat package replaces the second row bench with bucket seats, for more comfort.  Dual sliding doors that open wide provide easy access to all rows.  In the top-end SE trim, both doors are powered.  The instrument panel sits high in the center of the dash instead of behind the wheel.
The 2005 Nissan Quest has a lot of good points, according to owners, but an equal amount of disappointments.  Highlights are its V6 power and acceleration capability, its car-like handling which makes it easy to drive, a sleek, sporty look, and the vast amounts of leg and headroom.  Drivers also like the way the dash is laid out and that both rows of seats fold flat.  But they also report problems with the power windows and a lot of rattling coming from both the sliding doors and the cheap plastic dash.  They wish there was a 60/40 split-fold option for more flexibility in seating and storage.