Nissan's designers have tried hard to make the Quest look different from a traditional minivan. Gone are the slab sides and flat roof. Instead, the Quest gets bold fender flares that run along the sides with shoulders that sweep up as the lines blend to the rear. The result is a vehicle with curvaceous character lines that does not look nearly as big as it is in reality. Part of this illusion is due to the long wheelbase with relatively short overhangs at front and rear.

Quest has dual sliding side doors, as expected, but they are four inches longer than those on other minivans. That makes getting in and out easier, especially to the third row of seats. The sliding doors work very well, and will open simultaneously from a distance when the buttons on the remote are pressed, though they seem reluctant to respond at times. The sliding doors have pinch protection, but seemed to push pretty hard before deciding the passage was blocked and reversing direction. Due to the swept-up hipline, the slot for the door runners is in the middle of the bodywork rather than being disguised along the lower edge of the side windows.

The power tailgate works well, also. I was able to interrupt its opening by pressing the remote again when I noticed it was parked too close to a tree to swing open. Again, it was slow to respond to the remote.

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