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Driving Impressions
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.
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