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Minivans are pretty hard to tell apart these days, most of them following the bulbous style of Chrysler’s people movers.

Even the latest minivans from Ford and Toyota tread no new ground in style or profile, instead focusing on practical features that make them more utilitarian.

Not so with Quest. Nissan, which has met great success in recent years pushing out the stylistic edge, tries it once again with its latest take on the minivan.

Or, in the immortal words of Monty Python: “Now, for something completely different . . . ”

The redesigned Quest does look different, more like an auto-show concept car than a production vehicle. OK, maybe it’s toned down from the actual concept version shown in 2002, but it stays close to the same vein.

A swooping exterior shape, futuristic dashboard and funky interior options set Quest apart. It still acts like a minivan, but maybe one designed at a Star Trek convention.

Although Quest marches to a different beat stylistically, it still fulfills its primary role of spacious practicality. The basic idea is to attract a new breed of drivers, those who appreciate the virtues of a minivan but are put off by the image of stodgy domesticity.

So the question is whether Quest can be radically different and conservatively routine at the same time. Will those who resist the minivan stigma suddenly convert because Quest looks so Space Age?

What it is

The latest Quest minivan, a stylistic maverick that boasts a powerful V-6 engine, four-wheel independent suspension and an interior that is spacious as well as spacey. The version tested was a mid-level SL that was well equipped at a moderate price.

Performance

Here’s another appearance by Nissan’s 3.5-liter double-overhead-cam V-6, which puts out a muscular 240 horsepower in the Quest. The same power plant as the 350Z sports car, Maxima 3.5, Altima 3.5, Murano sport utility and several Infiniti products, this engine feels strong and sporty even while hauling around a 2-ton minivan.

Throttle response is immediate, and though the engine sets up a roar under hard acceleration, it is smoothly competent in town and on the highway. There’s plenty of power for a full load of humans or cargo.

The base S and SL models get a four-speed automatic while the top SE gets a five-speed. The four-speed seemed well up to the task, performing seamlessly.

Drivability

The engine power, decent handling and effective four-wheel disc brakes put Quest a cut above the typical minivan.

Quest is built on the same platform as Altima and Maxima with all-independent suspension and responsive rack-and-pinion steering, but Quest still drives like a minivan and will never be mistaken for a sports sedan, as Nissan implies in its literature.

The combination of soft ride and quick steering produces unexpected body roll in tight maneuvers; th e steering response is maybe too quick for the hefty weight and high profile.

Standard SL equipment includes electronic four-wheel brake distribution; brake assist, which applies pressure in panic stops; and traction control. Quest comes only as front-wheel drive, with no all-wheel-drive option.

Styling

Altima, Maxima, Murano and 350Z were clearly home-run designs for Nissan. Quest may be more controversial, perhaps too trendy-looking for something aimed at middle-class families.

Personally, I think it’s pretty sharp. I like the chiseled front, the rising beltline below the windows and the sporty stance. But there’s no mistaking Quest for anything but a minivan.

Interior

More controversy. Nissan pulls out all the stops in making the Quest interior new and different. It’s so strange, it could be in a French car. Perhaps Renault had something to do with this.

The gauges, warning lights and video screen are clustered the center of the dashboard, which has been done recently in subcompact cars but which seems radical in a minivan. On the dash in front of the driver is a compartment with a lid. Awkward but oddly effective.

In the center below the gauges is a broad cylinder that rises from the floor. On its canted top are the controls for audio, climate control and other functions, which are delineated on the video screen. The gear selector is also set up on the cylinder, feeling like the joystick from a jet fighter.

Weird but not unattractive. Some controls are overly complicated, requiring too much manipulation for simple tasks.

In true minivan fashion, Quest has plenty of room for seven in three rows of seats. The third row folds easily into the floor.

Pricing

Quest SL comes with a full load of comfort and convenience features as standard equipment for the $26,740 price tag, including power adjustable pedals, power right-side sliding door, leather-rim steering wheel, remote keyless entry, Homelink communications system, trip computer, steering-wheel audio switches, rear climate controls and eight-way power driver’s seat.

The S model starts at just under $25,000 and you can load the SE above $35,000.

Options on the test Quest were a $750 upgrade package with side air bags, rear sonar backup warning system and heated front seats; a $350 seat package with send-row folding captain’s chairs; third-row flat-folding bench seat with grocery-bag hooks and child-seat anchors; floor mats, $150; and shipping, $540.

Total was $28,530 for a well-equipped minivan.

Bottom line

Love it or hate it, Quest is certainly distinctive, especially once you step inside. Whether minivan folks will warm up to the high-style interior, or whether minivan resisters will come around to the unique image, remains to be seen.