washingtonpost.com's view

Dependability, in a Negligee
2004 Nissan Quest 3.5 SE

Yes, there is sex after minivans.

At least that’s what Nissan North America hopes you’ll believe.

So do Toyota Motor Corp., and Honda Motor Co. They’re trying to scrap the image of minivans as romance killers. They want to sell the notion that minivans are hip.

But the car companies know deep in their hearts that minivans are for families, which means parents, guardians, kids, grandparents and all of their stuff — the people and things that show up in your life when sex leads to commitment.

Thus, automakers have developed minivans that attempt a compromise between fantasy and reality. This week’s test vehicle, the 2004 Nissan Quest 3.5 SE, is an example. It is the latest, and perhaps most extreme, attempt to give the minivan libido.

Like its competitors, the 2004 Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey, the new Quest has divorced itself from boxier-than-thou exterior design. The body is long and sensuous. The hood rises above the front fenders and slopes dramatically forward, where it meets sharply angled headlamps.

The side panels are no longer flat slabs; they are rounded. There is a gently undulating line between the tops of the panels and the bottoms of the side windows. It appears that glass and metal are embracing, dancing.

The design is visually and, in a way, polemically exciting. It clearly states that the Quest chooses not to be just another minivan. It cares not that it might offend traditionalists in making that statement. It doesn’t seek common approval. You either love it or hate it.

The interior picks up the theme. Yes, there are the requisite cup/juice-box holders. I counted eight scattered throughout the tested Quest 3.5 SE. And, yes, there are myriad storage bins and nifty practical touches, such as the second- and third-row seats that fold flat into the floor, eliminating the need to remove them to increase cargo space.

But, egad! Look at that optional Skyview ceiling! There are two skylights on either side of a center ceiling panel extending over the second- and third-row seats. The skylights really open up the rear passenger cabin. They make it feel less confining.

The ceiling panel, reminiscent of something found in corporate aircraft, contains air-conditioning and heating vents, more storage bins and, in the tested vehicle, two DVD screens facing the second- and third-row seats.

Perhaps the biggest mechanical rap against minivans has been their perceived lack of power. It is a perception that stems from a conflict between current lifestyle needs and former lifestyle memories — the single woman or man merging into couple merging into parents and leaving fast cars and the wonderfully carefree, exhilarating, thoroughly selfish feel of fast driving behind.

Let’s face it. Most minivans even look slow. To address that perceived d eficit, Nissan installed a 240-horsepower version of its 3.5-liter V-6 engine in the Quest 3.5 SE and linked it to a five-speed automatic transmission. I question the ultimate wisdom of producing the moral equivalent of a hot-rod minivan. But the bottom line is that this baby can run.

Will all or any of these things give the Quest the sex appeal it needs to attract couples with kids? Time and sales will tell. But twenty- and thirtysomethings should at least be comforted by this: The new Quest is not your mom’s vanmobile.

Nuts & Bolts

Complaints: I dislike the absence of an injury-prevention system that allows the optional automatic side doors to slide back, albeit slowly, and bang any small body that happens to be standing in the way.

Praise: I like the injury-prevention system that stops the automatic side doors and rear hatch from closing on fingers, hands, necks. Also, the automatic rear hatch emits a warning signal when it is rising.

Ride, acceleration and handling: High driving position is good. Remarkably good acceleration. Excellent handling.

Head-turning quotient: This one polarized spectators. Those who love it love it passionately, and those who hate it do so with equal fervor. But everybody noticed it — unusual for a minivan.

Engine/transmissions: The 3.5 Quest SE is equipped with a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that develops 340 horsepower at 5,800 revolutions per minute and 2,242 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 rpm. The engine is linked to a five-speed automatic. A lower-priced SL edition gets a four-speed automatic.

Capacities: Seats seven people. Carries up to 144 cubic feet of cargo and can handle a maximum payload of 1,557 pounds. Can tow up to 3,500 pounds. Fuel tank holds 20.1 gallons of gasoline. Regular unleaded is okay.

Mileage: I averaged 23 miles per gallon in mostly highway driving.

Safety: Front-, rear- and third-row head bags.

Price: Base price on the Quest 3.5 SE is $32,240. Dealer invoice price is $29,479. Price as tested is $35,780, including $3,000 (rounded) in options and a $540 destination charge.

Pure-strings note: Compare with 2004 Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Ford Freestar/Mercury Monterey, Chrysler Town & Country.