2007 Nissan Quest

by Jim Woodman

When I first started reviewing new automobiles in 1992, one of my biggest eye-openers was how car-like minivans had become. The old “soccer mom” minivan stigma had certainly skewed my thinking and perception on minivans and I was sure I’d never own one.

Fast-forward 15 years and not only do I have a greater appreciation for minivans, I own a 2002 Honda Odyssey. With three children under eight, my wife and I have been sold on the conveniences and safety aspects of our minivan.

2007 Nissan Quest

Redesigned 2007 Model

With these thoughts in mind, I eagerly anticipated test driving the redesigned 2007 Nissan Quest. My most recent Quest experience was at the 2004 San Diego Auto Show where I couldn’t get past the very controversial center console dash. The gauges were placed over a tilted, and very odd-looking round center console. Above the steering wheel, where we’re all used to seeing gauges, there were none. I assume Nissan was hoping to appeal to those wanting something a little funkier and different. But it didn’t work. After a couple years, with very poor sales, they realized some modifications were in order.

I’m pleased to report that the 2007 is quite possibly one of the more appealing interiors in any minivan. For starters, the driver’s console was completely changed and gauges are now found above the steering wheel. They’ve still got a center console but it’s not as parallel to the floor as its predecessor model. Gauges were all easy to read and knobs were well-positioned. My only slight gripe, and an adjustment period might have solved this, was the fact the radio preset buttons were stacked vertically onto each other and separated by the radio. It was an effort to reach over to preset buttons 4, 5 and 6.

An 8-way power driver’s seat with lumbar support and memory function ensured I’d always be able to reset my adjustments after my wife drove the car. Heated front seats and separate rear heating and air conditioning controls are also a nice touch for keeping the interior nice and comfy in winter or summer.

While I don’t normally rant about color, I loved the “Chili Leather” interior. Not only did it seem to class up and differentiate the vehicle from every beige, grey or black leather seat combo on the market, but it complemented the exterior Chestnut color exterior very well. Again, not to be overly critical, but even though the little “pores” in the leather seats looked cool, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if my two-year-old spilled his chocolate milk onto any of the seats.

Sky View from all Rows

In addition to a sunroof with one-touch operation and automatic reverse, the second and third rows featured glass panels in the ceiling that allowed my children to see the sky – very cool feature for the little ones.

Speaking of the little ones, they loved the integrated DVD player – with separate screens for the second and third row. Two wireless headphones with independent volume controls round out the package but, with three children, I found myself listening to Sponge Bob way more than I wanted. Okay, I admit, I was jealous I couldn’t see the screen.

Just for grins I timed my wife, with a stopwatch, to see how long it would take to install our two-year-old’s car seat. She had not seen the interior before and I told her not to rush. We were both amazed that she had both side latches, the rear clip and seat belt threaded through in one minute, 41 seconds.

And no description of a minivan nowadays would be complete without discussing the foldaway third row seat. The Quest scores big points by having the rear headrests fold down onto the seat via a quick release handle behind the seatback. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve removed those headrests from my Odyssey and never had a convenient place to store them. This is a great idea from Nissan. A spring-load feature helps even the smallest person easily lift the seat out of its floor space. Folding the seat into its compartment, however, takes a little getting used to as the seat and backrest tend to lock into place – at a 90 degree angle from each other. I needed to get used to not having the two lock in place when stowing away the third row. I also would’ve like to see a 60/40 split option for the rear stoway seat.

The second row seats were very easy to fold down. A simple quick release lever lets each second row seat fold down onto itself and into the lower foot well in front. So with very little effort, one can have a complete cargo van without removing any of the seats.

Bold Styling

From the exterior, the Quest scores with its bold styling that separates it from the typical boxy-looking minivan. The grille features chrome inserts and the front bumper fascia is more angular. Door handles are now chromed rather than body-colored and chrome-finished roof racks round out its unique styling. The Quest is available in four trim levels. All trims come with the same five-speed automatic transmission. A four-speed unit, which used to be offered in lower-end models, is history. Nissan’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine delivers a very respectable 235 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque.

The Quest had no problem accelerating from a dead stop or merging into freeway traffic. The automatic transmission shifted very smoothly and road noise was very minimal at highway speeds.

Concerning safety, the Quest gives you air bag coverage in all three rows. In addition to front and side impact air bags for the front row passengers, the second and third rows are protected by a roof-mounted curtain side impact system. My Quest also featured the Michelin PAX® System which allows you to drive up to 55 mph for up to 125 miles with zero tire pressure. Add standard traction control and a tire-pressure monitor system in addition to anti-lock brakes and everything else you normally find on a vehicle nowadays and you’ll know the Quest scores very well for protecting your family.

As I mentioned up front in this article, if I were in the market for a minivan today I’d certainly feel like a kid in a candy store. The options and features from all the manufacturers are quite overwhelming but also very similar. When considering the Quest, I’d certainly put it high on my list simply because it’s a little different looking then you’re typical box-style minivan and it still delivers everything, and more, that you’d expect in a high-end minivan.

Quick Facts:

Make: Nissan
Model: Quest
Year: 2007
Base price: $33,900
Horsepower: 235 Hp @ 5800 rpm
Torque: 240 lbs.-ft. @ 4400 rpm
0-60mph: 8.5 seconds
Antilock brakes: Standard
Side curtain airbags: Standard
First aid kit: Standard
Bicycle friendly: Yes
Off-road: No
Towing: Yes
Fuel economy: 18/25 mpg city/highway
Comments: Test model was a loaded 3.5 SE that included the optional technology package ($800); Foldaway Seat Package ($750); Navigation & PAX System ($2,650) and DVD Entertainment ($2,000).

Are Winter Tires Worth the Investment?

While all-season tires save the car owner time and money, they lack the safety and performance that winter tires can provide in cold, wet weather.

By Nina Russin

Photo courtesy of Volvo public relations

Back in my parents’ time, semi-annual car maintenance was a way of life. Every six months my father would take the family Rambler down to Joe Huber, our neighborhood mechanic. Joe would tune up our “bag of bolts” by changing out the spark plugs and wires, replacing the rotor and distributor cap, and rebuilding the carburetor. All of this saved my father, who was not at all mechanically inclined, a rash of headaches.

Since these tune-ups typically took place in the spring and fall, Joe also swapped out the tires. Snow tires were the only thing that gave the Rambler a fighting chance when it came to climbing up our hilly street, and our even hillier driveway. Keeping two large sacks of cat litter in the trunk over the rear wheel wells didn’t hurt either.

These days, semi-annual tune-ups have gone the way of the carburetor. So have semi-annual tire changes, thanks to the advent of all-season tires. However, the all-season tires don’t offer the performance and safety of winter tires, especially for drivers who live in cold, snowy climates.

“Think of your tires like a pair of shoes,” said Matt Edmonds, vice president of marketing for the Tire Rack, an online tire retailer. “We have everyday shoes that allow us to walk around, and maybe even run a block or two if we need to rush to catch a bus. But to get the most out of our performance, we need special shoes. For winter activities, we wear winter shoes that keep our feet warm and give us better traction on ice and snow.”

Winter tires are compounded for cold weather. They perform best at temperatures below fifty degrees. In warmer temperatures, winter tires get too soft and sticky. Leaving them on a car in the warm weather will make these tires wear out prematurely.

But in the winter, they’ll be soft enough to provide adequate traction during emergency maneuvers and braking. In comparison, an all-season tire, designed to perform in both cold and warm temperatures, will be too hard in the cold to provide maximum traction.

Winter tires also have a different tread design, so that the vehicle can maintain an adequate contact patch with the ground in deep snow. While all-season tires have relatively small tread blocks, the tread blocks in winter tires are larger. Void areas between the tread blocks are also larger, so that the snow can channel up and out of the way. Small blades on the tires called sipes give winter tires a biting edge in the snow.

Off-road tires are similar to winter tires, in that they also have larger tread blocks and big void areas. But these tires tend to be noisier and cause more vibration when driven on paved roads. Winter tires are also compounded to wick a certain amount of water into the rubber for better traction on ice.

As temperatures drop, drivers should also check their tire pressures, explained Edmonds. A decrease of ten degrees in temperature equates to a one-pound drop in tire pressure. A decrease of just ten percent in tire pressure can damage the inside structure of the tire, making a blowout more likely.

Drivers in warm winter climates that decide to head up to the mountains for a weekend of skiing should remember to take the tire gauge along. If the pressure gets extremely low in a tire, have it checked by a qualified technician as soon as possible, to make sure that the inside structure is still sound.

What is the cost of putting winter tires on your car?

“Less than the deductible on your car insurance,” said Edmonds.  A set of winter tires costs between $350 and $600, depending on the vehicle. Edmonds recommends also purchasing a separate set of rims to mount the winter tires on. This allows car owners to swap their own tires out in the spring and fall, saving the costs of mounts and dismounts: about $60 for all four wheels. Car owners who upgrade their rims from the original equipment wheels can use the OE wheels to mount their winter tires. Otherwise, Edmonds recommends using an inexpensive set of alloy or steel wheels.

One tire manufacturer that has led the way in winter tire technology is Bridgestone. Bridgestone recently introduced a new generation of its Blizzak studless snow tires, slated to go on sale next winter. The new Blizzak tires contain NanoPro-Tech: a proprietary technology that improves the tire’s tread flexibility and traction on wet and snow-covered surfaces.

A multi-cell compound on the Blizzak tires wicks water away from the tire’s contact patch with the ground to improve grip. Bite particles bite into the surface of the ice to enhance traction on slick surfaces. The new Blizzak WS60 tires are available in R-speed rated sizes in the 70 to 45 series, ranging from 14 to 17-inch.

Car owners can find a wealth of information about tire technology on the Tire Rack web site. In addition to selling tires, Tire Rack also employs over ninety test drivers that evaluate tires on a special test facility in South Bend, Indiana. Tire Rack surpassed two billion miles in data this year, including ongoing consumer surveys. Visitors to the site can search for results by tire make, vehicle make and model, or even driving styles, from over seven thousand tire SKUs in stock.

2007 Chrysler 300C SRT8

The Chrysler 300C SRT8 is a great grocery getter: don’t melt the tires in the parking lot.

By Nina Russin

2007 Chrysler 300C SRT8

As a kid raised in Cincinnati, my early memories consist of Tony Perez, Pete Rose, Oscar Robertson, and drive-in movie theaters. I suppose the low price of real estate was the reason drive-ins seemed to populate every corner. There was one a mile from our house, with a screen large enough to see several blocks beyond its gates.

Those were the days of really cheap gas: so cheap that it’s hard to imagine in today’s three dollars per gallon market. Cars were big because there was no reason to make them small. Big cars came with big bench seats: the original living rooms on wheels. Going to the drive-in was like watching a movie in one’s living room, except that the theater was  under the stars.

Not only were the cars big; they were also fast. Some cars were quicker than others: they had a few extra gizmos under the hood. For liability reasons, manufacturers often listed the performance options as off-road packages, the idea being that a full-tilt racing suspension was durable enough to take a few rocks under the wheels. These models came to be known as muscle cars: their tenure began in the 1950s, and lasted until emissions controls in the mid 1970s rendered the engines anemic.

As the boomer generation ages, the muscle car legend grows larger in its collective mindset. Manufacturers have found gold in marketing new models that mimic the original formula: a full-sized chassis with a race-ready engine under the hood.

Chrysler’s first 300 sedan, introduced in 1955, took its name from a 300-horsepower hemi engine. The current Chrysler 300 sedan takes its styling cues from the 1950s model: a large, egg crate grille, big sweeping fenders, a high beltline and big wheels. The designation, SRT, stands for Street and Racing Technology. Engineers tuned the 6.1-liter hemi engine, first introduced on the 2006 model, and added a few extra toys: a rear spoiler, bigger wheels, much bigger brakes, a race-tuned suspension and a high-flow exhaust.

The 425-horsepower hemi engine accelerates from zero-to-sixty in just over 5 seconds. The 300C SRT8 enough gut wrenching torque to launch a space shuttle. Remarkably enough, it’s street legal.

But officer, I was only doing a hundred and twenty…

Speed in a big car can be deceptive, especially if the car has a fairly seamless five-speed transmission. Somehow, I found the speedometer pinned on eighty by the end of the freeway on-ramp. The fact that everything around me was moving more slowly should have been a clue.

It’s very hard to drive the 300C SRT8 slowly. Inside the car, the driver has little perception of acceleration or road noise. The twenty-inch wheels give the sedan a huge footprint that’s extremely stable in the corners. Engineers lowered the chassis half an inch to improve high-speed handling. The anti-sway bars are also larger than standard issue.

The steering has a nice positive feel that makes the driver feel connected to the chassis. Brembo racing brakes make the vehicle stop on a dime, but they aren’t grabby.

The automatic transmission has a manual shift feature for those who like to choose their own gears. But even in the fully automatic mode, it works exceptionally well. Electronic stability program and traction control are standard. Since the weather in Phoenix is rarely wet and never snowy, I didn’t have a chance to see how well the vehicle handled in adverse weather. Standard rain sensitive wipers and heated seats and side mirrors should appeal to people living in the snow belt.

Visibility is somewhat limited to the rear of the car due to the large C pillars. I found myself looking out the side window to double check for cars in the next lane before passing.

Luxurious interior

The 300C SRT8 is definitely a man’s car. The seats and steering wheel are both designed for big drivers. While the seats are comfortable, the large diameter steering wheel seems ungainly for a driver of my stature.

Since this is a fully loaded model, it comes with a lot of comfort and convenience options that buyers may or may not want. Dual-zone temperature controls, an upscale audio system with a 6-disc CD changes, MP3 jack and Sirius Satellite radio, power tilt and telescoping steering wheel, power adjustable pedals, and fog lamps are all standard features. The long list of standard equipment gives the high-performance 300 a hefty price tag. Base sticker is just over $40,000, placing the car well within the luxury segment.

The test car has the optional navigation system with a Bluetooth compatible sound system ($1,770) and a power sunroof. The base sticker price doesn’t include the destination charge, or the $2,100 gas guzzler tax.

The passenger cabin is large enough to seat four adults very comfortably. The rear seat has seatbelts for three passengers. The middle passenger should have enough room to travel short distances in comfort.

The front seating positions are both extremely spacious. The center console includes a storage cubby with a change holder, and two large cupholders that flip up. They will easily hold large water bottles. There are map pockets but no bottle holders in the doors. The temperature and audio controls are easy to reach from either front seating position. The steering wheel also includes redundant audio controls.

The white face analog gauges are easy to read, and they are well illuminated at night. The adjustable steering wheel and pedals make it possible for shorter drivers to maintain the proper distance from the front airbag and feel comfortable.

Safety features on the test car included front airbags, antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability program, and a tire pressure monitoring system. Side air bags are available as part of an option package.

The trunk is huge and includes a pass-through. It’s big enough to put a bicycle in, although not as easy to load large cargo into as a sport-utility vehicle.

The Chrysler 300C SRT8 isn’t a car for everyone. It’s a limited edition vehicle being marketed toward performance enthusiasts who enjoy the comfort of a big sedan, and who don’t mind its relatively poor gas mileage. While it probably isn’t the best choice for buyers wanting an active lifestyle vehicle, it has enough cargo capacity to hold a bike or some camping gear.

The Chrysler 300C SRT8 is currently available for test drives nationwide.

Likes: A fast, powerful car with excellent road manners, and a luxurious attractive interior. The Chrysler 300C SRT8 does an excellent job of capturing the spirit of the classic muscle cars in a modern chassis.

Dislikes: Obvious blind spots to the rear due to the large C pillar. Not a particularly practical vehicle for buyers with active lifestyles. Poorer-than-average fuel economy.

Quick facts:

Base price: $40,420
Price as tested: $46,140
Horsepower: 425 Hp @ 6000 r.p.m.
Torque: 420 lbs.-ft. @ 4800 r.p.m.
0 to 60: Low 5 seconds
Antilock brakes: Standard
Side curtain airbags: Option
First aid kit: No
Towing: No
Off-road: No
Bicycle friendly: No
Fuel economy: 14/20 m.p.g. city/highway