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I would argue that one of the most appealing features of eQUEST is the workflow within the GUI, from high-level information about the building to the more detailed modifications of each object in the BDL:

1. Begin with the high-level Schematic Design Wizard, or Design Development Wizard to enter some of the basic information about the building. You immediately have a rough model that can be simulated.
2. A second level of refinement, in the Detailed Data Edit Mode, allows you to input more details about your building. This gives users access to the full capabilities of the underlining simulation engine, DOE-2.2.
3. Finally, if a more detailed approach is still required to refine the building model, the user can directly modify the BDL text input file without losing all of the benefits of the eQUEST GUI. eQUEST is one of a handful of simulation GUIs that allows you to read the simulation input file after it has been modified externally.

That said, DOE-2.2 (and therefore eQUEST) lacks a large number of modeling features available in other simulation engines. Although DOE-2 is still under active development, there are relatively few developers available to add more capability in the new future.

Disclaimer: I am an EnergyPlus user and developer and do not use eQUEST on a regular basis.