When Nissan announced a few months ago that the 2021 Frontier would be all-new, I was pretty intrigued. After all, the current Frontier has been virtually the same for over a decade and a half. Yeah, 16 years to be exact. When it launched in its present form at the Detroit Auto Show in 2004 for the 2005 model year, my oldest child wasn’t even walking yet. Now she’s trying to decide which colleges to apply to in the fall.
But Nissan is throwing the market a big bone for the 2020 model, with the one year only introduction/availability of a new engine that will power that NEXT Frontier, due to be launched for 2021. While the 2020 was introduced at the Chicago Auto Show with this engine earlier this year and we wrote about it then, we assumed it would soon be available, alas, the coronavirus threw a wrench into those works and as such there are no 2020 models available at dealers as of yet, however the folks at Nissan were kind enough to arrange one for me to play with for a week after I expressed interest.
Hopefully Nissan will be able to safely re-open its factories soon and start pumping out 2020 Frontiers from the one in Canton, Mississippi as this new engine is quite the peach and frankly I was charmed by the truck itself for various other reasons. Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to seeing the new one and have gazed at an updated version that has been sold in other markets for several years (Mexico for one, sometimes I see them up in my neck of the woods) that isn’t representative of the 2021 either, but really the current Frontier is kind of like a familiar acquaintance although I don’t recall ever having driven one before.
As the pictures make obvious, this tester is the “PRO-4X” edition which sits not quite atop the line-up (S, SV, PRO-4X, SL) and is their most off-roady model. While all 2020 Frontiers will get the new V6 engine, the 4-cylinder has apparently been discontinued as has the manual transmission option. However, the old 5-speed automatic has been replaced with the 9-speed from the new Titan, although with slightly different gear ratios.
As far as the engine goes, it’s now a direct-injected 3.8liter V6 instead of the old 4.0 and while HP increased to 310 (formerly 261), the torque figure magically remains the same at 281 lb ft. Part of the VQ family, the vast majority of components are new and it was designed specifically for the North American market. Some of our international readers may well be familiar with the Frontier as the Navara and usually equipped with a diesel engine, however we have not been and will not be receiving it in that form.
My truck was equipped as a Crew Cab model and the shorter of the two bed options (the only bed option on the PRO-4X) and as far as I could tell was loaded, insofar as a truck dating back so far can be. While aspects of it have been updated over the years, in other respects it’s definitely dated compared to the more modern competition, which may or may not be a bad thing depending on your perspective as we shall discuss.
However, let’s look at the positives first. Styling-wise, to my eyes, it looks good, very purposeful and chunky, and with an obvious kinship to the last body on frame Pathfinder as well as the original Titan, both of which launched around the same time as this did but also have been significantly revised at least once since then (and now twice for the Titan).
The seating position is high and chair-like; as opposed to the Tacoma for example, your legs actually bend at the knee and while there is a lot of legroom available to stretch out it’s also possible to sit much like you would in your dining room. The windows are expansive, the pillars not overly intrusive, and the hood is visible from the driver’s seat. Starting the truck is now done via a “Start Engine” button next to the shifter so the key can stay in your pocket although you do need the fob to unlock and lock the doors.
Everything on the dashboard is easily legible and within reach, the infotainment screen is integrated so well that its relatively diminutive screen looks just right and works either by touch or voice command. The dashboard itself as well as most other surfaces are unapologetically hard plastic. The only soft bits that I could feel were as follows: Steering wheel, shift knob, seats, center console lid for the right elbow and a door pull cushion for the left elbow and finally a small patch of (p)leather on the upper door panel that is in just the right place.
I suppose another seven letter word for plastic of the hard variety would be spelled d-u-r-a-b-l-e and when I thought about it as well as what I was actually touching repeatedly in the truck, the soft bits were in exactly the right places. One of the two 12V outlets visible on the lower right of the center stack has been converted to hold both a USB as well as an AUX port. There are two gloveboxes, upper and lower, a small oddments tray ahead of the shifter, two cup holders and a large center bin under your elbow.
The seats themselves were extremely comfortable and in my case leather covered as well as powered. I grew a little alarmed when I didn’t find a powered knob for lumbar support (so spoiled) but then subconsciously remembered back to my youth and somehow muscle memory moved my hand to the inside edge of the backrest above the center console bin and lo and behold there was the manual lumbar adjustment lever that Japan Inc. often used. A quick push forward and the lumbar was set and never needed again.
The back seat is never going to be as roomy as that of a full size truck, granted, and the back doors are a little on the smaller side, sort of like in an XJ Cherokee, but that’s the norm with these mid-sizers in general.
However in the interests of my dear readers I placed myself back there and was about as comfortable as I figured I might be, i.e. my size (6’1″ with 32″ inseam, 215 or so pounds) is pretty much the outer limits of even remote comfort with my knees splayed but still touching and my head touching the headliner (which did contain a sunroof mechanism as well which did NOT get in the way in the front seat). Smaller adults or high-school kids that don’t play basketball or football should still be fine back there for moderate if not long distances.
Or easily flip the seats up via a lever for a good sized storage area with some handy built-in cubby spaces which is how I mostly used it. The rear seat is split 60/40 so a passenger could still be carried along with cargo.
The various buttons on the lower center console are themselves welcome reminders of the past; the heated seats are controlled by actual rocker switches, none of this soft touch or especially that haptic nonsense here. Click up for low and click down for high, either way just one little light illuminates and you look at the position of the switch or evaluate the burning sensation from your behind to tell if it’s on low or high.
The other buttons operate similarly and even the steering wheel has older “paddle”-style selectors, just like my 2004 Murano did – it may in fact be the same wheel design. But it worked then and it works now.
Instrumentation is of the “enough” variety with also a charmingly dated font on a white background. That was all the rage back then and is enough now to elicit a wistful smile of what used to be. Frankly it works just fine, the orange backlighting is good as well, and there is a menu toggle that varies the displayed information at the touch of a button for the trip meters, distance to empty, average MPG, hours driven, etc.
My second day with the truck was after a night that including the following day saw us receive about 14″ of very wet snow. After unpacking the driveway, getting going wasn’t really happening in rear wheel drive, but rotating the selector knob to 4High did the trick and had us moving around the neighborhood’s unplowed streets in no time.
The moderately aggressive Hankook DynaPro AT/M tires did a very good job in the snow, but were also virtually silent on dry roads as well as grippy on wet roads. This truck only had around 2000 miles on it so I have no idea if they will get louder when more worn, but as new tires they impressed.
Driving the truck on the freeway was an experience as well, these days I seem to get the opportunity to drive a fair amount of larger trucks, but this one, while obviously smaller, still rode quite well for a body on frame truck with a stick rear axle and independent front end and the new engine was plenty powerful to keep up as well as comfortably cruise in the 80+mph range with room for more. A steady 75mph sees an RPM reading of under 2000 due to the new transmission, making for a very relaxed engine with no engine noise apparent at speed. However, it is quick to downshift as needed and the engine’s torque provides the necessary passing power.
The styling is quite blocky and while that’s realized in some wind noise (also due to the roof rack and much better with the sunroof cover closed), it also evidences itself as wind resistance. The 9-speed transmission shifts fairly imperceptibly and while it does a fair amount of shifting as needed (really, that’s the whole point as opposed to a CVT, right?) it isn’t overly intrusive or even noticeable if one is not specifically looking to notice it.
When coming to a full stop from speed, there is some downshifting that is noticed, mostly at the end of the maneuver, perhaps since this is an early model that aspect is still being fine-tuned, it’s not necessarily out of character for the type of vehicle that it is or really any kind of significant bother but on a completely objective scale is slightly more noticeable than some other 9-speeds.
I drove this truck around 300 miles over a week with a bit less than half of that on the freeway which surprisingly at this time was different than usual due to massive construction projects underway in my area resulting in long tailbacks although in general traffic was lighter than usual. The rest of the mileage was around town and in the hills above town, overall my average mpg figure was 19.6 which while not stellar is better than what the old engine would provide.
This new one is supposedly rated at 17city/23hwy/19combined so I suppose it’s in the ballpark even when equipped with the more aggressive tires. I’d imagine swoopier bodywork at the front might work another couple of mpgs into the picture here as well next year. No stop/start stuff on this truck either to help out with that aspect but lots of you don’t like that anyway.
When driving it, I kept coming back to how much it reminded me of a more civilized Jeep Wrangler of all things. The engines are fairly similar in character, the seating position is definitely headed in that direction, and the visibility is good along with a very comfortable and slightly bouncy (but fun bouncy, not annoying bouncy) ride on soft-ish tires. While even the PRO-4X likely can’t really hold a candle to a Wrangler off road, they’re both body on frame, they share the same Dana 44 rear axle and the tire choice can be the same as well.
The PRO-4X also comes equipped with Bilstein off road high pressure shocks, a locking rear differential, and skid plates for the oil pan, fuel tank, and transfer case along with the aforementioned 265/75-16 tires on attractive Alcoa wheels. This would seem to be significantly more than the vast majority of users might require on almost anything that is still an obvious trail.
As you know I like to spend a fair amount of time poking around junkyards, I really can’t recall seeing hardly any Frontiers of this body style there beyond a couple that were clearly in accidents, but none that seemed worn out as many other vehicles do. At the age of this body style that is a curious fact.
I do believe these are solidly built trucks that can last an owner a long time at a significantly lower actual price point than the obvious competitor that I shan’t name here. In fact, a quick internet search showed that there are lots of new 2019 models (albeit with the “old” engine) still available and many dealers seem to be discounting them around five figures, bringing even a high-zoot model into the mid-20k range and more basic version well under that.
Who cares about depreciation if you drive it into the ground over a decade or two, that’s a huge savings over most other trucks. Nothing on my truck was out of place or rattled or fell off; of course usually these are gone over with a fine tooth comb before I get it but after sixteen years, one would assume the assembly line would have it down. Can you imagine being an assembly line worker on this line, with virtually no need for any kind of additional training over that time span?
As this was a pre-production model it didn’t come with the usual Monroney sticker, just a price sheet with “TBD” so pricing is indeterminate at this point. However, looking at the 2019 pricing that’s still up on Nissan’s website, it looks like the PRO-4X CrewCab with the 59.5″ bed length starts at $35,585. The colors don’t cost extra (mine was “Gun Metallic”, same as the Altima last month), the Premium Package at $2,100 includes the leather appointed seats, power for the front seats, the glass moonroof, roof rack with crossbars (that’s pretty handy, actually), heated mirrors and a fold-down rear armrest with cupholders in it.
Standard items at this trim level include the Navigation System and a 10-speaker Rockford Fosgate sound system that I found was able to crank some serious bass. Additionally, heated seats, stability and traction control, automatic climate control, locking tailgate, CD Player, Satellite radio, and various other minor items are also part of the deal. The back window is a manual slider, and the backup camera display is clear and crisp. All Frontiers now have power windows and locks as well as the starter button.
After the obligatory $1,095 destination charge that leaves this at around $37,685. Note that for 2019 you could still get a stick shift and save around $1,000 but being such an old model now, there does seem to be Significant with a capital “S” room to dicker which I simply have to believe is part of Nissan’s strategy in the case of the Frontier as with such a fully amortized platform there is no need to sell at anywhere near full sticker price.
I have no idea how the 2020 will fare in that regard, however many shoppers likely won’t even realize there is a difference, and I believe Nissan may just be putting this engine in this truck as sort of a trial run and in case there are bugs to be worked out that they can do so before the presumably big splash for 2021’s new model which we will hopefully be able to sample as soon as it’s available. That being said, the VQ family of engines is generally well regarded and the 9-speed was designed to be used in the heavier Titan as well, so the risk seems quite low. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this engine end up in some Titan trims as well eventually.
I did appreciate how the bed has a spray-on liner that is standard as well as the attachment rails that run around the inside of the bed. There are removable cleats that can be (and were) attached in order to provide more tie-down points. There are also several “bed-extender” devices available as well as seemingly countless other accessories.
For myself I’d perhaps go for a Frontier with the longer bed (73.3″) which would give me more room for hauling stuff as well as smooth the ride even more however likely with a worse turning circle, which I noted was already much wider than I thought it would be, resulting in a couple of slightly misjudged parking maneuvers/do-overs. With time one gets used to that but it doesn’t just whip around in a residential street. I did however really enjoy the way this version drove, as I don’t have a serious need for much off-road capability beyond 4WD, I’d need to sample some of the other trim levels to see if the PRO-4X-specific bits make a significant difference on-road but could see a well-equipped SV trim version as quite an attractive proposition.
The biggest downside of the current Frontier even with the new powertrain is likely its safety aspect. While it has airbags all over the place and likely competitive when introduced, the platform is old enough to not even have a blind spot system, never mind all the newer-fangled safety items. Nissan of course equips its newer models with all of that stuff and I’m sure the 2021 will represent on that score as well, but for now, no dice. Crash test ratings similarly are quite old and I don’t believe this one has been re-tested any time recently while the goal posts have moved several times since then.
That being said, some people don’t like that “nannying” stuff, some prefer tried and true and in many respects that’s exactly what this truck is. It’s like your dependable neighbor that’s always there to lend you his wheelbarrow, give you a lift to the mechanic to pick up your car, or offer an opinion (only) when requested. Somewhat humble but appreciated and capable. After all, many of us here wish that there were vehicles from long ago still available, well, with the Frontier, that’s mostly the case. Thank goodness it’s intrinsically a good package. And in many aspects the better for it.
The loss of the 6-speed manual is a little disappointing but almost to be expected. We’ll see if Toyota hangs onto it in their next ground up redesign (which given Toyota lead times on trucks should be sometime before 2030.) And 16 in rims! In 2020! I didn’t even know they still existed.
The Frontier due to its age is very “trucky” but that for me would be one of the selling points and part of the attraction. I like the Pro4X because the goodies you get along with the real world transaction price make it more attractive than a Tacoma. Toyota dealers really don’t generally dicker very much on one of their best sellers.
The strategy of offering the old model with the new engine seems unusual; I tend to think of it more commonly seen the other way around. With the right transaction price though, this could be a great choice for folks that appreciate the benefits of the new powertrain, without some of the complex (or modern, depending on ones perspective) features of the final new model. I really like these trucks, but chose my Tacoma 4 years ago partially because of a bad experience when trying to test drive one at the dealership, as well as after hearing the woes of a neighbor who had many problems with his manual trans Pro4X and replaced it with a Tacoma. I think of then as a newer, pickup version of the XJ Cherokee. A bit dated by now, but with good features and great 4.0 six cylinder motors.
The strategy of offering the old model with the new engine seems unusual…
GM did it with the end of the line W-body Impalas. Stuck the 3.6 VVT DI V6 and 6 speed auto in them before they started to build the Super Epsilon Impala/Lacrosse/Cadillac XTS.
(I’m sure our commentariat can think of other examples.)
There was recently a thread on VWVortex about this and the opposite (new body, old engine). The opposite seems more common.
In some BMWs, new engines were launched exactly a year before the mid-cycle refresh, as in the E46 and E90 3-Series.
The Cadillac Deville got a 4.5L engine in 1988, exactly a year before the big facelift that lengthened the sedan.
The 1991 Seville/Eldorado got the 4.9L and were completely redesigned the next year. The Northstar replaced the 4.9L in 1993-1994.
The other way around seems like the worst of both worlds(again depending on perspective), newer (usually)heavier complex chassis and the older less powerful engine. The example that really stands out to me are the 2010 Mustangs, which had all new sheetmetal but carried over the venerable 4.0 Cologne V6 and 4.6 V8, and a year later received the excellent 3.7 and Coyote 5.0, which would have irritated the hell out of me if I had bought a 10 model brand new.
Or when the Panther platform went “Areo” in the early 90s and kept the old TBI 5.0 which made roughly 50 less hp than the new 4.6 V8 modular motor they got the next year.
Dan I think it was only the 90 Town Car that had the old 5.0. The 91 Town car and 92 Ford/Merc versions used the 4.6, though in a 2 year block that mated to the old AOD as opposed to the new AOD-E that was on everything from 93 on.
The new car with old engine that I always think of was the US market Volvo 240, offered one year only, 1975, with the old pushrod B20. That seemed like a real lame choice at the time, but 40 years later if you can score a ‘75, you get the “new” 240 platform, with rack and pinion steering, strut front suspension, and updated interior and its 100% smog exempt in California. So you can pump up the B20 with twin DCOE Weber’s, or drop in a built B21 or B23 … or an SBC or 5.0 Ford V8.
GM also did this with the new for ’95 Tahoe/Yukon 4 door trucks. 1995 kept the TBI 5.7, going Vortec 5.7 the year after.
It’s my guess that it isn’t so much a “trial balloon” for the new drivetrain as it is a cost-cutting measure.
The development of the new powertrain was done, and I’d bet it just made better economic sense to delete 2 old engine and transmission options rather than carry them over for another year.
My gripe is that I wish I knew this was coming last April when I bought my Frontier SV 4.0.
It’s plenty capable, but I’d love me another 49 hp!
The biggest problem I see is that there’d have to be some one (bad)-year-only parts involved in connecting the new engine to the old truck. That’d be more of an issue for someone owning a ’20 model 10-15 years from now than the first buyer, most likely.
That would be my worry as well. Most of the appeal of the Frontier is that it is tried and true old school truck for cheap. The new engine might take away from some of that appeal.
The Frontier is a pickup I’ve been eyeing quite a bit, but more in the extended cab, lower trim versions. The out-the-door price can be very attractive and the length of the current generation is a good selling point in some regards. The new drivetrain would make a 2020 base model quite attractive.
While I’m not particularly enamored with Nissan’s cars due to my brief experience with them, their pickups seem to be in a higher league. If I were needing a compact (mid-sized?) pickup, the Frontier would be a prime candidate. What makes it better is their seemingly having more availability of base model units on dealer lots than does Ford, Chevrolet, or Toyota – or at least it’s that way in this area.
A used car dealer near me had a close “twin” to this truck, though being a 2019 it obviously had the 4 liter engine. Even though it was about $1,000 more than the non-PRO-4X models that dealer had, I too really liked the whole package…style-wise. Unfortunately, what kept me from seriously considering that truck was the fuel mileage (the 3.8 has better numbers) and oddly, the 2019 did NOT have a CD player like this 2020 model does.
I have ridden in my BIL’s 4wd Tacoma and found the seating quite disconcerting in that truck. You sort of climb up to get in the cab, but then feel like you are sitting on the floor. I also prefer the appearance of the Nissan’s interior and hope they don’t mess up what works in an attempt to be different for the sake of being different.
I rather like the Frontier, and hope the new lives up to it. If I was buying a truck in this class, it would probably be the one for me.
I do not like the cab architecture of the Tacoma, with its very old-school high floor and low roof, and the seats almost on the floor. That is a major turn off for me, and undoubtedly the new Taco will have a taller cab like the rest.
As always, an excellent review and great photos. Really enjoyed this.
The styling on these have aged well. The resemblance to the original Explorer Sport Trac designed 20 years ago, remains strong. Modern styling tweaks, and the purposeful look of the crew cab body style, keep the Frontier looking fresh. Those terrific looking wheels help a lot.
Though I do prefer the styling on the 17 year old Sport Trac on the right. 🙂
I’ll take the Nissan over the Ford but it is surprising how similar a lot of the styling features are, not something I had noticed before! Ruth on “Ozark” upgraded (?) from her Impala/Caprice to a SportTrac this season so perhaps the SportTrac will start to gain a cult following now…
These have never been on my radar, and I cannot decide if I am surprised or not that these have gone on so long without change.
It sounds like Nissan is the value proposition in trucks these days.
That looks suspiciously like what we get badged Navara, if it is they are quite popular mostly in turbodiesel rather than petrol 6, but good utes all the same, Ive been in the back of a few fourdoor Hi luxes recently same problem not much room in the back fortunately only for short trips doing driver swap overs when the trucks get trapped at the factory waiting to unload, stopped during covid where you just took a Hilux and swapped it for your truck (one person per vehicle social distance rule) some of those Hiluxes actually go and drive ok, some dont, But the agricultural company I worked for buys Isuzu heavy trucks and Toyota for itty bitty ones Hiluxes for the peasants V8 Landcruisers for the owners, no Nissans. Ah yes reading other comments someone I worked with had a navara sport track they are the same ute.
I had a 2017 desert runner which I like quite a bit but when shopping for a new truck last spring I couldn’t justify paying more for a new one vs a 2019 5.7 hemi ram 1500 at 30K. The Ram actually gets better real world mpg, is ridiculously fast and comfortable, and much much bigger to haul stuff around. Plus it drives like a truck half its size.
At some point over the last half-decade or so, the Frontier went from being nearly invisible to me.. to being one of my favorite trucks. I can definitely see buying one; my neighbor has a 2016 (or maybe it’s a 2012, or 2008… who knows?) and has had nothing be positive experiences with it. He, like me, really doesn’t have the need for a large, heavy-duty truck, so the Frontier suits him just fine.
I’m somewhat ambivalent about the new ticker for the 2020 though. In the future it’ll either be considered either the best Frontier ever made, or the one year to avoid. Right now, I’d probably not take my chances and seek out a 2019.
And more great photography here… is that a mule deer?
I think so, the ears were quite large but the deer itself seemed fairly young and relatively small. It was just cruising down the side of the road above Horsetooth Reservoir, I slowed in case it decided to cross the street and then ended up stopping right next to it as there was no other traffic. Good opportunity to get the interior shot I needed with something interesting outside!
The PRO-4X can certainly hold a candle to a Wrangler off road and in fact is much better equipped. Bilstein shocks, a locking rear differential are but 2 items that a Wrangler doesn’t have. The Wrangler just has “shocks’ and certainly no locker, a Software/ABS system to generate traction with 2 open differentials.
A much more realistic comparison is the PRO-4X and the Wrangler Rubicon which would be close to equals off road.
I remember when we were in France in 2004, seeing Navarra tow trucks in Paris. I remember seeing Ford SuperDuty tow trucks as well (or probably really F350, as they seemed older than the SuperDuty moniker) there as well, but the Nissan seemed more suitably sized for the smaller cars and tight streets. Definitely a global vehicles, even if the gas V6 is mostly a North American thing.
No, this isn’t the Navara we get in Australia, though it was until 2015 or so. We get the next (D23) model with coil-sprung rear, also sold here as the Mercedes X-class for pseuds (though ofcourse, not for long). Doubt that the petrol is even available any more, if ever it was. Gruff old Nissan and then Renault-Nissan Tdis currently.
I also liked the look of it, but familiarity breeds boredom, as they sold pretty well. Generally not as well-regarded as Toyota (or Isuzu, come to that) for reliability/servicing, but priced accordingly.
I have to say, that interior is vile. Ugly and cheap, and I wouldn’t want to spend enough time in it to know if it was durable. And if it had Renault input, it probably isn’t anyway!
Of greater concern, this only got 4 out of 5 stars back in 2012, with, crucially to my mind, only 10.5 out of 16 for offset frontal impact. That’s basic structural stuff being a bit ordinary back then, let alone by 2020 standards. Not encouraging.
I’m glad you didn’t get to test that aspect of it, our man in Colorado.
Great review and very nice truck. The VQ engine is one of Nissan’s best efforts – and its been around for a while. I can remember taking my then three year old son to a car show here in Japan where the VQ was first introduced.
Junior is now thirty years old…
The Frontier seems to have aged better than the Tacoma, which has been getting poorer reviews lately compared to its competition. I don’t see anything wrong with hard plastics in a truck, since current trends notwithstanding they are supposed to be utility vehicles, not luxury cars. That back seat looks about the same length and legroom as a full sized extended cab and it occurs to me that a full size truck in modest trim is only a little bit more. I priced a Ford F-150 XLT FX4 and with a 2.7 Ecoboost and 4×4 it stickers around $43,000. obviously it’s a bigger truck but it explains why smaller trucks don’t sell as well in the US where gas mileage is the only real penalty.
Interestingly our neighbor recently replaced an F-150 crew cab with a Frontier Crew Cab so there is some demand to go the other way, they also have an extended cab Frontier making my street’s pickup population diverse. Several neighbors do have Tacomas in varying degrees of “overlander”, some 90s Ford Rangers a couple of Chevy bro-dozers and assorted F150s plus an Avalanche.
I’ll point out that full size doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. I actually own an older full size and while I love that I can haul a LOT of stuff at once I don’t know about making it my only vehicle, around town (and I’m not really in a dense metro area), it kind of sucks if you have to park, turn, pass, watch for bikes etc. so the price per pound thing kind of is not as relevant in my opinion, more a matter of does it fill the need.
And yes, the back seat legroom was very similar to the extended cab Silverado from a couple of weeks back.
Bring back the Nissan Hard body– a real, usable truck.
This Frontier is not a real truck. It’s
some sort of cross between a luxury car, and a SUV with a small, open, storage space they call a truck bed. You’ve got to be kidding me.
If you believe this is a truck, just because someone told you it’s a truck, well, never mind.
Bring back the hard body.. No extended cab. Just a truck.
Is this for real?
The Frontier is every bit of a truck as the earlier Hardbody. Architecturally, they’re quite similar. The Hardbody also had an extended cab, so I’m not sure why you bring that up.
Hmm, conflicted on this. I agree with the merits of buying older, simpler, more proven vehicles, and yet I agree that the old 4.0 +5spd could stand an upgrade, but I’m not sold on buying an outdated truck with a new unproven powertrain. It could be great: you may get the no-nonsense bones of the Frontier with a modern heart transplant. Or, you could be Nissan’s beta-tester and have an unreliable ancient truck. Curious to see where this goes.
I’d stick with the old 4.0 because the 17/23 rating of the new engine is unimpressive and I think the truck is overpriced at MSRP. I’ve been in these and the interior plastics quality and fitment are beyond awful. I think I got a corneal scratch by simply looking at the graining on the door panels. I’d need a big discount from MSRP, and there are 4.0 Pro-4Xs with nearly seven grand off advertised in my area.
That’s starting to look like a decent deal.
But isn’t every truck essentially overpriced at MSRP? Or put another way, who here would actually pay the MSRP for any pickup and tell people that they did so? Nobody, the market in the US just doesn’t work that way with trucks. But the 2019 you mentioned at $7k off or if you head a little further to the east, closer to $10k off? That gets extremely tempting. You can’t beat that price with a similarly capable (except for space) full size from any brand.
The main thing that I found outdated is pretty much the safety equipment/electronics and crash safety. The plastics are competitive for a decade ago, actually the current F150 for one really isn’t any less plasticky, the Ranger is pretty plasticky as well. The pieces you actually touch every day in the Frontier are soft. It’s a lot like the 4Runner in that regard, actually. Fit and assembly quality were impeccable.
Then again, the commenter right above you is convinced a Frontier is a “luxury” truck, a cross between a luxury car and an SUV. 🙂
“But isn’t every truck essentially overpriced at MSRP?”
Yes, I do agree, particularly the compacts. I think Tacoma buyers are the only ones paying close to it. And it looks like there’s more space between the Frontier MSRP and its more current competitors than I thought–my head still contained 2016 prices from when I was looking.
I simply must be right about something, though, so I’m going to dig in on the interior plastics. The 4Runner is barely acceptable to me for a $36K vehicle, and I found the graining and panel fitment of the hard plastics quite a bit nicer in there than the Xterras and Frontiers I had been in. The door panels are particularly bad on the Nissans, the ones I saw had a few poor panel fits right in obvious locations that drew the eye, the textures are unpleasantly scratchy, and you have to get that $2100 Premium Package to have the padded door panel above the armrest–otherwise it’s rock hard. The 4Runner is continually padded from armrest up to the window, front doors and back. I’ve started paying more attention to door panel materials now that I’ve realized you contact them far more than the dashboard. Anyway, I’m probably nitpicking about my “luxury trucks” (that made me chuckle as well), and for ~$30K out the door I’d probably be just fine with the Frontier given its other virtues.
Are you familiar enough with the old 4.0 to compare driving impressions with this new 3.8?
Yes I really want to let you be right about something. 🙂 But the 4Runner price chart starts at around $36k and the Frontier’s ENDS around there so that helps on the plastics front. And of course if you can score me close to $10k off on a new 4Runner I’ll take a dozen, please.
The padded door panel is worth every penny of that $2100, btw. It’s nice. And stitched! My elbow generally rode on the armrest (padded) and nudged the soft door panel area. Although I did drive with my arm on the upper ledge as well as I do in my own cars and the hardness there didn’t bother me. Kind of subjective, from what I read from various other authors I realize some people must appear to try to lay down on their dashboard or do some weird fetish type of stuff that I’m not into so to each their own in that regard. My main goal is to explain what there IS and if someone is interested enough from there then they should go and take a look for themselves, it’s not my place to make someone’s decision for them.
Sadly I am not overly familiar with the 4.0, hence was careful not to draw distinctions to it and really just discuss my thoughts regarding this truck and powertrain as it sits. I’d certainly recommend trying both once the 2020’s become available, depending on a buyer’s situation (or altitude!) it may not make much difference in the end, or may make all the difference.
“Yes I really want to let you be right about something.”
Thank you, you’re a gentleman Mr. Klein 🙂
Yes, once you realize you only nap on your dashboard once or twice a week, you understand it doesn’t need to feel like a Tempurpedic mattress. It’s a funny obsession, isn’t it? It’s a good review as always Jim, I’m always happy when I see that you’ve got a new one to read.
The (outgoing) Frontier is fundamentally the new “old” Ranger, having gone for so long on the same basic design/platform with minuscule albeit notable updates over the years. But for some people–like me–that’s a good thing b/c it’s much easier to find interchangeable parts from other models that can fit yours, and long-term reliability has been proven many times over. I still see plenty of 90s & 2000s Rangers every day. I have a 2011 (final year) & plan on keeping it forever. If it isn’t broken, DON’T fix or replace it.
The Frontier must be the only pickup left (besides the Ridgeline) that offers a roof rack as a factory option. I’ve seen older ones with them too. What I dislike is the fact you can no longer get a regular/standard cab in the compact/mid-size segment. Most crew-cab trucks I see have only a 5-ft or so bed and that becomes problematic with longer loads; even bed extenders have their practical limits. You have to choose your priority: passenger space vs. cargo space. As Jim Klein mentioned you CAN get a longer bed (except on the PRO-4X) with the crew-cab but you’ll end up with a VERY long vehicle which can be a PITA for everyday parking & maneuvering in small areas, not to mention off-road ability–ONE more reason I plan to hold on to my Regular Cab Ranger.
You could also go with an extended cab/6′, which ended up being the most popular config in the heyday of the compact pickup. A regular cab compact/mid-size has barely enough room for 2 passengers, never mind anything else.
GREAT review again, Jim!
But Boy I was REALLY hoping, all through the article, that the mpg significantly improved. Then I got to the figures midway and literally skipped the rest of the review in disappointment . That mileage is Still horrible In today’s world. I’d take an ugly but sedimental-to-me ranger instead. Really too bad because to me the Nissan is hands down the best looking midsized.
I suppose it’s difficult to provide 310hp and 30mpg at the same time while dragging a big block of square metal with 4×4 bits hanging off and a roof rack on top. Can’t really have both, I suppose. People in the US seem more concerned with power than mpg’s in general, note that most of the rest of the world gets their Frontier/Navara with a 4cyl diesel and no V6 at all. I’m guessing the 2021 will improve on that front just due to styling although it may gain stop/start as well like most others. It’s a little curious that they didn’t add that on this one, come to think of it.
You should go back and read the rest of the review though. It took me a long time to write and it’s good, really. 🙂
Lol!!, yes I know you did a great job. I did read it in all honesty (after sighing heavily). I suppose we can’t have it Both ways.
Excellent review Jim, I throughly enjoyed the high level of detail. I have to say that these Frontiers had little appeal to me when new, but I have grown to respect them a lot more as time has gone on. I have long respected proven designs, and this platform certainly has become one. I am also one who doesn’t mind hard plastics, especially in a truck. The Frontier also seems to statistically be fairly reliable, certainly much more so than the Titans.
I also have agree the seating position on the Frontoer is far better than the Tacomas. In fact, the number one reason I wouldn’t by a Tacoma is the poor seating. I have spent lots of time driving Tacomas and I have never found them to have enough leg room and the seating position is just uncomfortable after a long drive.
On the fuel economy, I thought 19 MPG overall was pretty decent. If that included winter conditions, 4×4 use, high speed 80 mph driving and other mixed conditions, that’s pretty good for a pickup. Much better than the 15 mpg I got in the Titan rental I had. Yes , I am aware a 2.7L EcoBoost Ford can get mid-20s, but that’s under ideal conditions – and not the overall average. Most pickup owners I know don’t average 19 mpg even with new rigs like the 2.7 Ford. Regardless, as you stated, people don’t buy compact trucks for fuel savings, it’s for the size.