How an aging $38,000 Nissan Frontier stacks up against newer trucks from Ford, Chevy, Jeep, and Toyota
Matthew DeBord
- I tested a roughly $38,000 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X midsize pickup truck from the 2020 model year — a glimpse at what an all-new 2021 Frontier could be like.
- The 2020 Frontier loses the 4.0-liter V6, replacing it with a new, 3.8-liter V6 that makes 310 horsepower, a notable boost on the outgoing engine.
- The Frontier is an aging stalwart in the now-competitive midsize segment, hanging in there against the Toyota Tacoma, but also going up against the Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger, Jeep Gladiator, and Honda Ridgeline.
- The Nissan Frontier Pro-4X is an oldie but a goodie — it's a rather no-nonsense pickup that delivers off-road capability at an appealing, bargain price.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Let's face facts before we go any farther: in the newly competitive midsize pickup-truck market, the Nissan Frontier is a player on almost entirely what it isn't.
Bluntly, the Frontier is old and cheap, while the other trucks are new and less cheap.
Now, before you get to thinking that I'm dissing Nissan, hear me out. There's a place for a pickup without pretense. A pickup that lives to serve. A pickup that reminds you of the virtues of low-tech and that isn't as crudely purposed as some of the more rugged trim options available on the Toyota Tacoma.
I've driven every midsize pickup money can buy, so I'm qualified to judge the Frontier on its merits, limited though they might be. And here's the thing: plenty of times when I go pickup-truck shopping, the Frontier tops my list. It satisfies needs without much fuss.
Nissan loaned me an approximately $38,000 version of the 2020 truck — it was a pre-production vehicle, and this is not officially priced — but it was a top-line Pro-4X trim, and I did my best to put it through its paces.
Here's how it went:
Read the original article on Business InsiderSo what's the verdict?
With a new truck coming for the 2021 model year — and none too soon for Nissan — one might reasonably query one's motives when considering the 2020 version. On the plus side, you do get a preview of the burlier V6, although you have to put up with the nine-speed transmission, which is two speeds too many when mated to this powerplant.
On the negative side, you get the most outdated midsize pickup currently on sale that isn't a Toyota Tacoma designed for extreme backwoods challenges.
But is that a negative? Not in my book. The Frontier might be an also-ran for the next few months or into 2021, depending on how the pandemic progresses, but it's my also-ran. As much as I've enjoyed the Colorado and the Ranger, and always thought of myself as Mr. Suburban Ridgeline Guy, if I needed a damn fine 4x4 pickup of midsize form, I'd run rather than walk to get myself a Frontier.
My tester wasn't priced, but I reckon it could be configured at about a $38,000 sticker price, and that, friends and neighbors, is hard to pass up.
Now for the killer part: I drove the Frontier about 250 miles round-trip during my test week, and I found it to be a dandy freeway cruiser, even with a passel of offroadin' goodies. If you could somehow merge a TRD Sport or Pro with a Ridgeline, the Frontier would be the result. Yup, even though the Frontier has a very old-school body-on-frame build and a hardtail solid rear axle, it serves up a sort of smushy ride that reminded me of the complaint Ridgeline and its unibody assembly.
Heresy! But there you have it. The oldest midsize truck on the market might, even in jacked up Pro-4X guise, be the most versatile — ultimately thanks to its ancient-ness and the advance over its long-ago competition that it originally represented. The Frontier has been a little more easygoing since the good old days, and that virtue now stands out.
The rest of the package is going to seem weird to any one who's accustomed to modern technology and appointments, but if you're able to think for yourself — and have a smartphone — you could construe the Frontier's resistance to the newfangled as an appealing quality. I personally don't mind a small infotainment screen, if what I'm actually supposed to be doing is taking in the glories of nature, looking for trails to blaze and streams to ford.
Bear in mind that the Frontier is also an all-American product, made in Mississippi.
Sure, the 2021 redesign has trucklandia all a-twitter. It should be a significant improvement on this little old war horse. That's going to be good for business; Nissan sold about 70,000 Frontiers in 2019, but Ford moved close to 90,000 Rangers right out of the gate.
So Nissan can't rely on the old two-truck race with the Tacoma. But in the process, we're losing something familiar in this Frontier. Can't dwell on the past, but we can lament the final installment of a defiantly low-tech pickup that wouldn't otherwise let you down.
Bluetooth device-pairing, navigation, and USB charging and connectivity are all present and accounted for.
The infotainment system runs on an almost comically small 5.8-inch screen, complete with some awesome, tiny buttons. As bad as that sounds, the system still gets the job done.
Buttons, knobs, and soothing orange light! Such is the throwback sweetness of the Frontier's center stack.
The Frontier is often knocked for its plastic-y, unadorned interior. But if you intend to beat the livin' bejeebus out of this thing, you might appreciate the no-nonsense attitude.
A sunroof adds some razzmatazz to this otherwise low-key truck.
The four-wheel-drive system — which on my tester was robust — is controlled by an easy-to-find, easy-to-use knob.
You would have to work hard to find a more basic steering-wheel-and-instrument cluster combo in all of motoring. Frankly, it's a wonderful thing, easy to understand and not at all distracting.
The passenger side gets a grab bar, but the driver has to use the steering wheel to heave themselves in and out of the cab.
... And a bit of Pro-4X monikering stitched into the seats are part of the the overall interior package,.
Some specialized floor mats ...
The rear bench seats are moderately roomy, but legroom isn't terribly good.
The Graphite Leather/Pro-4X interior was really just as nice as the fetching exterior. The seats were genuinely comfortable — and heated!
The old five-speed automatic — yes, you read that right, just five gears — has been supplanted by a nine-speed mill. Note the start-stop button, for with there was ample real estate on the center console.
The 3.8-liter V6, making 310 horsepower with 281 pound-feet of torque, is the big difference between the 2020 version of the Frontier and the 2019 truck. The latter rocked a 4.0-liter V6 that made a mere 261 horsepower.
Properly configured, the Pro-4X can tow up to up to 6,300 pounds. Fuel-economy data wasn't available for my tester, but I gauged it to be around 20 mpg in combined highway/city driving.
Let's pop the hood and take a look.
The step bumper eases climbing in and out.
Bed rails allow various implements to be mounted to secure gear, like bikes.
... On both sides of the bed.
There are also movable tie-points along rails ...
The tailgate is chunky — a sturdy hunk of engineering.
The sprayed-on bed liner is just the beginning of the extras.
At five feet, the bed is on the smaller side, but for the target off-roading market, that shouldn't be much of a disadvantage.
Just in case the stickers aren't enough for you, Pro-4X gets the chrome treatment.
The Frontier nameplate at the rear reminded me of this truck's big brother, the full-size Titan. That's large lettering!
Look closely behind the Hankooks and you'll see the tough leaf-spring suspension. Also out-of-sight are the skid plates that shield the oil pan, gas tank, and transfer case.
... Stoutly treaded tires and 16-inch alloy wheels.
The Pro-4X trim level opens up a range of offroading features. These include the obvious stickers, but also a locking rear differential, Bilstein high-pressure shocks and ...
My tester was equipped with some optional roof rails.
The Frontier presents a nice, sporty stance. It looks wrong in a suburban parking lot; it should instead be out in the wilderness.
Say hello to the least dramatic headlights of any pickup currently on the road!
It's so solid you could call it dull — and the mellow satin chrome on the grille supports that assessment.
The Frontier remains a handsome pickup, but minus any of the more bold, full-size-pickup details that characterize the GMC Canyon, for example, or the brash brand evocation of the Jeep Gladiator.
In some ways, the Frontier remains the thinking-person's midsize pickup. If you want your truck to do truck stuff in a capable manner, then the Frontier continues to combine affordability and competence.
The Frontier is essentially the second-generation of a vehicle that's been around since the 1980s. This version dates to 2004, with an update for 2009 and most recently for the 2020 model-year truck I tested.
In terms of the competition, the Tacoma TRD Sport is the only other midsize 4x4 pickup that's priced about the same as the Frontier Pro-4X — and the TRD Sport is about as comfortable as a large riding lawn-mower while also prepared to take on war zones. With that understanding, the Frontier 4x4 is a staggering value.
The Toyota Tacoma was formerly the Frontier's main rival in the midsize market. And like the Frontier, the Tacoma has remained more true to its roots than more recent arrivals, save the Gladiator.
In 2017, Honda redesigned its once-kinda-rad Ridgeline to be a more domesticated pickup, a sort of 21st-century El Camino.
The Jeep Gladiator also brought back a Jeep with a bed in the back. It was hotly anticipated and has some serious off-roading capability.
The new Ford Ranger revived that famous nameplate in the US.
Here's the GMC version, the Canyon, in upscale Denali trim.
The midsize pickup-truck segment has become wildly competitive, after automakers ignored it for years. The Chevy Colorado, seen here in ZR2 Bison trim, is a leader.
The 2020 Nissan Frontier I tested came in an Arctic Blue Metallic paint job that was rather fetching. My truck was a pre-production vehicle, but it would sticker at about $38,000, in Pro-4X trim. A base, no-frills Frontier is less than $20,000.
If you really cheap-out, you can actually configure the stripper Frontier with — I kid you not — crank windows. There's something oddly exhilarating about that.
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