Car Review: New Frontier has appeal
May 28—This year's Nissan Frontier is in a pivotal position coming off a major redesign last year. The third-generation pickup truck went from a weak player before to competing with the big boys, but its shortcomings held it back from GM, Ford, Honda and Toyota.
It's a great start though, and we were impressed with its ruggedness.
Available in three trim levels, the Frontier's entry level S King Cab (smaller cabin) is a great workhorse priced under $30,000 and includes the same 310 horsepower, 3.8-liter V6 that powers all Frontier trims. The SV Crew Cab (larger cabin) opens the door to package options and tips the scales to $36,000.
Top of the line PRO-X 4x2 and PRO 4X 4x4 start in the mid $30,000s and quickly rise to near $40,000. Our loaded PRO-X 4x4 tester was $46,380. The four-by-four package can be added to all trim levels for $3,200.
Mated with a smooth shifting nine-speed automatic transmission, the Frontier sprinted from a dead stop to 60 miles per hour in a respectable 7.8 seconds on our test track. Some rivals are quicker.
Driving the Frontier is a lot of fun. Its higher perch allows good vantage and feels bigger than it is. We found the Frontier to be capable on city streets and highway travel with little cabin noise. It floats over most road imperfections and is heavy enough to hold the road firmly.
Off-road the Frontier makes its own path over muddy ruts and deep sand. Shift on the fly four-wheel drive system is exceptional and its traction control system kept the Frontier moving in a straight line over south Florida beaches. We did notice the Frontier searching for the right gear at times under acceleration. Aluminum front skid plates and underbody steel skid plates protect the vitals for worry-free crawling over large objects.
Nissan's new steering system is controversial. Several industry experts claim the steering is clumsy and feels heavy impacting ride quality. We found its variable speed steering to be counter balanced around town and in highway cruising. Go figure.
We were able to confirm EPA rated fuel economy in combined driving at 19 miles per gallon and highway travel at 22. Rivals improve on these numbers.
If you want to customize your Frontier, you can do so with Convenience, Premium and Technology packages for just under $6,000. The latter includes adaptive cruise control without stop and go, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, rear sonar, automatic braking and blind spot warning.
Fender premium audio, leather seating and Beadlock style 17-inch wheels are included with the Premium package. Beadlock was originally used in military applications since it locks the tires bead to the wheel and it later gained popularity in off-roading. Convenience adds spray-on bedliner, 120-volt outlet, remote start, trailer hitch and surround view monitor visible on the center mounted 7-inch display.
With its available up-to-date features, the Frontier is worthy of a test drive along with Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline and GMC Canyon.
Contact independent automotive columnist Len Ingrassia at lenscarcorner@comcast.net.
