Starting to look for a new truck and had pretty much decided on a 2wd Tacoma but the Nissan has caught my interest mostly because it considerably cheaper. I don't need an off-roader and I pull a small trailer with an ATV a few times a year...something for a 50 mile round-trip commute that I can put dead animals, potting soil, etc. in occasionally.

I owned a "king cab" 4wd back in the 80's that was a good truck but I don't know anyone now that owns,, or has owned, a Frontier.

Thanks,
Mike

Run the numbers & local availabilty between the two.....new & used....

I'm a Tacoma guy.....know nuthin of the Nissan trucks other than less $$ than Tacoma

Search these SLC ads to compare prices here and your location....

I'd buy lightly used....avoid any depreciation hits

My most recent vehicle purchase was through CarMax...just an idea....worked well for me

https://cars.ksl.com/search/body/Truck

https://www.carmax.com/car/18748533

Fwiw, good friend has one, uses it as daily driver and light farm tasks. Lives 3/4mi down unimproved private road that is certifiably third-world. Guy does more four-wheeling to run for cigarettes than most pickups these days ever see. Anyway, have driven his Frontier there, and some interstate trips, and REALLY like the truck. Used to kinda look down my nose at them as “likely junk” but, no. Nice truck for that kind of use. Think it’s 6-7yrs old now, and trouble free. In contrast, the chevy canyon he had before that was litterally falling apart after two years. Anyway, contemplating getting a Frontier for myself, actually. For a knock around light truck, and at the pricepoint, imo a really good option.

Good 2nd place to a Toyota taco

just get a Taco truck........

They are good. A [bleep] load better than a Colorado or GM compact truck.

I owned a Nissan Frontier for 7 years and was happy with it. It was a four wheel drive with 4 doors and a kind of short bed. I used it for a daily driver/hunting and fishing vehicle and it did great. I pulled a 20' center console boat with it and had no problems. It had plenty of HP. I took it on a couple of long trips to Texas and Colorado and it did fine on the highway.

I got rid of a Chevrolet 2500 Z71 when I got the Frontier. It took a little time to get used to being able to park in any parking space and only gassing up once a week rather than every couple of days. The only thing that concerned me was sheet metal is thinner and it will develop small dents quicker than a heavier truck. It took a good dent in the side from a taller truck the day I got it, but it popped right back out too.

Other than getting it serviced and changing the wipers it was great at staying away from the shop. It just had no real issues at all. One thing that really surprised me was the resale value. I didn't expect much since it was a low end truck to start with and I had used the crap out of it for 7 years. I traded it in on a new Toyota FJ and was blown away by what I got for it. The dealer had to have had someone looking for the Frontier when they took it in.

I'd buy one tomorrow and never look back...

Long term driving test in Car and Driver I think. Different staffers drove it. Universal dislike for the vehicle.

I bought a new Frontier SV in 2011 it now has 81k on it no complaints so far..

Back in the seventies there were more Datsun/Nissan trucks around than Toyotas. Also lots of Mitsubishis, Mazda, and Isuzus, even though the latter three were more likely sold with a Dodge, Ford, or Chevy name plate.

All five Jap brands proved to be durable and dependable. And even though I have been driving Toyotas since 1979, they honestly offer nothing of any advantage over the competing Japanese brands except increased cost.

My son recently purchased a used Frontier king cab I4 4X4 for his sixteen year old daughter to drive to school. It is a really nice little pickup and yes like the post above, it gets driven through a mile of unimproved dirt, dust, mud, or snow each way between the house and the paved county road.

The Frontier is the only thing made by Nissan that I'd buy. A couple of neighbors have them and they seem to be solid trucks. I still like the Tacoma better, but it does cost more. I'd bet the only real difference is how a Nissan dealer will treat you vs how a Toyota dealer will treat you down the road if you have trouble. While the trucks I think are fine all of them eventually need some work. Toyota was still replacing parts on their dime up to 200,000 miles on my Tacoma. In the 13 years I've owned it the only parts I've paid to have replaced were the alternator and a HVAC motor. They paid for new springs and reimbursed me for the one U-Joint I replaced at 170,000 miles. Warranted the others up to 200,000.

I"m on my fifth Nissan pickup, I've had great service out of them, considering how I treated them, they were GREAT. The only hangup I have about it is the mileage, which isn't very good, about like a full-sized pickup. The turning radius is pretty bad, about like a school bus sometimes, but it's nice on a long road trip.
I strongly like the seating position better than the Tacomas, which have lower seats, and feels more like driving a car.. The Frontier's seating position is more comfortable for me, I have a bad back and I can ride in the Frontier for eight hours and still survive. Like I said, I've had five of them, and will certainly look at the next generation when it comes time to buy again, in about 10 years................




The bunch at Car and Driver are idiots, they picked the Honda Ridgeline as the best small pickup. Utter buffoons. Really? the Honda Ridgeline??? A unibody ain't a truck. Period. If they fugg up something simple like that, their whole reason for living is in dispute.

Consumer Reports has ragged on the Taco for decades straight. Uncomfortable, unrefined, yada yada yada.

Yuppie urban provincial opinions don't carry much weight with me......

My 2000 Frontier started having issues about 10 years ago. Window switch broke. Been replaced twice now. Headliner peeled from its backing. No more cruise control. Only 180k miles on the pickup, as in 2013 it became a second vehicle with limited use. Next project: replace power steering lines, as currently they're leaking badly.

This won't affect you, as there's a new engine and driveline design, but I also had to replace the cracked exhaust manifold and put in a one piece drive shaft when the bearing went out on the original two piece shaft (the design was changed in production in 2001)

My advice: Toyota.

My understanding is the Frontier gets pretty bad gas mileage for that size truck. Maybe the 2020's have improved.

That gas mileage thing is something common to the Titan, too.

I have a 2015 Titan, and other than how thirsty it is, I love it. It's done all I want, and done it well. Hauls deer, good traction in snow, comfortable for the family (4-door), enough bed space to still be useful...just drinks like a fish.

Since my daily driving isn't much, that's generally not a big deal. It's a '15 and just hit 50k, so I'm not stacking a ton of miles on it.

Mine is ten years old with 60,000 miles, bought new , extended cab, not 4wd . Short trip mileage, around 16.5 mpg. Would make the same purchase . again without considering any others. GW

I got a 2005 Nissan Frontier 2wd 4dr, with the short bed, 4.0L V6. Bought it used in 2009 with 100,000 miles on it. Had to put timing chains on it at 115,000. The 2005 thru about 2007 are bad on timing chains, also those models had bad radiators and I changed it a few years ago. Now it's got 245,000 miles. In the last year I've put on a new fuel pump, crank sensor, new coils and plugs, timing chain again, and 2 cat converters. Other than regular things like a batteries and tires, that's all that's been done.

That may sound like a lot, but its a 15 yr old truck and I've spent about $6000 in parts and labor in that time, excluding the batteries and tires. I wouldn't be afraid to head out anywhere in the vehicle. Gets about 20 mpg on the highway. The V6 is not great at trailer pulling, but it will get you there. I've got a 5 speed automatic and it has an overdrive lockout. When pulling it hard, I just lock it out and drive 55 to 60 at about 2000 - 2200 rpm.

If the price was right, I wouldn't hesitate to get another.

I beat the hell out of a 99 frontier for 170,000 miles. Sold it to my neighbor a year ago. I see him in it every day.

I think poor fuel mileage is pretty universal among all of the "midsize" truck market. Especially when you step into the V6 engines.

I have never seen an I4 Toyota PU get over 25 MPG even in 2WD configuration. The V6 pickup are considerably worse in that regard,

The Japanese are considerably behind American technology in this regard. Many American fullsize 1/2 ton pickups will get as good MPG as the Japanese "midsize" trucks.

I had a 16, 4.0 2wd. About 22 on the highway. Built like a tank. I loved it. One complaint I had it didn’t have a very tight turning radius.

my '97 Taco routinely did 26-27 on a tank ( I4 with a stick). The 2009 (i4, auto) never even came close. 20, maybe 21. It was a dog. The only Frontier I've owned was an early 90's model, and that little truck would go ANYWHERE, except past a gas station.

Love mine. 2010 with 97,000 miles. Nary a problem.

Love mine 2010 76k miles. nothing but tires, wipers & battery. 20 mpg in town driving

I have a 2012 4-door, short bed Pro-4X. Bought it in late 2011. So far has been a great truck, very powerful, ok gas milage. getting 18.2 avg. Been very pleased with it, use it for hunting and fishing and general running around. Not any problems at all. Would by another, YMMV.

If looking used, suzuki is the same truck

My daily driver is a 2008 4-door short bed. Bought it in 2009 when the copper mines were laying off, and the dealer hadn't sold anything for a month. Odometer says 177K, but the speedometer went out about 4 yrs. ago. Don't need it anyway. Estimated actual mileage is 250K. Grandkids' school bus turns tighter, but the only two things that really bug me are 1) it's not 4WD, and 2) it's not a Toyota. Still, the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. Batteries, brake pads, wiper blades, overdue oil change every summer. Hauls cargo like an ant. Hood is just the right height for a rifle rest.

Looked at a minty 2019 4WD 4 door last week, 31K mi. $23, 500 seemed like a pretty good price to me. Might buy another.

I posted this on another forum.

I am going to review and compare these two trucks. I just traded in a 2013 Tacoma that had an MSRP of just over 26K and bought a Frontier with an MSRP of just over 27K. To take negotiating skills out of the picture, I want to compare the price everyone can get. Allowing a $500 increase in between the two model years and taking into account a $500 rebate on the Frontier at the time I made the trade. We can fairly accurately say these two vehicles were priced damned near the same, and that dollar for dollar match will be the basis of this comparison.

The Tacoma Prerunner had a 4 cylinder while the Frontier SV had a 6 Cylinder. MSRP on comparably equipped 6 cylinder models shows the Tacoma coming in 4-5 K more. The 6 cylinder Frontier pulls very smoothly and strongly and it is reasonably quiet. It is rated at 6300 pounds of towing capacity which is why I wanted it. The Tacoma 4 cylinder is crude and noisy. When you get on it, it can get out of its own way, but not much better. It has a 3500 pound towing capacity. I typically got close to 23 MPG in the mixed driving I did with the Tacoma. I don't know where things will settle out with the Frontier, but I am guessing close to 20.

With the engine differences out of the way we can do a more direct comparison. Appearance is subjective so I won't key on that. Both vehicles seem to have good, deep paint. The outermost part of the fenders on the Tacoma were that rubberized plastic. On the Frontier they are painted steel. I prefer the Tacoma set up. I have looked at a lot of Frontiers in parking lots and the all seem t have dings in the fender metal. The Frontier has chrome bumpers the Tacoma black painted. The Tacoma has a hard plastic bed where the Frontier has a factory spray in liner. Things slip badly in the Tacoma bed but not in the Frontier. Both trucks have rails in the bed for tying stuff down. In addition, the Frontier has a bed extender.

The Tacoma came with stamped steel wheels and budget tires with very street oriented tires. I could never get mine balanced despite several trips to the dealer. The Frontier comes with aluminum rims and BF Goodrich Radial Long Trail T/A tires with a more aggressive pattern. Mine are smooth and transmit very little noise. Finishing up the exterior, the Frontier has fog lights and a tow package but the Tacoma doesn't.

The Frontier has heated seats, intermittent wipers, dual vanity mirrors, a back up camera with warning sonar, dual zone temperature control and auto dimming interior mirrors. The Tacoma has none of that.

Consumer reports scores the Frontier much higher in the test that they conduct. In fact for 2015 the Frontier is the only truck Consumer Reports recommends. Driving the Frontier does show it to be more refined, but not as much as CR would have you believe. They will both remind you that you are driving a truck. Road noise isn't as bad in the Frontier and it doesn't transmit road surface irregularities as badly. Handling on both is surprisingly good. The Frontier has a bigger turning radius. Enough to make a difference. The Frontier front seats are more comfortable. Laurie noticed this too. Back seats on both are small, but on the Frontier they are smaller. The riding position in Tacoma is odd. The cab is higher, but the seat is very low to the floor. The Frontier seat is higher relative to the floor. Both give good visibility with minimal blind spots.

In cab storage is nominally better in the Tacoma. Controls are straightforward and intuitive in both. The blue tooth phone interface is much simpler with the Tacoma touch screen panel. Connectivity with the Frontier is pretty cutting edge but I don't really care about that. Nissan uses more hard plastic on interior surfaces. They look pretty similar in both trucks but feel different. I can't say one is any better than the other. The seat material on the Frontier seems more substantial. At a year and a half and almost 39K miles my Tacoma had some wear on the seat fabric. Both trucks have similar reliability ratings with Consumer Reports. My Tacoma had front disc brakes and back drum brakes. The Frontier has 4 wheel disc brakes. I have no idea how either handles off road. I don't reckon too many people ever do technical off roading.

Only time will tell, but in a dollar to dollar comparison, the Frontier offers much more than the Tacoma.

I have a farmer friend who has put 275,000 miles in his Nissan pickup. Still doesn't need to add oil between changes. I recently bought a '13 Xterra, which was built on the Frontier chassis. Absolutely love it!

I also dislike sitting on the floor, of a Tacoma.

I also think the Nissan 4.0 is a solid engine, despite the MPG. The Toy 4.0 is also good one, but the newer Tacos have the 3.5.

If I were shopping for a mini-truck, I'd buy a gently used Frontier. And I like my Tundra, Highlander, and Toyota in general for their quality.


I know the OP isn't interested in the 4WD version, so the following isn't relevant to him. However it might me useful to others shopping for a mini-truck.

The Frontier is a fun truck offroad. And all the tender bits underneath are tucked up above the bottom of the frame rails. Smart design, especially in some of the global markets that it's sold in. Not so with the Taco.

Tender bits on the Taco, below. Crossover pipe in particular. I know, doesn't apply to the OP but might be for others shopping.

I have been driving Frontiers since 1988. I love 'em.





I bought this 2010 a year and a half ago. Had 44,000 miles on it. It had always been garaged. I got it for $16K off of carguru.com I should be arrested for stealing this truck, such a price on such a good truck.
What a great truck! 4WD with the 3.0 engine.

I bought my first one new in 1988, put 150K on it, let the girlfriend drive it one day and she totalled it. Bought another new one, brought it up to North Carolina and in 6 years in the salt and snow it was all rusty. Had 250K on it. Sold it to a local guy, he took the bed off and rebuilt the frame, put a new bed on it. Last I saw it had 350K miles and still running.

Nissan is as good as Toyota and a new one, or a used one, is about $4K cheaper. Toyotas have fancier dashboards.

Thanks Guys. Appreciate the real world experience.

Oh yeah, I meant to say. Last May the girlfriend and I drove from North Carolina to Yellowstone Park. Girlfriend has a Lexus.
But we took the 2010 Frontier. My girlfriend said the truck was very comfortable. She said the seats were very comfortable and she thought it rode as good as the Lexus.



Frontier challenges the Rockies. Snow in May.



It is a work truck! I have a steep 1 mile long gravel driveway. One day at the quarry, by mistake I put 2,000 pounds of gravel in the little Jap truck.
By God that rear end was sagging, tough load for a 1/2 ton truck. I figured I would blow every spring and shock on the truck.
No, I drove it right up the driveway, shoveled out the rocks and the little truck was fine. No damage.




Plowing the drive way with my previous Nissan, with the home made snow plow, "The Snowminator."

I don't trust car and driver. Ive seen them pimp crappy vehicles.


Ive owned mostly Tacomas and Tundras and would not hesitate to save some money and get the frontier. Guys that I know that have them, love them and trouble free

Not a Frontier, but had two Hardbody pickups. Bought a new 1991 and had very few problems. Nice little truck until it rusted out so bad, that I was ashamed to drive it. A/C still would freeze you out and everything still worked. Sold it to a guy I work with, he got a couple more years out of it until the frame dropped down from rust. Sold it to him with 260,000 miles for $500. Suspect it had maybe 300,000 on it upon death? LOL

Bought a 1997 Hardbody and still have it today for a beater and back-up vehicle. 121,000 miles and a rust bucket. Still runs like a champ though and had only minor problems. Exhaust was the biggest problem with both of them. They have a down slope towards the rear that collects moisture and rots out, because it does not get hot enough back there to burn it out. Drilled a drain hole there after replacement, but maybe only got an extra year out of the exhaust and the 1997 is running without a muffler now.

Still have the Napa receipt from the last purchase of "lifetime exhaust". If I ever decide to fix it, about the only thing to take into them would be a muffler clamp cut in half and two inches of tail pipe!

Please get your camera's out and show a picture of your frontiers with over 200k odometers....

Dark outside, I'll get one tomorrow.

Good God, I am so busted! The one I sold with 250K, that the new owner told me, four years later, had 350K miles, I don't know where it is! Can't get a picture.
I guess, according to you, I made it up!

I had a 2010 crew cab Pro-4X for a little over 4 years. I accumulated about 80k miles on it (bought with ~45k, sold with 127k) including several cross country trips. Other than gas, oil changes, a battery and tires, I never put a dime into. Our family outgrew it or I'd probably still be driving it. I seem to remember averaging about 19 mpg back/forth to work with it.

I have a 2013 Frontier. Bought it new and have a little over 90K on it. Only issue I have had is the check engine light will come on and it has to do with the vent from the gas tank. It dries out and the light will come one. If we have a week of wet weather it will go off again until we have a couple weeks of dry weather again. It costs about $1000 to replace all the parts so I just live with the light going on and off. Other than that it has been a great truck. I'd buy another.

FWIW: When I bought my truck, a similarly spec'd Toyota was $3000 more - not worth it to me. I get 16-18mpg around town, 20 going 80 down the interstate and around 22-24mpg when going down the highway around 60mph.

Was in mine yesterday[02] 225,XXX.
[bleep] a picture

Wifey had one years ago, good truck!

SUMMARY
Good mid-sized truck that will serve you well for less money than a Taco.

LONGER ANSWER
I bought new and owned a 1997 Nissan Hardbody 2WD ext cab I-4 5sp manual. Base model only option AC. Lasted me 185k miles and 14 years until a little old lady from east Texas ran into me and totaled it. Performed general maint on it and replaced the radiator when a sledgehammer mechanic busted the upper extension the upper radiator hose clamps to. GREAT compact pickup. Had torsion bar front suspension and drove wonderfully. Pushed up to 28MPG on real gas on the highway, 22 in town. Was in terrific condition on its last day. Miss that truck. Would have been a great first auto for my kiddos.

Later, I bought new a 2013 Nissan Frontier 2WD four-door V-6 5sp automatic. Base model, only options AC & AT. Put 155k mi on it thus far. General maint, plus the auto shifter busted and cost me $800 to fix. Hefty part cost, most of their parts are not that pricy. I wanted a manual, but no manuals were available at that time. Rides well, but not as smooth as the Hardbody. Strong and steady up to 110mph, when I figured I need to slow the heck down. The V-6 has some serious torque and guts and will move it out right quick. Factory tires wore like iron but were awful in every other way. I replaced them with D load rated AT tires, as I use it as my hunting and backwoods camping truck. MPG was never great, but those tires hit it for 1-2mpg. Loves real gas (without ethyl) and gets a stupid large MPG bump from real gas.

Only thing wrong with it is that now my boy is growing, it is not big enough in the back seat for a grown man for cross-country trips. Rear leaf springs got weak after 100k miles. I replaced shocks/strut cartridges all around and front springs and bumped up the rear springs with 1000lb helper/load leveling springs. The kind I got, you can dial in the amount of assist, in front and behind the axle. I did a bit of both, eliminating the "axle wrap" the leafs do when power is applied and raising the rear a bit for towing. Cheap, simple, effective.

Seats sit pretty high and this can be a problem if you are a tall man or your back is relatively long. Seating is fine, it is the getting in & out and hitting your head on the door sill.

The Frontier was designed before Renault got their mitts on Nissan and is likely the best built/designed of all Nissan automobiles. Frontier design is older and many times some seriously good deals are to be had that make it the obvious winner vs Taco for function and financial reasons.

Compared to the Taco
Taco is the standard in this class. The Nissan interiors are not as durable as a Taco. I buy seat covers on Day One and call it good. Resale of similarly-speced Tacos is better. So if you buy new and trade in or sell a lot, the Taco might make better financial sense. If you keep it a LONG while, the Nissan is fine. Some Taco snobs will look down on you, but you can use the $5000 you'll likely save as unguent to soothe the social chafing.

Compared to a Full-Size Half Ton
Similarly-specced full size trucks will cost you half again the amount of cash relative to mid-sized, buying new. If mid-size PU cost = $1.0X, full size PU = $1.5X. Ford, Chevy, Dodge have done a lot to improve MPG such that full size PU mpg is about the same as mid-size PU V-6 mpg.

================

Good luck. Both Frontier and Taco are good kit, can't go wrong with either.

I don’t believe that I’ll spend my time getting that picture, but I have over 240k on my 2012 Frontier 4.0. I bought it with less than thirty miles on the odometer. I don’t have to add oil between changes. It always starts and it always goes. The 4wd has always engaged and I’ve never been stuck yet. I’ve replaced plenty of suspension parts through the years, as it’s been a hunting truck and I expect it to go everywhere i need to drive. Otherwise no repairs, just maintenance. One thing I like the best is that it’s cooling system is pretty beefy, not once has it gotten hot, Even idling in Phoenix in the summer with the AC on. I’ll buy another one if this one quits, but I don’t see that coming anytime soon.

I'd love to have a Frontier with full skid plates, sliders, and lockers for places that my Tundra won't fit. I like Toyotas, but for that purpose I'd get a Frontier.

My '04 Dodge Dakota [bleep] the bed (blown head gasket) last summer and I bought a '17 Frontier with 28,000 miles on it. So far, have zero complaints.

Dutch: The article I was referring to was about the Nissan. My fault for not specifying which vehicle.

I got that, I was trying to make the point that the “automotive press” seems to be disconnected from reality when it comes to pickup trucks and how we use them.

Here you go....

Great Oldman thanks for showing.we don't see too many old frontiers up here in the northeast usually the salt got to them.

Son bought a new Frontier in '16. Mostly because of the price. Wanted a Tacoma, the Frontier was thousands less.

2WD ext. cab, 4 banger, 5 speed. Cruise and AC are about all the extras on that critter. Roll up windows, no remote entry. 50-some thousand on it now. Only expense so far, other than routine maintenance, was a new set of Michelins last fall. The OEM Generals were crap. Gets around a helluva lot better in snow with the Michelins.

It ain't a Tacoma, but it wasn't priced like one, either. It's his work truck/travel truck and he's happy with it so far.

No love here for the new Colorado. BIL has a new one w/V6. Z71 extended cab. Like every other owner that I know, of a newer Colorado, hates the automatic tranny. It gets no better fuel mileage than my 4x4 Silverado w/5.3L that has 50 more HP and is a helluva lot better truck.

If you get the SV model, order the rubberized cup holder inserts that come on the more expensive model.

I had one years ago. Being a big, tall man, I was never "real comfortable in it". I did not get great gas mileage from mine, though it was mechanically sound. Mine was a 6 cylinder with a Turbo. I found I preferred an 8 cylinder. I was just not a good match for it, or vice versa, ha.