A mid- size truck that is getting long in the tooth
Pity the poor folks devoted to the Nissan Frontier, bereft of any new features or enhancements on the mid- size truck since, oh, the time Fleetwood Mac was topping the charts. Frontier buyers are more like cactus in a desert of vehicle development: Online discussions about the Frontier have so little sustenance, there is only the trickle of common mechanical problems.
While other manufactures will have revised models four, five or six times since the Frontier was introduced in 1997, the wee Nissan is still only in its secondgeneration in North America. Sure, there was a significant change in 2004 — some 11 years ago — and a few tweaks in 2010, but it’s not disingenuous to say this 2015 model should be collecting its CPP by now.
Which is unfortunate, given the greening pastures in the field of mid- size trucks. We now have GM’s Canyon and Colorado siblings, and 2016 will see the all- new Toyota Tacoma — long the bar to which this class of truck is measured — as well as a new Honda Ridgeline.
Nissan once had a strong foothold here, even spawning a cleverly disguised clone in the ill- fated Suzuki Equator, and the Frontier could and should have been a player today. Sadly, even though a potential diesel offering is in the wind, and there’s been some rumour of Australia’s new Navara being the next Frontier for North American, little has been said officially about an entirely new truck.
So, don’t be embarrassed, as I was, if you weren’t sure whether the Frontier was still being produced. I had to double- check the build sheet when our unit arrived to see if it was indeed a 2015. Indeed, still trickling off the line, the Frontier carries on, but what might lure someone to a Frontier in the first place?
First of all, our PRO- 4X model didn’t do itself any favours arriving as a King Cab. This is the version with clamshell halfdoors instead of four real doors. While the doors can be a pain to open and close, and I’m always dubious about the lack of a B pillar, the back seats are more like parcel shelves, so narrow that no self- respecting dog would tolerate riding back there, as was evident when my Chocolate Lab refused to jump in.
The rear space is more suited to some recovery straps, winches and spare tools than passengers. The version with four proper doors — the Crew Cab — can be configured with a standard or short box, but the King Cab only comes with one standard box, measuring 44 inches between the wheel wells but 61.4 inches in total width, with a length of 73.3 inches. Yes, it’s enough to carry an ATV or snowmobile, but it’s going to be snug, depending on the machine. As a construction rig, the Frontier 4x4 can carry a small stack of materials as long as the weight doesn’t exceed 546 kilograms — about 10 sheets of standard 4 x 8 drywall. For serious jobs, that’s going to require more than one trip to Home Depot.
Of course, not everyone is working his or her Frontier. And for anyone who doesn’t like the enormity of today’s full- sized trucks, plus all the heavy lifting that entails — from parking to U- turns to negotiating urban streets — the Frontier shines. It’s smallness can be a cheery alternative, with entrances and exits requiring less skill than a Cirque du Soleil performer.
Loading stuff into the bed is a breeze because it’s not so high up — an easy reach over the rear fenders. Parallel parking is not a problem, especially with a rearview camera. Visibility is good. The cabin, even though it’s dated and furnished with too much hard plastic, never squeaked or rattled once. It felt tight.
But while the cabin seems reasonably well screwed together, and the touch- screen radio and navigation system were refreshingly simple and quick to react, the hard plastics in the cabin, especially at many of the touch points, might cause pause with the Frontier’s $ 30,458 sticker price.
The 261 horsepower 4.0- litre V6 also feels a little prickly as it winds its way to peak torque of 281 pound- feet at 4,000 rpm. That’s not a bad number and it feels powerful enough, even if not that sophisticated.
Overview: Solid, mid- size truck with decent- sized bed
Pros: Capable off- roader, easy to drive and manoeuvre
Cons: Competes with other recent models with much newer technology Value for money: Average
What I would change: Too much to list; review says it all
How I would spec it: Crew Cab, 4x4, standard box ( Pro- 4X)