Ten years in the past, the Toyota Tacoma outsold the Nissan Frontier roughly three-to-one. Today, it’s barely greater than six-to-one. And, of the seven midsize pickups at the moment on the market within the U.S. market, the Frontier outsold solely the Honda Ridgeline and GMC Canyon. The Jeep Gladiator, Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger and the beforehand talked about Tacoma, all outpaced the Frontier with gross sales of at the very least two-to-one.
It’s no marvel.
The Frontier remained principally unchanged for 16 years. Given it takes three-to-five years for automakers to develop a brand new automobile, the Frontier’s present engineering is shut to twenty years outdated. How way back was that? Nicely, George W. Bush was president. So, the arrival of a redesigned Frontier is greater than welcome and lengthy overdue.
Overview
Consumers can go for a Crew Cab in S and SV trim with a 5-foot mattress, or an SV with a 6-foot mattress. Rear-wheel or 4-wheel drive is obtainable with each trims. As well as, Nissan additionally affords the Crew Cab in off-road-oriented PRO-X with rear-wheel drive, or PRO-4X with 4-wheel drive. For these needing more room, the King Cab with a 6-foot mattress is obtainable in S and SV trim with rear-wheel or 4-wheel drive.
Exterior
The Frontier’s designers took no possibilities with its look, impressed by the 1986 Nissan Hardbody pickup, the primary truck designed by Nissan in San Diego. “I actually like is the cleanliness of that design,” stated Hiren Patel, undertaking lead designer at Nissan Design America in San Diego. “Each panel has a objective, and the look of toughness to it although it’s a small truck.”
Patel took the teachings of that truck and endowed the brand new Frontier with a handsomely chiseled exterior design eschewing trendiness for timelessness. But it appears utterly trendy and updated. There’s little of the infantile online game affectation that pollutes an excessive amount of trendy automotive design, notably from Japan.
Choosing the PRO-4X mannequin provides three skid plates, off-road suspension tuning with an digital locking rear differential, Bilstein off-road shock absorbers, LED lighting, and 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels with 265/70R-17 all-terrain tires and PRO-4X badging. All fashions get a dampened tailgate, mattress tiedowns two normal cargo mattress lights normal. LED lights are optionally available.
A factory-applied spray-in bedliner, locking tailgate, under-rail lighting, rear step-bumper with a provision for a ball hitch, and bed-mounted observe system can be found, as are as much as 80 equipment, together with a hood graphic, step rails, bed-mounted audio system, and a bed-mounted sport bar.
Inside
As you would possibly anticipate, a material inside is normal; all Frontiers — save the S mannequin — might be fitted with leather-based trim when the optionally available Premium Package deal is ordered. The general atmosphere is smart, but misleading. It doesn’t look as if it’s adorned with the newest tech, although it’s. That’s as a result of Nissan designers have been cautious to make key controls operatable whereas sporting gloves. Because of this the 9-inch touchscreen has knobs for key audio features. Equally, the local weather controls are easy knobs and buttons.
The cab is spacious, with good room up entrance and surprisingly spacious room within the rear. Space for storing is considerable, together with second row under-seat storage as an choice. Supplies appear to be of a noticeably higher of a greater high quality than earlier than. Feeling sturdy however not too fancy or upscale, it’s in step with this truck’s persona. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to spoil your self by equipping your Frontier with heated entrance seats and a heated steering wheel.
Powertrain
No matter trim, all Frontiers get the identical driveline: a direct injection 3.8-liter V-6 and 9-speed automated transmission with rear-wheel or part-time, shift-on-the-fly 4-wheel drive. The engine was all-new for 2020 and carried over for the brand new mannequin. Trailer Sway Management is normal on all fashions, however trailer braking isn’t supplied. Towing is rated at 6,720 kilos and payload is rated at 1,610 kilos.
Hill Begin Help is normal on all fashions, and Hill Descent Management is normal on 4-wheel-drive fashions. Frontier Professional-4Xs get an digital locking differential, Bilstein off-road shock absorbers and underbody skid plates.
Security and expertise
As would appear becoming for a automobile that modified little in 16 years — one thing its clientele have come to anticipate — ahead collision warning is the only real normal driver help security characteristic. Others are a part of the Nissan Security Defend 360 package deal, which incorporates Rear Computerized Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind-Spot Warning, Rear Cross-Visitors Alert, Lane-Departure Warning, Excessive Beam Help and Rear Computerized Braking. Neither NHTSA nor IIHS has crash examined the Frontier.
But there’s loads of tech, together with normal Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and optionally available Wi-Fi hotspot and wi-fi charging, though each are normal on the Professional-X and Professional-4X. All Frontiers include one Kind-A and one Kind-C entrance port, and two entrance 12-volt retailers. Consumers can even go for a 110-volt outlet within the rear seat and the mattress.
A ten-speaker Fender audio system is optionally available on all however the S trim stage. An 8-inch infotainment touchscreen is normal, a 9-inch touchscreen is optionally available. Nissan’s new person interface is normal, and is much simpler to make use of than previous methods, and proves to be faster as properly. An Round View Monitor with Shifting Object Detection and Off-Highway Mode is optionally available.
Driving impressions
With 315 horsepower accessible below your proper foot, there’s greater than sufficient energy to profit from the each day drive by way of clogged arteries and pokey parkways. Brief interstate onramps aren’t a priority. The 9-speed transmission is somewhat too gasoline acutely aware at occasions, so that you’re regularly asking for energy in hilly terrain, although the facility is there. The answer? Shift for your self; it’s much more enjoyable anyway.
If you happen to’re used to the present Frontier, little will put together you for the refinement of the 2022 mannequin. Even in Professional-4X trim, the Frontier doesn’t exhibit extra physique movement over bumps, but the experience stays very comfy for a boulder-bashing pickup. It’s surprisingly civilized, even whenever you’re driving someplace that isn’t. Steering is responsive and completely weighted, and physique lean is minimal for its class. The cabin stays quiet, even off-road, with little wind noise and a much less commotion emanating from the street.
As soon as the sidewalk ends, you’ll discover the Frontier retains its finesse. The shift-on-the-fly 4-wheel-drive system features a 4 low place whenever you want it. Paired with hill descent management, it makes traversing excessive slopes a breeze. Whereas the Frontier doesn’t have selectable path modes, expert off-roaders gained’t miss them. This truck has simply the {hardware} you should get the job executed.
The Professional-4X we drove was a pre-production unit, and did exhibit a bucking sensation virtually like gasoline hunger whereas off-road in sure uphill circumstances. Nissan engineers attributed it to a glitch within the driveline software program. Firm officers admitted they skilled it in testing, and it has since been corrected, however wasn’t in our take a look at automobile. Client fashions should still be affected by it.
Wrap Up
The 2022 Nissan Frontier is an suave replace of a pickup that has spent far an excessive amount of time frozen in time. Given its purchasers welcome a sure timelessness and no-nonsense strategy to their vehicles, Nissan has succeeded in updating the Frontier with the newest and biggest, however with out being too clearly trendy.
Nissan calls the brand new Frontier “right-sized.” It definitely appears that manner in comparison with full-sized pickups sized like backyard sheds. With the Frontier, Nissan has delivered a exceptional replace. It isn’t flashy, however its functionality and total competence will rapidly win you over.
2022 Nissan Frontier Professional-4X — Regularly Requested Questions
Ought to I look forward to the 2022 Nissan Frontier?
Sure. The 2022 mannequin is totally redesigned, with solely its driveline carrying over, and that was reengineered for 2020.
Is a Nissan Frontier price shopping for?
Sure. The brand new truck is an up-to-date midsize pickup with all of the mod cons you’d need, and with costs beginning at lower than $28,000.
Is the Nissan Frontier dependable?
Repairpal.com gave the Frontier a 4.0 out of 5 ranking for the Frontier, raking Nissan at ninth out of 32 for all automotive manufacturers. Client Stories ranked the earlier mannequin as having common reliability.
