Nissan Frontier
Bed Time |
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By Richard J. Newman
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Nits: There's a lot of road noise at highway speeds, a typical problem with inexpensive trucks that lack thorough insulation and ride on big, knobby tires.
G forces: The 265-horsepower V-6 that comes with most models is hale and hearty, able to outpace a lot of wimpy passenger cars on the highway, and tow more than 6,000 pounds. Handling is trucky, but calm enough to keep most family members content. Cornering is good for a tall vehicle.
Gizmology: Climate and radio dials are large and easy-to-use, and most desirable options are available, such as a sunroof and steering-wheel controls for the radio. One nice touch: The rear seats fold up flat against the back of the cabin, for storage. A $16,000 entry-level Frontier comes stripped nearly bare, with no power windows, power door locks, or air conditioning.
Kidmarks: Anybody who needs to move kids around regularly needs the crew cab, with a full back seat and four doors. The king cab will do in a pinch but the seats are tiny and uncomfortable, and the half-doors are impractical for kids.
Hot or not: Hot. The Frontier isn't the biggest or baddest truck on the road, but it's a muscular middleweight.
Envirometer: Rates above average for pollution and tailpipe emissions. Mileage ranges from 15 mpg/city to 25 mpg/highway. For more info, go to www.fueleconomy.gov.
Crash course: The four-door king cab earned 8 stars out of 10 on the government's frontal crash test, and 10 out of 10 on the side impact test. Details: www.nhtsa.dot.gov. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an industry testing group, gives the Frontier a "good" rating, its highest. More info: www.iihs.org.
Price points: Base prices range from $16,080 to $27,330. Price as tested: $27,430 (est.)
More info: www.nissanusa.com
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Model year tested: 2005
Don't tell the boys down at the ranch, but a bit of minivan is starting to seep into the basic pickup truck. Blame those relentlessly practical Japanese.
It's not a dozen cupholders or integrated booster seats that are improving the usefulness of trucks, however, but clever workbench innovations that haulers and handymen will appreciate. The newly designed midsize Frontier, for instance, comes with more options for the pickup bed than used to be available on an entire truck. There's a "spray-on" bedliner that protects the surface of the bed from dings and scratches and seals more thoroughly—so Nissan claims—than aftermarket liners that most truck owners use. A system of utility rails in the floor and walls of the bed, along with removable cleats, let you tie down cargo almost any way you see fit, instead of lining it up with fixed fasteners. And a menu of accesssories lets the finicky trucker compartmentalize his bed with more storage bins and trays than one of those closet displays at the Container Store. Now that's practicality.
This is no frumpy grocery getter, though. Nissan has seen to it that the Frontier carries forward the rough and rowdy image that the hulking Titan, Nissan's full-size pickup, began to carve out when it debuted last year. The base engine is a small 154-horsepower four-cylinder, but it comes only on the entry-level two-wheel-drive model, which means most buyers will end up with the punchy 265-horsepower V-6. The off-road "Nismo" edition Frontier that I tested came with stiff and sporty steering. Handling is just smooth enough to sedate the sedan fans in the family, while still feeling like a truck. The cabin is durable and functional, as it should be, with tough polyester upholstery that seems like it would stand up to lots of dirt and abuse. And the old, square toolbox design has been replaced by a truck that looks chiseled and muscular. You'd never guess that it's practical too.
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