Frontier VS Tacoma

Yes it was, also considering Nissan didn't exist until 1983 when Datsun was rebranded with the name.

But the Zero was Mitsubishi manufactured. As I understand it, it was a well regarded piece of equipment by friend and foe alike (much like the AK-47 in 'nam), which is more than can be said for their cars.

 

yup... from Wikipedia:

During the Second World War, Mitsubishi manufactured aircraft under the direction of Jiro Horikoshi. The Mitsubishi Zero was a primary Japanese naval fighter in World War II. It was used by Imperial Japanese Navy pilots throughout the war, including in kamikaze attacks during the later stages. Allied pilots were astounded by its maneuverability, and it was very successful in combat until the Allies devised tactics to utilize their advantage in firepower and diving speed.

 

Would love to fly me a Zero! But then again, I'd like to fly the shit out of a Hurricane and Mustang too! (Brit and American)

 

Actually, 'Datsun' was a brand name used to marked Nissan in the U.S.

I remember the Nissan Patrol 4WD in the 60's... available from your Datsun dealer!

 

True enough. I'll be damned.

This is why no one pays attention to Nissan. You can't keep track of them.

 

More...

During his tenure as President, Kawamata stated that he "regretted that his company did not imprint its corporate name on cars, the way Toyota does. ‘Looking back, we wish we had started using Nissan on all of our cars,’ he says. ‘But Datsun was a pet name for the cars when we started exporting.’ ”[6]
Ultimately, the decision was made to stop using the brand name Datsun worldwide, in order to strengthen the company name Nissan.
“The decision to change the name Datsun to Nissan in the U.S. was announced in the fall of 1981. The rationale was that the name change would help the pursuit of a global strategy. A single name worldwide would increase the possibility that advertising campaigns, brochures, and promotional materials could be used across countries and simplify product design and manufacturing. Further, potential buyers would be exposed to the name and product when traveling to other countries. Industry observers, however, speculated that the most important motivation was that a name change would help Nissan market stocks and bonds in the U.S. They also presumed substantial ego involvement, since the absence of the Nissan name in the U.S. surely rankled Nissan executives who had seen Toyota and Honda become household words.”[7]
Ultimately, the name change campaign lasted for a three year period from 1982 to 1984 (Datsun badged vehicles had been progressively fitted with small "Nissan" and "Datsun by Nissan" badges from the late 1970s onward) until the Nissan name was given prominence in 1983 - although in some export markets vehicles continued to wear both the Datsun and Nissan badges until 1986. The name change had cost Nissan a figure in the region of US$500 million. Operational costs included the changing of signs at 1,100 Datsun dealerships, and amounted to US$30 million. Another US$200 million were spent during the 1982 to 1986 advertising campaigns, where the “Datsun, We Are Driven!” campaign yielded to “The Name is Nissan” campaign. (the latter campaign was used for some years beyond 1985). Another US$50 million was spent on Datsun advertisements that were paid for but stopped or never used.[8] Five years after the name change program was over, Datsun still remained more familiar than Nissan.[9]

 

Yes.

The old in me brain was kicking in today. lol

 

Yes.

And the reason they used "DATSUN" instead of Nissan when they started importing them to the US back then was "NISSAN" had too much of a Japanese ring to it...and back then there was still a lot of anti-Japanese sentiment in America.

 

FWIW, the review is from 2005...

I test drove both the frontier and tacoma, and chose the tacoma for quite a few reasons, but funny enough one of the biggest reasons was the location of the center console (as well as the interior being cheaper and back seats smaller). I drive 90% of the time leaning on my right arm on the center console, and that console was set so far back it was impossible for me to drive my way comfortably I do wish the tacoma had some of the options the frontier had, like a sunroof and leather seats, though.

 

test drove every small truck except a ranger liked the taco the best plain and simple.

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/1619-tacoma-frontier-vsc.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/21999-frontier-vs-tacoma.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/26951-tacoma-vs-frontier-frontier-wins.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/78602-acceleration-frontier-vs-tacoma.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/87027-why-frontier-inferior-tacoma.html


SEARCH!

 

In between my 1st Gen Tacoma and my 2nd Gen Tacoma I owned the 2005 Nissan Frontier Nismo edition (quadcab) for about 9 months. During that time I could not have been more disappointed with almost every aspect of that vehicle. It was purchased new off of the lot and within days I had a handful of rattles. The plastic interior was even WORSE than the Tacomas (I know, difficult to imagine)... Needless to say it was traded in ... I have never looked back since

 

Damn if those don't look like FJ Cruiser wheels ^^^

 

Obviously there are numerous threads about this....

I test rode the Frontier before Tacoma.

Drove well enough, but not as good a fit as the Taco.

 

My buddy has a '06 Frontier Crew Cab and he swears his Frontier is faster and has so much more horsepower than my Tacoma. Says he raced a Xrunner and beat it by 6 car lengths.

His truck does feel a little more peppier than mine but I think it's just an illusion due to how loud it is. He has a K&N CAI and a Banks "monster" exhaust.

The only thing I like better about the Frontier is the steel bed with factory like Line-X. They also have a rail system built into the sides and bottom of the bed that is very functional and more stout than the Tacoma's.

The interior is crap, smaller and looks outdated to me.

 

I Had a 99 Frontier and while it wasn't perfect, it was dependable and took very little parts, It was however a gas guzzler averaging only 16 MPG. Nissan skimps on the quality of exhaust,bolts, metal,interior, but they do make a pretty decent engine.

 

I agree watched it the other day for the 10th time.

 

They keep on changing their 4x4 series, now its PRO-4x. Its the worst named 4x4 on the Market IMO. I like the TRD Off Road name but Z71 or FX4 sounds the best.

 

Fronty is ugly, but the 2nd gen Taco aint the best looking truck either. IMO the Fronty is a better built truck. Hell I almost bought one.The plastic bed on the Taco killed it for me, I hope the 3rd gen Taco has a steel bed.

 

Why? SMC is less prone to damage overall than steel.