Nissan Frontier vs Tacoma TRD Sport

OK! Some say the MT shifter is sloppy and others say the ride is mushy. Two things I would not like. What is your verdict?

 

Shifter is sloppy but there's an aftermarket short throw available that solves it completely. My Pro-4x rides great with the factory Bilsteins, it's firm if anything. Not much body lean in corners and it doesn't nose dive when braking.

 

Still available in Canada. Oddly we still get AC TRD OR V6 6MT Tacomas as well.

 

Yeah, rub it in!

 

Well wanted to revive this thread. After 7 months with a Ram 2500, bought a Nissan Frontier. Gotta tell you, truck is every bit as good as my Tacoma was and has a lot more grunt. Interior a bit dated but really a great buy at $6K less than a new Tacoma. A bit more compact but not to a point where it is uncomfortable. Loved my Taco, but feel the same about this new addition. Bad news is no more more manual transmissions offered so next truck will be something else.

 

You can still get a Frontier Manual, just came across a brand new Pro 4X MT on the lot recently.

 

Not going to lie, I have a soft spot for the Frontiers. Great trucks. Hands down the only other midsize truck I would consider buying.

 

Honestly I think all of the midsize trucks are great. They are actually ALL quality vehicles, which is speaking a lot when you talk about the auto industry from a historical stand point.

 

I wanted to love the frontier but to be honest that interior was ugly when it came out.. pretty shocking that nissan can make such a nice looking exterior and horrible looking interior in the same vehicle.

 

Funny this thread popped back up. Yesterday, I was kinda half-heartedly shopping around for another Frontier.

If OVtune cannot make me happy with this fking transmission with the next patch, its gone.
Question is, will it be a manual Taco? Or Frontier?....

 

So you have the OV Tune and it still drives like shit?

 

ha ha right. I thought OV Tune fixed the issues. I gotta admit I’ve always had a soft spot for the Frontier. I think it’s a solid truck and I’d sport one if the price was right.

 

Crazy because everyone here seems to swear by the OV Tune. I don’t care for how the Tacoma shifts and drives, and without a doubt that’s my biggest pet peeve with the truck. I was debating on purchasing one but it’s hard to justify the extra money when from the factory it should have these issues. ECU reflash helped a little (mainly with the cruise control) but it still can’t hold gears. I’m not going to throw money into gears or a tune or anything, just doesn’t seem worth it to me. I’ll probably have a new truck within the next year. I came out of a pretty loaded up F150, so perhaps I was spoiled. The Tacoma was a huge change so maybe it was too much at once to notice it right away. But the first road trip was hell. Especially when your transmission is bouncing between 4th and 6th doing 70 on flat land in Ohio with the cruise control on.

I owned a frontier before the F150 and it was a nice truck. Super reliable and drove nice. Turning radius did suck though. No doubt it’s a great truck for the money. Just already having one and not much changing since 2010 when I had mine, I just looked at it as a step backwards. I got a good deal on my Tacoma having worked at the dealership so even I was looking into another frontier, the price difference wouldn’t of been a huge offset. There’s a lot to like about the Tacoma’s but I also feel there’s a lot left to be had. To me it’s just another vehicle and nothing special.

 

No, it drives MUCH better. Super responsive, etc.

But, until the transmission has only 1 shift table to pick from, it will always hunt. It will continue to try to do what it does.
Moat glaring on long climbs. Up down, up, down, up, down.... no one can tell me that doesnt affect long term reliabilty/increase wear.
Bought this truck to have it 200k or more. I am not sure it will go half that...
The transmission, and engine are rarely on the same page. Its a peaky engine, and I am okay with that. But, the transmission should work WITH it, not against it.
When 2.0 comes out, it should address this confused drunken shifting.... I hope. Otherwise, I am going to take the financial hit, and ditch the truck.

The Frontier isnt as nice inside, and hasnt changed. Turning radius was... bad...
But, it is a SOLID TRUCK. And I had no complaints...

 

I have owned two Frontiers over the years great trucks. The Tacoma however looks much more aggressive and has a lot of style. The MPG is much better in the Taco as well, they both have longevity. Though the Frontier is certainly due for an upgrade.

 

no need to explain the tranny issues. Try living at elevation and driving one. It couldn’t even decide when to upshift or downshift. Which is why I sadly moved on.

 

Cant go wrong with a MT Tacoma.

 

My brother was looking around for a mid-size for his young family, him being a Nissan guy he was shopping the Frontier and Tacomas.
He ended up with a 2006 Frontier with super low miles for a lower price than the worst clapped out 2nd gen Tacomas..

It's a good looking truck, drives nice, will do everything they need.. It's not a Tacoma though.

 

they are fun as hell to drive but the interior is out dated if that matters to you and they have less curb appeal. but again thats preference. good trucks.

 

I got to be honest here. I am on my fourth Tacoma so when it came time to buy my 2019 TRD sport I really was only looking at Toyotas because every one I had was an extremely high mileage vehicle and still running when I either sold or traded it, Or in one case got totaled.

That said, I knew I was looking for a truck that was gonna last me between 12 and 15 years and basically was looking for something that had the creature comforts of a modern day vehicle. Pretty much a 4Runner with a 6 foot bed