Thoughts on Nissan Frontier

Just get what you want, OP. Gonna get very skewed reviews of the Frontier on a Tacoma site.

Is the Frontier a good truck? Yes, for what you want to use it for.

Is the Tacoma a good truck? Yes, for what you want to use it for.

 

Exactly,
You might get a better deal on a used Frontier (plus rear disc brakes) as they depreciate faster, on the other hand have the frame checked on an older Tacoma. But either one is still basically a good truck and there are not too many alternatives to choose from. Good luck .

 

Shape, padding & support. I have driven an sr5 quite a lot at work and own a TRD and I find a huge difference if you spend more than an hour in the truck. I don't find the sr5 seats nearly as comfortable or supportive as the TRD's. Definitely not only fabric.

 

You know I've ridden in a bunch and never noticed a difference.

 

I must be getting old. Some vehicle seats kill my back.

 

^^^This except for the considering getting one.

Yes the backseat sucks. I spent 18 hours on a trip in the backseat of a frontier. I'll take my own truck next time.

I had a 1st gen access cab when my son was small. His seat was in the front though with the airbag turned off. His seat would fit in the back but I had to lift the front seat when he was back there. Buying the 2nd gen DC was the best thing I ever did. I made it work though with the 1st gen.

 

Wow...not a huge amount of flaming going on. I've had several Nissans (1 Infiniti) and had pretty much 0 issues with any of them. I'm not a fan of the looks of the newer Frontier, but as far as being a good vehicle, they drive nicer than the Taco (in a car like way) and are good vehicles. If you want to do serious off road there isn't a lot available for them compared to the Toyotas. For a child seat, skip the access cab and get a 4 door, you'll find the AC is a PITA to deal with for car seats! In short, buy what fits your budget and what you intend to do with it...Nissan builds a good vehicle, it just doesn't have the after market support for serious off road stuff that the Tacoma has.

 

One thing to also consider is the amount of interest you're going to pay on a used vs new vehicle.


I'm not a basher by any means and in fact, the bed rails on the floor of the Frontier are pretty cool and look useful. It's not a bad looking truck. I think the Tacoma looks better and that's why I am driving one. Every one has an opinion of what they like and what they don't like. Nissan makes good vehicles and so does Toyota. If you would be happier with a Tacoma then the few thousand extra won't be much more per month and you will have a higher resale value when you look for something else in the future. I'd make sure though that the few thousand saved won't be made up on interest with a used vehicle.

 

1st gen Taco / 3rd gen 4Runners have this issue too. Basically the coolant portion of the radiator leaking into the transmission fluid portion. It's considered good prevention to replace the radiator at 10 years regardless of milage.

I did a "review" of a Frontier after driving it as a rental for a week: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/nissan-frontier-quirks-and-oddities.340658/

 

OP said he doesn't go off-roading. It sounds like either would fit his lifestyle rather well, and it sounds like value is a priority on this one.

 

Long time lurker but signed up to reply to this specific question and maybe save you the soon to be paid off Tacoma. Yes, I have experience, and it is definitely doable. How long will your trips be? The leg room in the passenger front seat will be tight while the car seat is rear facing. I'm 6 ft tall and my knees were in the dash if I had to ride passenger. Even my wife at 5'2" found it uncomfortable for long trips, but we usually just took the civic unless hauling wood to the cabin or deer season. The American bulldog had plenty of room next to my daughter and we packed our gear in the bed in 35 gallon poly drums with gasket lids. Once you turn the seat forward facing and have car seat sitting up as opposed to the reclined position you'll be fine. We made it 4.5 years with my daughter in the 05 access cab. I'm now in the same boat as you with a second on the way. Ther just isn't enough room for both kids unless I want the steering wheel in my chest and my wife does a repeat of being cramped. I'm considering a frontier crew cab for the same reasons as you, and I love my truck ( sad to see her go). Point being, you can make your access cab work with one child, absolutely. Wait until you've tried it out. Worst case scenario is you decide it doesn't work for you and you tough it out until you trade. Best case scenario is you realize you can make it work and you drive a paid off Tacoma a few more years like me. Good luck and congrats.

 

I bought a new 2012 Frontier SL in 11/2011. It was a nice enough car, had all the bells and whistles, nice truck etc. About a year into my ownership of the truck it started developing an annoying habit of when I would stop at a light, sit there... light would turn green and I'd accelerate and rpms would go up, truck wouldn't move then it would suddenly JERK into gear. I'm talking this was about 10k miles on the truck. It happened maybe 3 times the first year, but then it got to be more often over the next 2 years. I took it into the dealership with 59,800ish miles. Well...of course they came back and said sir, we didn't find anything wrong with it. I'm not stupid, I'm aware what was going on. They were looking at the truck knowing it would be out of warranty in about a week and therefore any replacement costs would fall onto my shoulders. Funny thing, that day I got a letter from Nissan saying that they would give me 22,500 for the truck. I cleaned out everything and was on my way back to Michael Jordan Nissan when I figured just for shits and giggles I'd swing by the toyota dealership. They offered me 22,000 for my truck but offered me a lifetime powertrain warranty. EVERY vehicle that I've had over the last 18 years has needed a new transmission at some point. I pull enclosed trailers which is seemingly hell on trucks.

As far as better mileage/more power? Maybe by the book the Nissan has more. I entirely disagree with that. Mileage? Again, I'm giving a slight nod to the Tacoma. This is just a nicer vehicle all the way around. Even my wife who officially gives zero shits about what she drives has made it a point to say that she loves the Tacoma. (2015 6' bed, no leather etc)

 

Both truck are excellent trucks. Im a nissan guy and Ive own a lot of them ( 300zx twin turbos 06 xterra 06 long travel titan 2 gtr's g35 coupe g37 coupe). The vq40de on the frontier has a lot of power, also the frontier has rear disk brakes. Two thing that sucks in the frontier are : 1. The transmission cooler is in the radiator. 2. The bolt pattern!
The tacoma is an excellent truck, I love it! But Im disappointed with toyota costumer service since they wont fix my leaf springs.. Good luck!

 

Back when I was considering my first truck I drove a top of the line pro 4x and was not impressed. However I have owned 2 Nissan altimas and I loved both of them. If the Tacoma is a little more than you want to pay I would defiantly get into a frontier. You will also probably be able to negotiate a little more and get a good rate on one. I will say I also remember the cab not being very big.
If you are going to drive it for a long time who cares if resale value sucks, it seems like it would only matter if you were planning on trading in soon.
Best of luck!

 

I like the Frontier and almost bought one back in 2007. Looking at new ones back in July '14, I was going for a Pro4x or a TRD-OR. Going with a used Frontier makes more sense than a Tacoma. Stay '05+ on the Frontier though for that VQ40, the VG33 in the older ones is a carryover pile from the early 1990s (VG30) - underpowered and shitty gas mileage. VQ engines on the newer ones are not known for being thrifty on gas and often worse than the Tacoma. At least before I put the blower on my Tacoma, I could turn upward of 23 mpg. Owned a 2003 Pathfinder for 6 years (VQ35) and it never turned in more than 19 mpg.

The Nissan was quicker from the start with more power with less throttle but half windows in the back of the crew cab, the smaller back seat, and the shorter bed made the Tacoma look better. They both come with Bilsteins and Rugged Trail tires. There also was the fact that the Pro4x with the moon roof and roof rack dragged the price north of $38k and the Tacoma I got (TRD-OR crew cab) was $31k. I figured if I wanted to go to $38k, I'd put a blower and a few other goodies on the Taco and be better in the power department than the Frontier.

 

Last year, before I had any bias, I test drove both multiple times, and I almost immediately disliked the Frontier. Lots of people rag on the Tacoma's aging interior, but to me the Frontiers was twice as bad. It also didn't feel right to me. Seats were bad, steering wheel felt too small, handled like shit.... I just didn't like driving it at all. Tacoma felt like an entirely different truck. I think I made the right choice.

 

What have you got against non TRD Tacoma's???

 

I'm about to sell mine this summer. Looking at $24,000 on the top side. Fully loaded 09TRD Offroad 4x4 with 21,000 miles. There definitely has to be some deals out there especially as we get closer to a new model rollout. Hang on to yours and keep looking. And lots of guys on here have done the access cab with kids. Everything is doable when you put it into perspective.

 

And I forgot, chain guides. They might still be made out of nylon...my 05 Frontier was getting 'slappy' before I traded it in. Seems the chain guides were a wear item meant to be chewed away by the chain until the chain was forced to start eating metal. Interesting design.

I loved that V6 by the way. I know the truck was slower on paper, but that engine was smooth and acceleration felt faster than my Tacoma. Maybe it was the nylon chain guides.

 

I'm sorry but what does ground clearance have to do with anything? He never once mentioned off-roading. He wants a reliable truck with a crew cab for his family. The Frontier is an excellent truck.