Any 3rd gen owners come from or now behind the wheel of a Frontier?

I did not have a Frontier, but I had an 2nd Gen Xterra prior to my Tacoma. I loved that thing, as it was dependable, powerful (for its age) and was spacious for my needs. I was sad giving that up, as it was victim to the radiator fluid leaking into the tranmission problem these and the Frontiers get; but I don't regret one thing getting the Tacoma. The fit and finish I feel is better in the Tacoma, and it was also one of the last few true trucks in this size category. Nissan in the past decade or so has been losing quality and reliability, but the 2nd Gen Xterra was an awesome truck-based SUV for its time.

 

Went from a 06 Tacoma 4x4 sport to a 09 Ram 1500 4x4 due to the Tacoma being totaled and wanted a full size. Now have a 16 Frontier Pro 4x. The 06 Tacoma and the 16 Frontier are very similar since both were/are second generation. Main reason for not going with the Tacoma was Toyota not wanting to negotiate back then. I don't mod so not having a variety of after market parts is not a concern.

It will be 3 years in December and I do not regret the Frontier purchase. Yes, the mpg could be better. Still love driving it.

As one poster said about Frontier buyers, yep I was too cheap to pay the premium. Didn't want to give the dealership more money for their truck.

 

OP if you plan to offroad, I would not get a Frontier. I rented a frontier twice in the past for camping trips.

The second time around, I blew the side curtain Airbags. Came off a small ledge, truck was a little off camber. Airbags blew because the truck sensed rollover.

 

Did they say 210HP SUPERCHARGED Nissan Xterra? Damn, talk about a balless wonder.

A V6, a supercharger and it still can't even break 250? That's pretty sad, but they sure we're tough SOB's.

 

2021 Frontier Predictions - 11/9/2019

The Base

The basic truck will be positioned to retain the low price leader spot. It will carry over the venerable 2.5L from the current model. Target market will be parts stores that need small delivery trucks, termite/pest companies, utility company meter readers, drug stores, any company that needs a small lightweight "no frills" truck for deliveries or the owner that just needs a basic truck. This is no different from the base mode that we know today. In years past, this was the 5-lug base model Tacoma market.

The Premium

A step up engine and trim option will be aimed squarely at the Ford Ranger market. This truck purportedly will provide the 2.0L Turbo engine that is built in Decherd TN and used in the Infiniti Q50 and Mercedes-Benz-C class. Nissan will need to tune this engine to run on regular fuel. Stealth marketing (word of mouth) for this could be interesting as owners discover and brag about having a small truck with a Mercedes-Benz engine.

Possible High End (Nismo)

There is rumor about the V6 becoming a 300 hp 3.0L. This engine exists today in the Infiniti Q50. This may be a tamed down, hopefully regular burning, variant of the VR30DE. If this truly is based on the VR30, it will see Cylinder bore‎: ‎86 mm, and Piston stroke‎: ‎86 mm. It should be an incredibly smooth running engine like its ancestor the original VQ30DE. I do not see this engine being offered in the first year or two. I think it would appear later in a Nismo version.

Body

The body will look like a Nissan Navarra with an updated V-motion grill. I suspect some cab sheet metal may be shared with the Pathfinder to reduce cost. That's where the Navarra likeness ends. The truck will be built on the Titan frame and use leaf springs like the current model and Titan. It will just not be as wide as a Titan. This will allow owners to use after market suspension upgrades that have been engineered for both the Titan and Frontier. Sharing frame with a Titan helps to lower manufacturing costs. Note: today it is possible to convert a Frontier to use a Titan front suspension, so same song different dance.

Transmission

7-Speed automatic and 6-speed MT

4 Cylinder Turbo Engines

Decherd TN Plant Open in 2014

https://youtu.be/TfFnujINmB0

New Variable Cylinder Compression Turbo 4 in 2018

https://youtu.be/A6H66xfEZC4

Which 4 cylinder turbo will arrive in the new Frontier?

 

I had an 05 Fronty until 2017 when I bought my Tacoma.

We looked at new ones... They haven't really changed. The interior is very chincy, the factory spray bed liner bubbled up and faded, The tranny went out when the radiator leaked into it, (recall for this but mine had too many miles). And it had a few electrical gremlins. It accumulated a lot of miles, but I was afraid to take it on long remote trips.

 

I had an 05 frontier and it was actually a great truck. The worst thing is the need for a refresh. In terms of mechanical performance it was excellent.

 

My first truck out of high school (frontier predecessor):


5 speed manual. Racked up 269,000. Only two issues: Paint literally peeled off in sheets (tried unsuccessfully to have corporate correct... They wouldn't respond) and faulty fuel pump relay. Otherwise awesome little truck. Lots of good memories taking it camping down to Baja.

 

I actually bought this Taco with insurance money after my frontier was totaled. I was sitting still in a left turn lane and a kid with no insurance slammed into the back of me. I fortunately had uninsured motorist coverage.

 

I currently have a 2010 double cab pro 4X. It will probably be the last Nissan that I will own. I went with it at the time because Toyota wasn’t offering the options that I was looking for. I’ve had to replace an axle seal, the radiator, two oil leaks, and have various spots where the paint has rolled off and had to have repainted. I am very glad now Toyota offers all the options that I was looking for and hopefully by the end of this year early next year I will be in a 2020 Tacoma sport.

 

I had a manual v6 2012 kingcab. Truck was a blast to drive. Way more fun than my 17 taco. Super reliable as well. Just change the oil and go. Almost bought a crew pro 4x manual. Second guess not doing so from time to time.

 

Former ‘07 frontier owner here, that was the worst vehicle I’ve ever owned.

Bought it fully loaded NISMO 4x4 totally stock.

-u joints out every 15k miles
-constant vibration issues, nothing covered under warranty

-oil pressure issues

-electronics gremlins and terrible quality headlight plastic that marred and yellowed after 50k miles then again at 60k and 95k miles.

-radiator hose failure which rubbed into the transmission hose and spilled coolant into the transmission, nuking it at 104k miles. Nissan refused any assistance. 5k

NEVER AGAIN

 

to me they seem to be the vehicle I am most likely to see exposed primer due to flaked off paint... Nissans and late 90's/early 00's Chevys. In fairness, I'm sure my brain catalogs visible damage far more than things that are mint.

The fellow across the street from me has an Xterra, no clue the year but it is the ubiquitous navy blue one and it sags and leans to one side while appearing to have no rebound damping. A co worker has an 11' Titan that sounds like a rattling can of nuts, revs very high to get out of 1st and so much sun damage. My cousin traded in his Xterra for a 4runner 6 or 7 years ago and the main reason he parted with it was because the cloth seats were tearing up and sunken in and it's factory roof rack looked like it had been bleached. My uncle buddy's gen 2 frontier is all-in in good shape but the paint looks like it didn't adhere to the primer. So that is my sample group. My family's Toyotas have all stood up well to age and general wear

 

i dunno, alot of experiences with the nissan stuff is tied to lack of maint and prior owner's lack of maint. My 07 xterra bought by me brand new in late 2006 is rock solid and has none of the issues mentioned though i did get the following down before warranty was up:

timing chain
fule pump issue
rear axle whine- replaced axle
radiator swapped out by me to avoid the transmission SMOD issue

i have the original ujoints and have zero issues at 146k miles. smooth as glass on the highway up to 79 MPH. i wont go faster due to breaking the speed laws.

 

This to me sounds like they're actually using it as a truck!

 

What? You have no idea how anyone has maintained their trucks. Making a blanket statement like that is absurd dude.

The transmission/radiator issue was one of the worst engineering disasters I saw outside of a German vehicle, and has nothing to do with vehicle maintenence. The worst part about Nissan was the fact that they wouldn’t stand behind their products. Maybe it was a dealership issue... but I brought my concerns all the way up to corporate and they told me to pound sand, right at 100k miles in 2010.

I hope after making the same cheap piece of shit for 15 years straight they’ve found some sense of reliability, because lord knows Nissan is prime for customers with mitigating credit factors that are looking to save a dollar up front.

 

The horror!