Honest discussion of common issues of both Tacoma & Frontier

Greetings all,

Just joined the forums yesterday and I have spent some time reading up on the Tacoma on here. I would like to get everyone's honest and up front comments regarding major issues that the Tacoma has been known to have. I would also like a honest assessment of things that the Frontier does better and things that the Tacoma does better. I realize I am in website for Tacoma enthusiasts thus I don't expect a purely unbias opinion. Which is why I will ask these same questions on the frontier fan page as well. From much of my preliminary research I have discovered the following pros and cons for both vehicles.

---- Oh! I should probably mention that I currently live in Southern CA where I am finishing my graduate degree but will be moving to Missoula MT in 2015. This will be an important factor in determining which truck I will eventually get.

Anyhow, here is the comparison as I have it thus far !

Tacoma Pro's
- Resale value
- Transmission
- MPG
- National popularity & sales numbers
- Quiet ride
- Best of the two for off road

Tacoma Con's

- More expensive than the Frontier
- less resistant non box frame
- Frame rust and overall many rust related issues have been extensively reported and documented (especially in cold weather climates)
- ever so slightly weaker engine 236 hp
- No Manual configuration for V6


Frontier Pro's

- Stronger Engine 261 hp
- More comfortable overall ride
- Roomier cab
- more affordable than Tacoma
- Comes in a Manual configuration for the V6

Frontier Con's

- Less MPG than Tacoma
- Much lower resale value
- Widely document issues regarding radiator fluid entering and ruining transmissions with as little as 20,000 miles on the truck costing over $6000 in repairs
- Loud engine
- Heavier overall truck with less responsiveness



Those are some of the main things that I notice from both. I'd love to get a good comparison going as I plan to purchase one or the other sometime this year.

I have also considered waiting to see what GMC and Chevy will do with their 2015 mid size trucks that they will be bringing back to the U.S market. I still haven't quite made up my mind on anything but am currently in the researching stage.



Thanks in advance!

 

Toyota does offer a 6 speed for the V6.

One of the con's for frontier should be they're fugly.

 

yeah was about to say there is a manual option for V6 tacomas

I will say ahead of time that this is a tacoma forum so 99% will say to get the tacoma.. we're biased here

 

the stronger engine on the frontier doesnt make it faster. tacoma wins out in the speed department

 

Tacoma has a problem with shaking steering wheel.

 

Tacoma flaws: makes you look at every other truck brand as a POS...especially Jeeps. From the pros and cons list you made, the only thing Nissan has over Toyota is the price. I will add this: you get what you pay for, my friend. If you want a truck that, if taken care of, will last above and beyond 300,000 miles, get a Toyota.

 

Pro- Tacoma

Con- Frontier

Its as simple as that. I have no issues with the Tacoma
You say rust issues well in colder areas the roads are covered in salt with causes rusting. Owners should take better care of there vehicle then. IMO

 

I'll look into this, thanks!

 

no bias here lol buy one and drive it. thats all im gonna tell you

 

Road force balance. I know it's not a mod you can see but shell out $100 and it will be worth it. Now vibe's is another story.

 

Coming from someone who had owned both trucks, I can honestly say the Frontier is a great truck. Its extremely rigid and the boxed frame def helps. Some cons are, although it has a more powerful engine, its still slower and the shift rates seem high too me. Also, it sits lower so it has less ground clearance and lastly, there are very little aftermarket accessories for it. Id say if you want a truck that you plan on hauling stuff with and mainly stick to streets or dirt paths, if get a frontier but if you want a truck you can use for work but play with on the weekends, id get a Tacoma.

 

I bought my first Toyota ever which is my tacoma in 2011 with 39 miles in it. I came from a 2005 dodge diesel. As soon as the newness feeling wor off I hated my tacoma. And it took about a year to get back to liking it. I'm from idaho so high elevation and winter blend fuel make for bad mpgs. I'm talking for the first 32k miles I was a averaging 11.83 mpg that's a blend of highway and city/country driving. Now I'm in AZ and I a average 18 and up. Now that I'm 2 years deep I'm glad I bought the truck and the build quality is very good. I'm not a fan of independent suspension but the tacomas seems to be very sterdy. I'll tell you what finally made me like my truck again. This thing tows amazing. It tows better than my friends gmc and ford 1500's. The gearing is great and power is plentiful. Tow mpgs are very good as well. I've driven frontiers of varying years including 2010 and the tacos driving quality is better in my mind. I don't think you can loose either way but I do think there is a reason tacos are selling the way they are. Drive both and decided from your own perspective which one will suit you better.

 

Fronteers do not have a roomier cab!

 

My Xterra started loosing coolant a couple of weeks ago at 80,000 miles. I didn't even check the tranny fluid to find out if that is where it was going, and it wasn't down by that much. There is a bypass mod to help prevent damage but it is still just a work around. Had a Dodge for 14 years and went through 3 trannies, no desire to go back there again. Needed new tires for winter coming up and drivers window stopped working so I took it to the Toyota dealer and traded it in for a Tacoma. May or may not have developed the infamous leak but either way it was a good excuse to get back into a Toyota.

Both the Xterra and Frontier have had issues with blowing diffs especially fronts. Plenty of debates on it but the first time I read about it the guy was just towing a trailer on the highway. Lots of people have said it only happens when off road and one of the wheels slip with too much of the skinny pedal in use. I'm not convinced of that but not worried any more either

Too early to tell yet I haven't had the Tacoma long enough to make an honest and fair judgement. But so far I am more than happy with my choice.

 

Seems like even ones that are taken care of have plenty of frame rust.

 

I owned a '07 Taco. I just came back to a '13 Taco from a '12 Fronty.

Taco > Fronty and it's not close IMO


The Fronty seemed cheaply put together on the inside. The only advantage I'd give the Fronty is the ride quality, which is only slight.

My buddy has a '12 Taco TRD. He routinely got 2-3 more MPG than my Pro-4x Fronty.

There are TONS more aftermarket parts for the Taco. It's night and day compared to the Fronty.

 

Tacoma offers manuals in V6, and I'm fairly certain that Nissan no longer offers a manual configuration for the 4x4 Frontier.
I love the older Frontiers (90's and 00's) but the newer ones do not impress me when compared to a Tacoma

 

There should be no need. The Tundra does not do it. The Tacoma has a flaw in this area.

 

Look here
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/search.php?searchid=10122218

 

I own a Tacoma and have owned a Frontier and a Datsun before that. My basic issues when buying were: Nissan is butt-ugly and they wanted a grand for the air conditioner. A/C is stock with the Taco.

Decision: Taco

Then you own the thing and start realizing what you've got on your hands, good and bad:

BAD: The back leaf spring arrangement - there's really only one and two helpers - in my Tacoma is ludicrous. I see guys bottoming out their beds to the bumpers with less than 500 pounds of stuff in the bed. Putting on a shell instantly was enough to level it, and in a few weeks I have an ugly feeling the front will be higher than the back. Not OK. My truck has a 1300 pound load rating, but if I put 1000 pounds in the bed my headlights would be aimed pretty squarely at the moon. I am pissed enough about this that I will be taking it to the dealer for a complaint, an explanation and hopefully a repair of some sort. I have resigned myself to probably having to go a local guy and having a good set of real rear leafs put on. I don't need the expense, but...

I understand why Toyota set them up this way; your typical truck driver's wife (and a lot of first-time truck buyers who don't know better) want the thing to ride like a Camry and hate getting slammed around by a stiff back suspension, but that's part of the deal when you own a truck. IT IS NOT A CAR and shouldn't ride like one.

Points: subtract several million. Also, the composite bed. It works...but it's bullshit and we all know it. A truck should have an all metal bed. Nissan does.

GOOD: There are bonuses to having a Taco: parts available literally everywhere, mechanics familiar with them everywhere. It s a large cab, even my singlecab. Very comfortable. Toyota tends to build stuff that lasts forever (to be fair, so does Nissan). Aftermarket parts? A hundred choices for every one offered for the Frontier.

Resale should always be an issue even though many claim it is not. The Toyota is a clear winner here.

SUMMARY: I've had both and am very comfortable with my choice this time out to get a Tacoma. A redesigned Frontier that doesn't look or ride like a shrunk Titan could change my mind in a hurry, but Nissan's last decade of styling choices has me pretty confident that their trucks will be revoltingly ugly for a good long time.

I had the choice and picked the Tacoma. If I'd picked the Frontier I'd be happier about the functionality of the truck and utterly miserable about its looks. Shallow, but I'm a shallow guy.