Seriously debating a Frontier....

I'm stoned right now dude! LOL. You must have ESPN or something. You can read my mind!!!

 

I do have ESPN, but the signal quality has been lacking lately. I need to call the cable people. All I'm reading right now though isn't nearly as entertaining.

You're trying like hell though - credit where it's due. It's just a shame there's not more to it than this.

 

As my name suggests, I have way too much time on my hands. I check this forum occasionaly and figured may as well join up. I own a Frontier, uh oh... But I also own a Toyota Matrix so I am somewhat in the family .

Before I get bashed and smashed I am by no means a die hard Nissan fan (obviously as I would not own a Toyota as my second vehicle).

I by no means signed up to defend Frontier's as they do have their quirks. The OP is making a smart move by shopping and comparing the competition before deciding on a purchase.

With that being said, I would have purchased a Taco if the price were right. I picked up my 09 CC 4x4 Frontier with the VTP (similar to SR5 package) for $22,400 out the door. I just couldnt beat it. Similar Taco's were at least $5k higher and I couldnt justify nor afford the higher cost. I almost bought a pre-owned 07 Taco, but the dealer wasnt willing to deal and it was still more than a new Frontier and was almost out of B to B warranty (it was a TRD model).

Side by side I think that the Taco's and Frontiers are pretty comparable in quality but I would give the edge to the Taco. The 2nd gen Frontiers do hage some pretty big issues, some of which have been resolved while others not.

Timing chain guides: Bad news, still not fixed as the TSB includes 05' through 10'. It was thought to be a guide issue but its actually the chain itself is too sharp and eats at the guides, like a chainsaw . This is covered under the 5yr/60k powertrain warranty which is good. Some have had the issue in 30k while others never have with over 100k. Its hit and miss.

Fuel sendors: This plagued earlier models but has been fixed.

Internal tranny coolers: I think some older 4runners had a similar issue where the cooler leaks coolant into the tranny lines. Not good, but again has been resolved.

Rear axles: Affects the M226 I believe (bigger of the two axles, go figure) and I belive its suplied by Dana so not sure if its really Nissans fault. The standar C200 doesnt really have any problems.

Front diffs: Weak. Titan front diffs can be swapped in with no mods with V8 pathfinder axles to beef it up.

I guess vehicle appearance depends on the person. Some say the Frontier is ugly and others say Tacoma. I personally am not a huge fan of the Tacoma's looks, but Frontiers are not extremely attractive either. I think the taco would look better with round wheel wells vs what the have, was kind of a turn off for me, but wasnt a deal breaker. Nissan interiors are pretty bland and this has been a long time issue. Too much plastic and monotone appearance, however the update in 09' helped a little. Tacomas are definately more appealing inside.

Performace wise, Nissans do have more power but they are also 400 lbs heavier due to the boxed frame and steel bed. Frontier mileage sucks, but it is a truck. Its my understanding that Frontiers have some sort of throttle restriction up to 30mph that restrics there performance, tuners can bypass this and increase performance.

Resale cannot be argued. Toyota has stellar resale while the Frontier lacks, however the Frontier makes up for this with initial cost and rebates so I personally think its a wash.

Aftermarket for the Frontier is pretty bad. There are a few companies that cater specifically to the frontier (PRG) so there are some pretty good mods one can do to the suspension (UCA's, coilover, etc) And since they share so much with the Titan you can always go that route which is cool.

I could go on and on but this is too long already. I like to keep updated on Taco stuff and am really looking forward to what the next generation has in store. I am really digging the new runner and if the Taco has a similar design there may be either one parked in my driveway in the next few years.

 

The he said. I used to drive an 07 Frontier and loved it. Hard to compare motors since I had a 4cylinder but the interior was not as high quality as the tacoma's. Something was always ratteling. Had a lot of fun with the nissan though

 

You probably won't feel much difference (about 15% difference in hp and 5.6% difference in torque before weight and drivetrain loss is factored in about 7.5% in hp after weight and drivetrain loss differences are factored in). Drivetrain losses estimated at about ~20%. The Frontier is heavier than the Taco by about 100 lbs. 208.8 vs 188.8 at the rear wheel (about 20hp difference).

Frontier curb weight: 4245 weight/hp: 20.33 (lower is better)
Tacoma curb weight: 4130 weight/hp: 21.87

In no way is it like getting a supercharger for free:
Supercharger adds about 70 hp and100 lb.-ft. torque.

Frontier: weight/hp: 20.33
Supercharged Tacoma: About 242hp after drivetrain loss is factored in, making the weight/hp: 17.01

About a 20% boost in hp over the Frontier after weight and dt loss is considered.

28% boost in hp over a stock taco.

 

The taco is lighter and puts more power to the ground than the fronty!

 

my buddie has a 08 nismo off road edition and i had to drive it one day cause he wouldnt park it so i drove it around till he was done at school i like he even said it was chill if i took it on some lite trails i liked it but i wouldnt ever tried my taco for anything i just didnt like the ride and but like other i got my taco for the fact iv always heard good about them and i love their looks

 

it's all statistics.
i'll put toyota's statistics against any other... especially nissan.
corolla? again.. statistics. most people can drive those hundreds of thousands of miles without hardly any issues... ya, once in a while there's a lemong. that's life.

 

Here's my truck beside a PRO4x, before I lifted mine, the Frontier is also a
pretty damn nice truck

 

"Toyota has stellar resale while the Frontier lacks, however the Frontier makes up for this with initial cost and rebates so I personally think its a wash."

pricing is generally about the same... i just priced both.

 

I had a 2005 Fronty V6 6MT 2wd. It got better mileage than my 2009 4 cyl 4X4 Taco. It was also faster than my current 4X4 V6. The interior was plasticky, and not put together well. The engine and trans combo (V6 MT) was awesome. Dynamically the Frontier was a better truck, but I got a bad one with endless quality problems, hence the switch to Toyota. Mine was first production run of the latest Titan based Frontier, so that was a factor for sure. If I knew that the quality had improved, I would have bought another Frontier, as it was a nicer truck in almost every way. Better features, and a slightly lower price. Especially considering Toyota's quality may not be any better than Nissan's. (see rusty bumper etc rant elsewhere). Basically I paid more looking for quality and don't feel my 2010 Taco has delivered. Having owned 2 Nissan pickups, and 2 Toyota pickups, I do not see wither brand as a superior product, and given that fact, I would choose on price and personal preference.

 

The only thing that kinda bugs me about the Nissan Frontier is the lack of aftermarket accessories that are available. If you are into modding your truck, there is quite a bit more stuff available for the Tacoma.

 

I agree with Canadianboy I owned a 2000 CC for 6 years and could never find what you want in the after market world. I do have to say 100,000 miles original rear drum brakes, 2nd set on front, regular maint. thats all the money spent on it. Oh and a headgasket at 60k miles. Not to bad for beating the crap out of it. I hope my Tacoma lives up to the same value of longevity, and regular maint. I am sure it will though.

 

I just bought a Taco, but I looked at the Frontier, too. One thing I noticed was that all of the Nissan dealers in Houston had a VERY limited selection of Frontiers. It was easy to get a Tacoma optioned the way I wanted, but I would've had to settled or waited for a Frontier.

 

Also, I think it probably adds about 50 hp according to the butt dyno. I didn't have a hood scoop on my Off-Road so I opted for the Sockmonkey decals to make up the horsepower.

 

Not when I looked. I paid $22,200 for a brand new 09' SE crew cab 4x4 V6 auto with the value truck package. A comparable SR5 Taco was around $26k - $27k.

On another note, I just traded it in with 8k on a 99' 4unner and got $22,500 for trade in value. Not bad considering I drove it for a year.

I guess I should update my sig...

 

"Dynamically the Frontier was a better truck, but I got a bad one with endless quality problems, hence the switch to Toyota."

that's an... interesting... statement.

dynamically?

how is something 'dynamically' better??

but yet...

worse...

 

My dad used to have a frontier from the previous gen, maybe a 2002? (I have no idea what gen they are on.) It was sweet, and super charged.

 

My father bought a Nissan the same time I got my Taco, and has not had any problems with it. I personally dont like the look of them. As for your facts above, it does have more HP but if you look at the 0-60 time.. the Taco is faster. Actually the only thing that the Nissan had a better rating on was the Driver and Passenger seat position according to Consumer Reports. Owner satisfaction, and reliability went to the Toyota owners. The 0-60 time for the Nissan was 7.9.. the Taco 7.6. The 261HP Nissan was out gunned by the 236HP Taco. Even at highway speed (60) the engine is at 1825RPM vs the Nissan's 1910RPM.. less engine noise. Well you get the point. My father has always looked further into the Taco... I never looked back!

 

Tacoma has the frontier by a lost shot when it comes to resale... Something to think about