Nissan Frontier

[Kira]

Friend bought a 2008 w/80K 18 months ago. He wanted a crew cab as he is a granddaddy with need for 2 car seats.
He had an '89 K1500 and a Chevy S-10 after that. I co-tinkered with both of them.
The Nissan seemed better built. We installed front struts as one spring was broken.
We also added 2 toys--stainless steel bull bar and fogs.

It does drink fuel. Trucks need a dual speed rear end for RWD mode.

 

[geekster]

I just traded my 17' GMC Canyon for a 17' Frontier and I'm completely satisfied. The GMC was more comfortable on the highway and quieter. The Frontier feels more "basic" but not in a bad way. I actually like it a lot.

There are two reasons I bought the Frontier.

1--Price. I got mine with 12k on the odometer for $17 grand and some change. No, it's not a 4x4, but it is an SV with the 4.0 VQ motor in it. The engine is solid and very peppy for this truck. I think it's still a selling point despite it being less fuel efficient. It just works.

2--Proven. As far as them not being reliable I say bull hockey. The timing chain and cross contamination has been fixed. Nissan has had plenty of time to dial everything in on this "outdated" truck. We have 11 of them at my work. I work for a home builder and 8 of them are 4x4 SV's and the remaining three are 4x2 SV's. They replace all of these at the same time every 5 years. Currently getting new ones as we speak. The highest mileage one we have has 26X,XXXk on it and it's been trouble free besides routine maintenance. The rest of them average close to 200k and we've had no maintenance issues with them. Other than the usual stuff. These are given to the employees to use at work and personal. So they get used a bunch. Any vehicle from any given manufacturer can have problems, and the reality is at some point they all do. However, seeing how ours are treated and how well they have held up was the biggest selling point for me. The proof was right in front of me. Granted, this is a small sample size and not representative of all Frontiers. Obviously dogememe has had a different experience than I and his reasons are valid.

Everyone has there reasons and experiences for not liking a certain vehicle from a certain brand. I say buy one if you like the way they drive and the price is right.

 

[old1]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
If you aren’t going to use it as a truck, why would you buy a truck?


I guess I should have said not use it as a heavy duty truck. But I do need a truck now and then for light work. I have had a pickup of some type or another for the past 50 years, and would be lost without one.

 

[geekster]

I say go drive it and if you like it...go for it.

 

[HemiHawk]

I love mine. Only had it for 10k miles so far. Its funny some say its "outdated" but compared to what? If you don't need lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring... So the interior is a little dated, its not that bad. Pretty much any reasonable option is available. Heated seats, sunroof, nav, bluetooth, USB port/aux, leather, heated mirrors, fog lights, power seats. Its only really missing the options for the latest tech junk.

I've said it before but won't go into the whole thing... I had a 2016 Tacoma for a short time and was able to turn it back in and opted for the Frontier. I preferred almost everything about it. The only things I liked better after driving it for a bit on the Tacoma was the interior updated design, and the nameplate.

ALL THAT SAID... The frontier isn't perfect. Fuel economy sucks. On the highway I've managed best of 22mpg. More road based tires and a lighter model could do slightly better. I bet alot of half tons would do as well. The other thing I don't like about mine is the 5 foot bed (crew cab/pro4x only gets 5ft). I would highly recommend the long bed model. I wish I had gotten an optioned SV or SL with the long bed. The 5 foot bed has been a little limiting even though I make it work with the bed extender. Many options can be added later... a longer bed cannot.

Also, the turning radius is worse than a cruise ship. But at least steering feel is terrific.

For the price and reliability I think the Frontier is hard to beat.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I would opt for a full size.

But wait! Isnt the Ranger coming back this year?!

I loved my S10 2.8L V6 stick in the very early 80s but that was STILL a GOOD small truck. Carbureted vara-jet with the good heads before GM ruined that engine shrinking the ports.
Drove like a 3/4 scale Silverado when THEY drove good in the old days.

Ahh get and OLD truck they are BETTER.

Bucket seats and a 2 foot wide center armrest in a truck - silly!

 

[geekster]

I personally think the Frontier is a GOOD small truck.

The problem for some people is that a full size truck can be overkill in size. I didn't buy a full size because it didn't fit in my garage.

This led me to three options..Taco..Canyon/Colorado (which I tried)..and the Frontier. I had too many problems with my Canyon which led me to the Frontier.

I would agree on getting an older truck only if you can find one at a decent price and in good condition. Used trucks around my neck of the woods are still too expensive for me.
Trucks just have great resale in Oklahoma.

 

[Sierra048]

Just curious for the other Frontier owners here. This is our second if you count the 2005 Xterra we had (a Frontier with a different shell). What are your opinions on the brakes? I feel they are a little weak. It was the same on our Xterra and current Frontier. They still work and stop when you need them to but the pedal just seems, for a lack of a better word, weak. I just replaced the brake pads and rotors all around and bled the brake system. Pedal still feels "weak". Is it just me?

 

[JTK]

The brake pedal does seem to require a fair amount of pressure on our 2017 Frontier compared to the other late model Nissan products in the family. I haven't had to do a panic stop with it, or try the brakes with a heavy load to really judge performance.

 

[sgtrockjoe]

I have a 2015 Xterra. Like stated above (a Frontier with a different shell). I would agree with every thing that JTK stated in his 3 posts. If I were in the market for a 4x4 pick-up the Frontier would be on the top of my list. The truck is a little dated compared to most new vehicles today but I am old school.

 

[geekster]

Yes..

The brake pedal does feel weak. I thought it was just mine. It stops fine, but it doesn't feel like it grabs the rotors with force. I bled them and it was the exact same. They still work well.

 

[Sierra048]

Originally Posted By: geekster
Yes..

The brake pedal does feel weak. I thought it was just mine. It stops fine, but it doesn't feel like it grabs the rotors with force. I bled them and it was the exact same. They still work well.

 

[JTK]

Old1, I don't know where you're at in the buying process, but having gone through it a month or so ago with late model used trucks, another option in the same price range as a 2016-17 Frontier crew cab 4x4 is the Ram quad cab, express 4x4 with the 3.6L V6 and 8spd auto. I've seen used 2017's with mileage under 30K for under $24K. Same price as a used Frontier, probably better MPGs and a full sized truck.

 

[RoadRaceJosh]

My Frontier brakes feel fine. Mine has discs at all corners. There are 4 vehicles in the home fleet and I have a 2011 Transit Connect for work. The Frontier compares well to the TC, '04 Corolla, '95 Dodge B2500, and 1963 Studebaker Lark.

If you're having a mushy pedal I would disassemble the calipers from their mounts and carefully inspect all the hardware. If the caliper hangs on its pins the pistons will be pushed back farther in their bore and eat up the pedal travel.

Also, I get 22 MPG in mixed city/hwy driving and driven carefully will get 25-26 on highway trips.

 

[JTK]

^ Yep, I have read that the 2wd, 4cyl, 5spd equipped Frontiers do OK in terms of fuel economy.

 

[HemiHawk]

I will agree with the mushy brake pedal. It works fine, but takes some travel in the pedal to get things slowing down. I don't know how other trucks feel but newer SUVs and cars have much touchyier brakes.

 

[Sierra048]

Originally Posted By: Joshua_Skinner
My Frontier brakes feel fine. Mine has discs at all corners. There are 4 vehicles in the home fleet and I have a 2011 Transit Connect for work. The Frontier compares well to the TC, '04 Corolla, '95 Dodge B2500, and 1963 Studebaker Lark.

If you're having a mushy pedal I would disassemble the calipers from their mounts and carefully inspect all the hardware. If the caliper hangs on its pins the pistons will be pushed back farther in their bore and eat up the pedal travel.

Also, I get 22 MPG in mixed city/hwy driving and driven carefully will get 25-26 on highway trips.


I just spent three days replacing the rotors, brake pads, and bleeding the brakes. Everything was disassembled, cleaned and re-lubed. As I mentioned before, they work and have never failed to stop the vehicle. JMO, they lack a strong pedal feel that I get in other vehicles. It was the same on our Xterra as well (same brakes).

 

[JTK]

I actually prefer a bit of required pedal pressure. The pedal is so touchy on our 2016 Nissan Quest I swear you could blow on the pedal to come to a screeching halt. I rarely drive the van, so the first brake can be a whiplasher for me. lol

 

[fisher83]

I had a 2016 Frontier Pro-4x and now I have a 2020 Ford F-150. The F-150 does basically everything better than the Frontier did. Rides better, better MPG, and more capable. Where the Frontier shined for me was reliability. My F-150 has had a handful of little annoyances which were covered by warranty and by recalls. I didn't have those issues with the Frontier. It just worked properly every time I needed it.

 

[MolaKule]

I am thinking of buying a 2016 0r 17 Frontier with low miles and still under full factory warranty. I know nothing about these trucks, as I have been GM or Ford all my life. But, I now want a crew cab, and these seem to be slightly smaller and a LOT cheaper than the GM or Ford models. The ones I am looking at have the 6 cyl. and automatic trans. I am mostly concerned with problems with. engine or transmission. I don't care about things like the sound system, the seats, or the ride, or the handling. Just the dependability of the vehicle. It will be our main vehicle, and will hardly ever be use as a truck. It will probably replace the Fusion and the Ranchero. So what advise can those of you that have one give me?

I cannot vouch for the later year of Frontier you are considering but my 2012 Frontier 4X4 [Pro-4X] with the 4.0L V6 has been super reliable and at 85,000 miles still performs as new.

Change all fluids after you receive it because the dealers/rentals do a poor job of fluid changes for an off lease or rental.

The only items I have replaced thus far is the starter (which went bad at about 78,000 miles), and spark plugs at 75,000 miles.