2015 Nissan Frontier Desert Runner | My New Daily Driver

So, after selling my 2010 VW GTI in January I have been on the search for a new to me car. I was undecided for the longest time on what would fit my needs the best but after borrowing my dad’s truck I decided that a mid-size crew cab pickup would do everything I want and need. 

After months of searching and research it came down to two options, A Nissan Frontier or a Toyota Tacoma. With both having similar specs and reliability the decision came down to price. With that and a good bit of time on Autotrader and Facebook Marketplace I finally found the truck that would fit all my needs. 

Meet my 2015 Nissan Frontier Desert Runner in metallic blue. I was able to negotiate the price down to what I thought was reasonable in this crazy used car market we are in and for thousands less than a similar Tacoma. So far, could not be happier. 

I settled on the Desert Runner package because I could not see myself needing 4wd living in Florida and driving on pavement 99% of the time and that the extra cost for the Pro4-x or a 4wd SV trim would not be worth it, even though those are really cool trucks. Why mid-size vs full size? I just don't need a full-size truck right now. Sure a 5' bed is small and im sure I will see reasons why a bigger bed is more useful but for me going from a 2 door hatchback to any extra cargo space is a huge upgrade. 

While this will not be an extreme build, I plan to make some minor updates and upgrades to make this the perfect camera support truck for filming and photographing for the magazine plus modernize the electronics a little bit to make it a more comfortable place to be for long trips. 

First up on the list is to equip it with tie-downs and roadside safety gear and a basic tool set. Then its time for a fluids change and a good detail so I can take a really good look over everything.          

Congrats! Nice colour 

I test drove one last year, but went with trusty tacoma (my 5th since 00). 
 

Looks great!!! When's the winch going on?

In reply to mr2s2000elise :

Thanks, I originally started my search for a truck with the Tacoma but after more research I couldn't justify paying the Toyota tax on one over the Frontier with how similar they are.

I just hope all my research that says these are just as reliable as a Tacoma turns out to be true, but so far I am happy with it. 

ChrisTropea said:

In reply to mr2s2000elise :

Thanks, I originally started my search for a truck with the Tacoma but after more research I couldn't justify paying the Toyota tax on one over the Frontier with how similar they are.

I just hope all my research that says these are just as reliable as a Tacoma turns out to be true, but so far I am happy with it. 

I had a old nissan hard body. Was very reliable. But in 00 I switched to taco and loved them. Paying the toyota tax has allowed me to to have the lowest cost of ownership per mile given the resale. 
 

here is my 60 day old factory ordered new DD, trail Limo getting its first pinstripes 
 

In reply to mr2s2000elise :

It is definitely hard to argue with the resale value on the Tacomas, that is a big reason why I have the Frontier. If prices were closer I might have a different truck in my driveway.  

What does the deser runner package entail? 
 

one I test drove was the pro 4x 

In reply to mr2s2000elise :

Its similar to the 2wd SV trim but it gets the appearance package, wheels from the Pro4-x, Bilstein shocks and a limited slip. Vs the Pro4-x gets 4wd, the roof racks and a rear locker. 

Ah ok. 

My requirements were:

6 feet bed

4wd. 

Lockers

I think you're going to like that Frontier. Had '99 King 4x auto and now drive an '06 King 4x w/man 6spd. Both were at, or near, 200K in miles when purchased. My only minor complaint with '06 is that the front passenger side spark plug was a bit of a pain to change. Took me several hours or so, with the remaining about half that (I did not remove the upper int. manifold).

mr2s2000elise said:

Ah ok. 

My requirements were:

6 feet bed

4wd. 

Lockers

That sounds like a Colorado ZR2 with an extended cab- plus that comes with front and rear lockers, and was rated higher than the Tacoma by Expedition Portal.

The Crew cab ZR2  is only a 5' Bed, or I'd have gotten one. Ditto with the more off-road oriented Tacomas- no crew cab and 6' beds available. 

Chris....  nice purchase...  I fully support your choice

2015 Frontier SL with 6 ft box....  no complaints to date.... 110km (68k miles)

Enjoy...

Looking forward to this.

I hear you on the "Tacoma Tax" Similarly equipped Taco's sell for $5K more here in the Midwest. Most have silly mods too....light bars, snorkel, crappy lift kits, etc.

I love my 2010 Frontier (king cab, manual). Old school V6 sucks the gas and the turning radius sucks too, but other than that ...... great truck! 

In reply to ggarrard :

Thanks, Im really happy with it so far, looking forward to putting some more miles on it. 

Brett_Murphy (Ex-Patrón) said:

mr2s2000elise said:

Ah ok. 

My requirements were:

6 feet bed

4wd. 

Lockers

That sounds like a Colorado ZR2 with an extended cab- plus that comes with front and rear lockers, and was rated higher than the Tacoma by Expedition Portal.

The Crew cab ZR2  is only a 5' Bed, or I'd have gotten one. Ditto with the more off-road oriented Tacomas- no crew cab and 6' beds available. 

I had a 2018 Tacoma Utility Access Cab - it comes standard with Long Bed. Great truck, but I need back seats. Brand new 22K paid. 43K miles driven. Sold for 21K last month, after 3 years. 

When I went shopping end of 2020, I needed the 4 door, full seats + Long bed + offroad capability = and this Tacoma checked all the boxes for me.  

My Tacoma above is the full Offroad model, double cab, and long bed. 

I also have a 2015 Frontier. It's a Pro Forks with a few teeny tiny upgrades and changes. Literally little annoyance proofing changes and reliability stuff - nothing really noticeable to a non-owner. No lift, light bars or any other mall flare. 

It's hard to temper needs vs wants vs looks vs function, but it's a daily and practical is importanter than looking like I want to be an overlander when I grow up. 

In reply to akamcfly :

Anything I should replace or prepare to replace for reliability? I do plan to put an Apple CarPlay radio in at some point because I already miss having that. 

ggarrard said:

Chris....  nice purchase...  I fully support your choice

2015 Frontier SL with 6 ft box....  no complaints to date.... 110km (68k miles)

Enjoy...

Man that thing is a beauty!!!

ChrisTropea said:

In reply to akamcfly :

Anything I should replace or prepare to replace for reliability? I do plan to put an Apple CarPlay radio in at some point because I already miss having that. 

Clean your battery connections and grounding points. That bit me this past winter and I was out there in -30C weather doing just that. Outside. Very bracing. 

I have since up-sized the wiring for the battery, alternator, starter and engine to frame grounds to 0  gauge. The 0 gauge just fits through the current clamp for the negative battery wire with some lube (for real). Hindsight, I'd lightly run a rat tail file through the current clamp first. Such fat wire is not necessary, but the starter motor now pees a little when I turn the key.

Also, if you find your heater not putting out heat when you're idling or stopped, overfill your coolant puke tank. It vapor locks in the heater core and your puke tank will read full. It lies.

I went to E load rated tires because it's a truck. It comes with 114 load rated tires from Nissan

I also went with all LED bulbs, but that wasn't prompted by anything. Lower current draw and they come on to full brightness faster. 

What sort of head unit is in your truck now? It appears that each stereo system has a different wiring arrangement which causes confusion when upgrading. I replaced my Nav/Rockford Fosgate head unit this past weekend and it could have gone a lot smoother had I known things I couldn't possibly have known before I started. I went with an admittedly more basic head unit that uses my phone as a screen. It's single DIN and I plan to put a blank below it for a switch panel I currently have no use for.

Deltabox said:

and the turning radius sucks too

 

I think the frontier would also get stuck doing a 3 pointer in the Suez Canal

In reply to akamcfly :

Thanks, ill keep those things in mind, cleaning the terminals on the battery is an easy thing to do now before I run into issues. 

I have the standard XM radio head unit in my truck not the Rockford Fosgate so I just need to wait for stuff to be back in stock on Crutchfield before I can order all the stuff to integrate it into the factory steering wheel controls. Bluetooth works great for now tho on the factory unit so im in no rush till I find a good deal. 

Starting to get some of the stuff that will live in the truck full time loaded into the rear under seat storage bins. I am not going to go too crazy packing for everything but just want to be prepared for emergencies. 

Right now the tool kit is a spare 1/4" set that I had at the house but that will be replaced with something a little bigger and well rounded for any small issues I might run into on the road. I also still need to purchase a small battery jump box to keep with me and an LED rechargeable headlamp. 

I do really like that the storage bins have the netting on them to keep things in place during travel and not let them roll around on the floor. 

I also decided that after the first time loading the trail bike into the bed that the tool box is going to get sold and im going to get a soft bed cover. With only having the 5' bed every bit of space matters and the toolbox dose not add enough storage or security to make it worth keeping. 

Had an alloy truck tool box on my long bed '85 GMC S15. And I too realized that the box took up too much bed length at times (like when carrying my mountain bike). However, I ended up installing 4 threaded 'mounting studs' in the upper bed rail that the box fit over & through holes drilled in the bottom of the outer wings of the box . The box was then held in place with 'hinge pin clips' that fit through holes that I drilled through the end of the studs. These 4 clips were located within the box itself. I could remove the box by myself in just a few minutes or so (said box carried all the tools that I needed while working as a 50 unit apartment complex maint. guy). The mounted studs only took another 5 mins to remove (when desired). I usually just pushed vinyl 'vacuum' caps over the studs whenever the box was removed.

ChrisTropea said:

In reply to akamcfly :

Thanks, ill keep those things in mind, cleaning the terminals on the battery is an easy thing to do now before I run into issues. 

Not just at the battery for the negative wire. Trace it to the bracket beside the battery and to where it bolts to the engine. Disconnect in those spots too and make sure they're clean. I live in the land of salt so yours may be just fine, but it made a difference on my truck's ability to start on those -25C (or lower) mornings. Also disconnect the ground wire on the driver's side cylinder head and the other end under the air box and give them a scrub. It's a ridiculously tiny ground wire there, but per Nissan it's adequate. I expect it is but make sure it has good contact on both ends. You need to check your air filter anyway.

I also did the socket set and first aid kit right away. I upgraded the silly scissors in my first aid kit with proper EMT scissors. Also consider screw drivers of the Philips and Torx flavors. Seems Nissan likes to pitch in the odd Torx fastener for E36 M3s and grins. I also dumped the wheel wrench for a 24" 1/2" drive breaker bar and deep sockets. Stock lugs are happy with a 13/16 socket, but they're M12x1.25 thread if you're looking to dump the security lugnuts. That was another small change I made. 

Also, consider dropping your spare wheel and greasing up the winch chain, washing the wheel and making sure the spare tire holds air. It's a peace of mind thing from the land of salt.

In reply to akamcfly :

Ahh ok, I'll have to take a closer look at all those connections. Thanks for that heads up. 
 

I definitely need to take the spare tire down too if nothing else but to learn how it works before I'm trying to figure it out on the side of the road.