Had to get rid of my sportscars and consolidate to only my 13' Frontier (SV KC V6 w/ 6-spd manual) when moved out to the desert southwest high desert almost a couple years back, and I don't regret it one bit.
Done a bit of work to it over the years, so its more than a stock Frontier... upgraded suspension & brake setup, +1 size upgrade to lighter but stronger 17 wheels with taller sized AT tires for more ground clearance (~ 12.5") and accurate speedometer, intake manifold spacer added for torque curve shifted down lower and stainless NISMO exhaust and Z1 offroad intake for better way more throatier sound and breathing up top, under armor protection panels for radiator & motor, and most importantly IMO the custom installed the Recaro Sportster GT seat for comfort and support when cornering...stock SV driver's seat was the one thing couldn't stand about the Frontier... horrible comfort and too high of a seating position.
Has been quite the fun vehicle that is equally capable both on and off road. Just as fun and solid in handling whether chucking it at near triple digit speeds through desert sandy/gravel trails or running down some beautiful mountain canyon roads (especially in the Escalante region of Utah on 12). And it does full truck duty towing trailers or putting 1k lbs of compost in the bed or doing hardware store building material runs. Absolute great all around vehicle for an offroad desert environment where closest 'civilized' town is 40+ miles away.
That VQ40 motor really is something... amazing how quick it accelerates the Frontier's 2 1/4 tons of mass....and even with an additional 1/2ton in the bed it gets to speed quick.... at 5000+ ft altitude. Power feels solid and adequate unlike how my FR-S felt the few times I had it here in the past... had to schedule passing traffic way in advance with the FR-S and abort attempt if glimpse oncoming traffic in distance. With the Frontier you just downshift to 4th and take off and by time you pass you're going over 90mph and having to slow things down... the less time spent in oncoming lane the better. Only time it feels a bit anemic is when you have a large enclosed cargo trailer and pushing over 70mph... and the fuel mileage goes into single digit territory.
I had a new 2011 Crew Cab Pro-4X with whatever package gave you the Rockford Fosgate stereo (which was SURPRISINGLY good) and such. It was a good truck, but I ended up not needing it when I really crunched numbers on towing to NASA events for HPDE/TT.
I remember one time purposefully driving through a muddy field in 2WD to see if it would stuck, it did. Dropped it into 4WD, locked the rear diff, and it pulled itself out like "That's all?"
I am a little late to this but, for better or worse, I just went from a 2010 Tacoma to a 2020 Frontier. Here is why: frame rust. Yes, my Tacoma had 251k miles on it. They were relatively trouble free. The only major thing I did in 14 years was replace the AC. The truck had 8 miles on the odometer when I originally test drove it and I swear, I put 1 set of brake pads on the front and never touched the drums on the rear! (I attribute that to it being a 4cyl / 5spd. It couldn't get out of its own way and when I did need to slow down, I downshifted.)
However, each of the 3 generations of Tacomas (prior to 1995, they were just called "Truck") have frame rust issues that you need to be cautious of, especially if you live in an area where the latitude is north of the Mason-Dixon. Prior to 1995, the Trucks had boxed frames. The 2024 Tacomas have boxed frames. The Tacomas in the middle had these 2-piece bent frames that were welded together that opened inwards. I distinctly remember walking out of AutoZone one day and seeing an exhaust hangar, hanging down. I thought, "super, it rusted off." Nope! The frame rusted away from the exhaust hangar! The hangar was still intact. In 2016, apparently there was a SECOND class action lawsuit, that spanned 2nd and I think 3rd generations. (Note this was the second lawsuit; the first spanned 1996-2005.) That inward opening allows road salt to gather inside the frame rail. Moisture also gets in there and causes the corrosion. It's particularly bad right where the catalytic converter / resonator pipe are at because the heat accelerates the corrosion. It wasn't just the fact the frame rusted away from the exhaust hangar. It's the fact the transmission cross-member is just aft of the catalytic converter / resonator pipe so rust had compromised the area of the frame where the trans cross-member is welded to the frame rail. The dealer I bought the truck from told me that is classic case of what they saw during repairs stemming from the lawsuit.
So yeah, a comparable Tacoma is $6-7k more than the Frontier, gets the same crappy gas mileage as a Frontier, and for 20 years they built trucks that have potential frame rust issues. If you are buying a 1996 - 2023 Tacoma, you need to look at the frame rails and at a bare minimum, you need to coat the frame with something like Eastwood Internal Frame coating (or something similar). Tundras, Sequioas, and 4Runners all have the same issue. Just a heads up.
David S. Wallens said:
The Frontier is very good at being a truck.
I bought a pre-loved extended cab 2009 Frontier after selling a 1990 C-10. I'm looking at a Ridgeline or a crew cab Frontier (for dog room). I had to go all the way to Florida to find one with a stick and only two doors! It's hauled everything I ever needed, gets 21 mpg, maybe because 6 speed? Folding tonneau but like all small trucks, and I had a Ranger, I have two sand tubes in the back to keep from looping in the winter and to get up right hand turns in the rain. If both were the same price, I'd be showing off my new Ridgeline right now; to me, the Frontier, Canyon-Colorado are similar so here I am dancing on a fence.
The Frontier, to me is a good all 'round truck in a good size.
YMMV.
