I'm still researching a potential replacement for the T&C that would have the documented towing capacity to pull the Vette on a trailer. We don't really need a full-size truck, and I think swmbo would be more comfortable driving a smaller vehicle.
It looks like the Frontier holds its value well, gets slightly better mileage than any of the full-size trucks, and is quite a bit cheaper. It's also available with dual-zone climate control(an absolute must) on a lower trim level(SV).
Does anyone own one or have previous experience with them?
I considered it before my Silverado. I looked at a 5-speed 4-door version but at my height (6'4") my head was in the roof and the seat was tilted back a lot. I didn't like the bed size although I think they have 2 size beds? I could get a lower end model in the mid-to-upper 20's with 4WD? I really wanted a Nissan but settled on the Chevrolet due to price and comfort.
If I didn't need to deliver 900# conveyor belts sometimes I would have bought the Nissan.
Here is another reason to buy one - I told my wife it was meant to be.
In reply to Datsun310Guy :
If that option package was listed on the Nissan site I'd have already ordered one!
I've put 170,000 miles on my 2008 V6/6spd Frontier with no major issues. The washer bottle leaks and I recently had to replace the power window switch on the driver's door. The brakes lasted about 150,000 and the clutch is starting to feel a little weak which I figure is fair enough. I would certainly buy one again.
I just got rid of my 2015 SV 4x4 last week.
I bought it new and put 14k miles on it in a year and a half. It was the SV with heated seats and dual zone climate, factory spray in bedliner, etc... Basically it was the highest spec (Value truck package SV) 4 wheel drive that I could get short of the Pro 4x4 package.
Legitimate fuel economy was 20 every tank, unloaded city/hwy driving. The truck certainly had plenty of power. I pulled with it some. It will do work. I pulled a Ford Model A on a rented U Haul car hauler from Oklahoma to Texas and got 17 miles per gallon at 70 miles per hour.
But, frankly, I am irrationally enamored with Toyota trucks and have been for about 25 years. This Nissan was outside of my true colors. I traded the Nissan in last week on a Tacoma TRD Off Road 4x4. The Tacoma has noticeably less low end torque, but I feel like it's a lot better truck so far. I admit, I am fully biased towards Toyota so you can weigh that into my opinion.
While the Toyota has less power, I can already tell it's going to absolutely kill the Frontier on fuel economy. Here is the very first tank (notice the odometer).
The Toyota is just a lot more truck with taller tires and a larger cab so I'm sure the curb weight is quite a bit more on the Tacoma. That's why I'm putting so much emphasis on the higher fuel economy that it's returning.
But, even though I am a Toyota fanboi, if you want to do real work pulling a trailer or whatever, the Nissan is remarkably better than the Tacoma.
Taco all the way. Even with the 6MT and lower gears that come with it I get 19MPG all day long and 10-12 or so pulling the new-to-me 6k lb boat/trailer combo up and down hills to the water 100 miles round-trip. No anti-sway or fancy electric brakes either - just a straight ball hitch and surge brakes. I do have to plan what gear to be in and keep momentum up if I want to maintain the 70mph interstate limit here but - that's because I didn't want an automatic or, like you, a full size truck. I think the Nissan would also be just fine doing this - but the Taco is a nicer place to be and better in all other aspects except buy in price.
Full disclosure - if I knew I was going to buy a boat that size when I bought the truck I would have got the auto so my wife/kids could put it in/out of the water without wasting $500 clutches. It can be tricky to get it moving without smoke when facing up a steep incline from a stop. A torque converter would be the ticket if you don't have 30 years of muscle memory for that sort of thing. 4LO is the work-around... but it makes making the hard left at the top of the ramp impossible ;)
Pete Gossett said:
In reply to Datsun310Guy :
If that option package was listed on the Nissan site I'd have already ordered one!
The "picture" is from the Frontier brochure and also on the website.
Glory days.
In reply to Huckleberry :
Hmm...I just priced one out. Looks like I'd need to step up to the limited to get dual-zone climate control. That would make it $8000 more than the Frontier. Is it that much better of a truck?
I have no personal experience to share but just a reminder. If shopping used, be sure to also look for the Suzuki Equator which is just a rebadged Nissan Frontier. Might be a way to get a deal on the version that no one goes looking for.
I have a 2014 Frontier I bought last year optioned like "cousin Eddie" but automatic. No complaints. But the only thing I've hauled with it was my log splitter. I get 20 mpg in mostly mixed driving. I'm not a truck guy but it fits my needs just fine.
One thing nice about a Frontier is that you will pay nowhere near the MSRP.
When I bought a new crew cab, PRO-4X in 2011, I paid something like $6k less than MSRP. That made it a lot of truck for $27k.
The issue is the 2017 Frontier is the exact same as the 2005 Frontier aka it is a model that has not changed in 12 years in a class that is more competitive and you can get a half ton truck for similar money.
As a slightly arthritic, beer bellied middle aged man I like the boulevardier Z to accompany my Frontier. edit. I need to reread the how to post a picture thread. For now pretend your looking at a photo of a z32 convertible parked by a pick up.
Pete Gossett said:
In reply to Huckleberry :
Hmm...I just priced one out. Looks like I'd need to step up to the limited to get dual-zone climate control. That would make it $8000 more than the Frontier. Is it that much better of a truck?
Dual zone climate control is a lie - you can't really have much temperature differential in the space of a tiny truck cab no matter what you set two different knobs to - it just averages the temp in the cab to something between the two. Set the one knob between what you want and your wife wants... save mucho dinero!
But, no, to answer your question it's not $8k better.
I paid 34k out the door for a '17 quad cab 4x4 TRD Off-road w/ a 6MT and locking rear diff. It's got AC, cruise, sat/nav/bt stereo, pwr rear window and all that... but I didn't bother with the fluffy tech packages that cost an extra $5k for leather seats, upgraded audio, fancy climate controls, moonroof, keyless entry and all the safety stuff that makes the mirrors blink when someone drives nearby ... I hate most of that stuff so it's convenient they bundle in one easy to opt out of package :)
FWIW, the normal heat and AC work fine - and the heated mirrors are stock on the TRD packages which isn't really spelled out in the feature list.
If you can get what you want in a Frontier for $26k - 28k though - do that. That's a great price on a good but dated design. If you are at $32k+ for the Nissan I'd spend the extra dough to get the Taco.
MrChaos said:
The issue is the 2017 Frontier is the exact same as the 2005 Frontier aka it is a model that has not changed in 12 years in a class that is more competitive and you can get a half ton truck for similar money.
That's not what I've found. Even the most discounted 1/2-tons are $30k plus - keep in mind that dual-zone climate control is a mandate, and usually requires at least a couple steps up in model sub-versions to find it. I've not found one of those for under $35k yet. Plus I think SWMBO would be happier driving a smaller truck - she already thinks the minivan is too big - and since she's the one who'll be driving it daily...
They're mad decent for the money. A 2WD extended cab 4-cylinder Frontier with air conditioning is base-model Mazda 3 hatch money. While the Frontier is a much older design, it's so much more useful than a Mazda 3, especially for a college student looking to finance their first car.
I've put 20k on my 2012 SV 4x4 6spd truck and its been pretty good to me. For the money if it fits your needs they are hard to beat. The new Tacoma is definitely a nicer truck to sit in, but its also larger and more expensive. I prefer the torquey 4.0L Nissan engine as well. I've done some more towing this year and lost an axle seal, but a better axle vent would have prevented that problem before it happened.
Someone else mentioned weight as well, for a mid-size truck the Frontier is heavy. A new F150 is only a few hundred pounds more, and older full sizes are probably the same weight. My kingcab 4x4 comes in at 4450lbs.
In reply to Nitroracer :
Wow, wouldn't have guessed they are that heavy, but that doesn't necessarily bother me - especially if 20mpg is pretty consistent other than when towing a heavy load. After reading about various problems with other new(er) full-size trucks, like Chevy cylinder deactivation killing engines, Fords dual-zone climate control crapping out, etc. I actually like the idea of a platform that's been around as long as the Frontier. We'll just have to check one out and see whether we like it well enough in person to bring one home.
My parents 05 Xterra offroad package(same as Pro-4x) averages 15 mpg. And it is smaller and lighter than the frontier.
I was going to say... the Frontier with the Pro-4X might get you 18 on a good day but if you don't drive on the interstate all the time I bet it's worse than that.
Check out fuelly.com. I'm too lazy to do it.
I have an '11 Pro-4X 4 door auto with 70K. Had it for 2 years and other then the gpm have been pleased. Mostly interstate miles to work(75-80mph around here) and I'm getting 17 mpg with 32" all terrains, if I keep it to highway speeds(55) the computer says it gets 20-22mpg. Have pulled small campers with ease, double axle flat bed with junk and a 4 seater rzr dropped the mileage down to 14ish, that combo weighed around 3 or 3.5K. Does great off road, I don't do any rock crawling but do way more than sane person with a Subaru would do. Alot easier to park and drive in town then a fullsize.
Overall I would buy it again.
Pete Gossett said:
Wow, wouldn't have guessed they are that heavy, but that doesn't necessarily bother me - especially if 20mpg is pretty consistent other than when towing a heavy load.
I'd expect more along the lines of 17-18mpg based on what others are reporting.
I picked up a '13 Frontier KC SV V6 6spd manual 2WD in January, and honestly like it better than the 1st gen Tacoma I had and second Gen Tacoma Prerunner my dad has, of course they are both 4cylinder 5spd manuals compared to a V6 with much greater power. Mine needs some minor work - intake rattles at midrange rpms, so need that special intake torque flow device replaced/fixed and rear suspension feels different from the front (if there's one thing I like about the Tacomas it is their suspension). I've already ordered a fix for the suspension though... complete Old Man Emu 1.5" lift with Dakar leaf setup, supposed to ride better than Bilstein aftermarket setup.
I really like how the Frontier cruises on the highway, trip back from buying let me get ~22mpg. Picked it up in Raliegh, NC and drove it home to Texas... was one of 2 available in the US optioned how I wanted at the time and was in like new chassis/body condition - bed looked like it had never been used for anything. Price wise, got a 3 year old loaded SV model for about $11k less than its new price. Normal fuel mileage for daily driving has been around 16-17mpg, I normally get 20mpg in my FR-S... Oh and the Frontier boogies with that VQ40 and 6spd manual, even with its ~4,3xx lbm curb weight. Turns in nicely, even with the slowish steering and large turning circle.
The one thing that sucks is aftermarket wheel choice....practically non-existant for the 4.5x6 pattern and then add in the caliper clearance issue and nice wheel choices that don't weigh more than stock can and you only need 2 fingers to count... looking to go with a little narrower tire size (245/75-16 vs stock 265/70-16) for better overall performance and less weight, most likely Kumho Cruhen HT51. I've yet to tow with it, but I do have plans for the FR-S that inlcude an aluminum car trailer and the Frontier.
In reply to Vracer111 :
Thanks! Always glad to hear more owner experiences.
I've been doing a bit of research and found that some early years of this generation had problems with the radiator failing internally and allowing coolant/trans fluid to mix, thus killing the transmission, However, those complaints seemed to stop by 2012 or before.
