Posted: Thursday, September 8, 2005.

There is no question that this new Frontier is a powerhouse with the larger V-6. Even though the weight pops over 4,000 pounds, the thrust is there when needed. Likewise the automatic transmission works well with the engine to deliver the right gear at the right time.

Nissan Frontier-
Reaching for a New Horizon

With one notable exception, the compact truck is going the way of the dinosaur.

By Ed Kemper
Honolulu, Hawaii
Courtesy of Tony Nissan

All of the major players, save Ford and its roommate Mazda, have moved their compact trucks into the midsize range in the last few years. Dodge, with the Dakota, started the trend, and Chevy and GMC are in the game with the new Colorado and Canyon. In 2005, Toyota upped the ante with the size me up version of the Tacoma.

The Crew Cab has plenty of head and leg room to comfortably seat five passengers, and its 60/40 rear bench seat flips up for additional cargo room. On King Cab, the two rear seats also flip up and out of the way, for more cargo space.

Now it is Nissan’s turn with the all-new Frontier. Much like the new Nissan’s SUVs, the Frontier is derived from the large Titan truck with some obvious downsizing in order to make it small enough for the midsize designation.

Nevertheless, the new Frontier has grown substantially from the old unit – wheelbase up a giant 10 inches, length from 3 to 6 inches depending on the body style, width by an inch and half, and height by 3 inches plus.

In the horsepower wars, Nissan has declared itself the winner with an optional 265 horsepower 3.5 liter V-6. For those interested in gas mileage instead of pure power, Nissan has retained a 4-cylinder model in the base 2-wheel drive King Cab XE. The 2.5-liter unit pumps out 154 horsepower and is available with a 5-speed stick or 4-speed automatic. The bigger engine can be hooked to a 6-speed manual or a 5-speed slushbox.

Two body styles are available – the full five seater with regular 4 doors called the Crew Cab, and the previous mentioned King Cab with two suicide doors and smaller rear seats. Besides the base XE, there are three other models, the SE, the Nismo (the off road special) and LE.

Interior Front
To explore the new Frontier, a 4X2 Crew Cab SE was the Wheels test unit. Starting from the base sticker of $21,600, the full MSRP was $23,210 with the addition of the power package (power windows, locks, mirrors, cruise control and vehicle security system), floor mats and a mircofilter. Both the V-6 and the 5-speed automatic were part of the package.

There is no mistaking the inspiration for the exterior styling. It shouts Titan and its prodigy the Armada (large SUV), the Pathfinder (somewhat smaller SUV), and the brand new Xterra (smaller SUV). The grill has the heavy chrome bars in the Titan layout.

Inside the Frontier follows along the lines of the Xterra with different textures of the plastic in the somewhat of a monotone color scheme with lots of curves and dips. Some metal looking plastic is found on the steering wheel and the gearshift lever.

All the gauges are found in the dash pod along with a gear indicator. Cruise control buttons are on the tilt steering wheel. Various open storage bins are in center console along with a medium size armrest/storage unit. Bottle holders are found in the door panels.

Like the Xterra, the gears in the automatic transmission can be manually operated, and with a push of a button on the gearshift lever fifth gear can be locked out for trailering and carrying large loads up hills. All four door openings have two assist handles to easy entry and exit.

Three big dials operate the air conditioning, and large and well-marked buttons handle the CD/stereo unit. Another button on the dash turns on the light in the cargo bed.

Rear Frontage
With the Crew Cab, real people can sit in the second row of seats. Admittedly, with the front seat moved back knee room for the tall and large is tight, and the seat back is more perpendicular than regular seat backs. But all in all, three can be carried in reasonable comfort.

For additional storage, a simple pull of a handle causes the bottom of the seat to go up out of the way. When in the upright position, there are three removable, net covered small storage bins to hold small items.

When the rear seats are in use, an armrest is available and cupholders can be popped out the rear of the center console.

There is no need to buy a bed liner since the factory supplies one. With a system adopted from the Titan, loose items can be tied down easily. There are channels in the floor and the upper borders of the bed with moveable cleats for tie down points. The tailgate is lockable and removable.

The New Frontier
At normal speeds the powerplant is quiet and idles nicely. But when first started, the engine roars to life and needs a moment to calm down.

With the increased height, the driver seats roughly at the same level as a full size pickup to give the driver and passengers a commanding view.

There is no mistaking that the ride as being anything other than truck. With an empty bed and without a load of passengers, the ride is bouncy. But the Frontier never loses composure when all is said and done.

Probably because of the large wheelbase increase, the turning radius of the Crew Cab is wide and makes maneuvering in small parking lots and buildings tough. Cornering is controlled with no unnecessary tilting. On a few occasions, at stops, the brake pedal had a spongy feeling.

Unlike many interiors on trucks, both the dash and seat design and fabric was entertaining with different patterns, colors, and configurations. The seats themselves are fairly flat affairs, but are comfortable enough. In this model the passenger seat back can be flattened for carrying long loads in the interior.

The Final Frontier
The old Frontier has grown up. No longer purely a compact truck with the new Frontier adding a hefty 10 inches to its wheelbase, all the dimensions in and out have increased. Likewise with the strong and powerful V-6, performance and towing power are both up. The Frontier has now become much like its big brother, the Titan; that is, the big guy in this class.

Q&A
Q: Nissan, with the Titan truck spin offs, seems to be introducing a whole series of large vehicles. Are their any smaller cars coming from Nissan?

A: Yes, Nissan is planning to introduce a small car/crossover to compete with the Scion’s boxy XA and XB. So look for small but tall in the near future.

High Beams
• Powerful V-6 can make this truck move and haul.
• Entertaining interior with contrasting plastic and patterns.
• Son of Titan styling.

Low Beams
• Bumpy ride with a light load.

– Ed Kemper is the auto columnist for the Honolulu Star Bulletin and MidWeek, the Weekend. He also hosts Wheels Hawaii TV on Oceanic Cable-Channel 16 in Hawaii, which is shown on Wednesday at 12:30 PM, Thursday at 1:00 PM and 5 PM, Friday at 10:30 PM and 9:30 PM, and Saturday at 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM.

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