Ask yourself if any of the following spells a formula for greatness: arriving unprepared, missing customer expectations, using outdated parts, and making things up as you go along. The Nissan of 1998 seems to have thought so. How else to explain the first Frontier that stumbled into the light with four overburdened cylinders, two doors, and zero back seat space - all on 12-year-old mechanicals? The ensuing years brought upon a V6 engine, more doors, and a supercharger, but all they did was nudge it closer to adequate an inch at a time.
Instead of introducing the all-new Frontier piece by piece, Nissan has all their pieces ready from the outset, and those pieces are much better. First is the platform, a shortened version of Nissan's "F-Alpha" truck basis, which dates only to 2004, making the Frontier the Titan's little brother, literally. From Nissan's car line the Frontier plucked the VQ-series V6, and not without being adjusted to 4.0 liters and a best-in-class 265 horsepower. Together with the latest Altima's 2.5-liter 4-cylinder (available in select Frontiers), these new engines mark the long-awaited death of Nissan's old VG-series V6 and KA24DE 4-cylinder (remember the 240SX and Stanza?). Payload and towing capacity and size are up, and the passenger-friendly crew cab body style was an integral part of the plan this time. Even the NISMO division (NISsan MOtorsports) was requested to contribute a variant of the Frontier, and the result happens to be the subject of this review.
Nissan did its homework. Let's put it to the test.
|