Opinions on the Nissan Frontier Pro4x?

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Vern_in_IL

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Looking round the market, it seems if I want a off road capable/roof camping truck I'm looking at 40k+

That is some coin to drop, then mod it with a rooftop camper/racks/guards/lift/tires and lights!! I'll be over 60k

Then I see the Frontier. I'm attracted to it because:

1. It's basic design has not changed in...over ten years. Simple, some say outdated, but it does what a 4wd needs.
2. It's cheap, 33k msrp, heard of them leaving the lot at 27k..
3. electronic locking rear axle.
4. decent size bed,(king cab)

custom roof rack and suspension built on 37's.
 
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My FIL used them for years as company trucks and liked them so much he purchased a 2017 crew cab 4x4 ex rental with 6000mi on it last year for ~$24K. You wouldn't touch a new loaded Pro4x model in my area for $27K. It would be more like $30-31K.

I've put a few 100 miles on my FIL 2017 Frontier and like it a lot. What I don't like is the fuel economy and the ridiculous turning radius. The Ram in my sig turns on a dime in comparison and gets much better fuel economy.
 
Originally Posted by JTK
My FIL used them for years as company trucks and liked them so much he purchased a 2017 crew cab 4x4 ex rental with 6000mi on it last year for ~$24K. You wouldn't touch a new loaded Pro4x model in my area for $27K. It would be more like $30-31K.

I've put a few 100 miles on my FIL 2017 Frontier and like it a lot. What I don't like is the fuel economy and the ridiculous turning radius. The Ram in my sig turns on a dime in comparison and gets much better fuel economy.


Yup, we had a couple in the fleet at work and both were purchased by employees. Other than the turning radius being awful and the dreadful fuel economy, they seem to hold up extremely well.
 
I'm usually not a fan of pickups(SRT-10 and Raptor excepted) but I really do like the PRO-4X. If I could get one with a standard cab I'd be tempted.
 
I don't think I've ever driven a small to mid size truck engine that I liked more than the 4.0L VQ from Nissan. Perfect engine for the application, they have gobs of torque and plenty of power to get where you're going in a hurry, if you need it. Butter smooth too.
 
Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta
The Frontier is probably the ONLY car I would even contemplate on buying from Nissan.


I'd also take a 370Z; I find everything else in Nissan's lineup to be unattractive and achingly dull.
 
I wouldn't call my FILs 2017 Frontier ultra smooth at all. The ride is nice. Your typical springy truck-like ride. The dash layout and interior in general is solid and old school and the seats are comfortable. NVH from the powertrain is higher than any newer full size truck I've been in (I know.. The Frontier isn't a full sized). To me it almost feels like the VQ 4.0L is welded solid to the frame and you get lots of roar from the clutch fan. The 5spd auto behaves decently and the engine, trans, diffs and T-case all are easy to drain/fill fluids from. That 4L doesn't look fun to work on though. On my pentastar powered Ram 1500, you can hop right in the engine bay and stand on the ground if you wanted to.
 
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The Frontier is infamous for it's poor turning radius. It's something to be aware of if you're building this rig to go off-road on tight trails.
 
I was considering a Frontier a few months back to replace my aging 92 Chevy shortbed/standard cab. As 4wd isn't something I have a need for, the Desert Runner (w/locking rear axle) was the model I was most interested in (crew cab variant). The back seat on the crew was a little cramped though, and the 5' bed was a little too small. Of course, the extended cab is better as far as the bed goes. I like the height, not too high as with most midsize trucks. Overall they seem to be nice trucks, and certainly have a better price point. If my Chevy ever gives up the ghost, I would still consider one.
 
I don't quite get it, quick look shows 22 to 24 feet turning radius, which is the same as Tundra and Ram 1500.

Oh wait, mid size right? Colorado comes in at 21-22 and Ranger at 21. So yeah that'd probably feel ponderous.
 
Originally Posted by MCompact
Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta
The Frontier is probably the ONLY car I would even contemplate on buying from Nissan.


I'd also take a 370Z; I find everything else in Nissan's lineup to be unattractive and achingly dull.


I like all of Nissan's SR packages. Is that the top of the line designation?
 
The 4.0L/Auto combination had a common issue of the radiator integrated trans cooler cracking allowing coolant into the trans causing major transmission failure. Close friend of mine had her Xterra dump its trans from this issue ~128k miles, my mom had an '11 or '12 Xterra Pro4X but she unloaded it at ~70k miles and the issue had not arisen by then.

The Nissan VQ V6 family has some incredibly aggressive startup revs seems like the ECU has the engine at WOT during startup. Even in sub-zero temps the engine just races to 2k RPM at startup. It hurt my heart when I did a cold start at -2F on my moms Xterra and it zoomed to 2k RPM.
 
The newer Frontiers like my FILs came OEM with a decent sized external ATF cooler. I believe the coolant/ATF co-mingling thing stopped (or was redesigned?) quite a while ago. 2010-11 maybe? I don't notice the cold start rev thing with the VQ40, but the VQ35 in our 2016 Quest definitely revs cold.
 
I have the 2012 maxi-cab version and wouldn't have anything else as an all around 4-wheel drive vehicle.

It has an engine oil cooler.

My only complaint is the oil filter placement although they do have an access door in the rock shield, but they could have dulled the edges on that sheet metal.
frown.gif
 
We have never regretted the purchase of our Frontier with the SV package with the 4.0L. It's my wife's daily driver and she wouldn't part with it. Except for the passenger side spark plug access, which isn't that hard after doing it once, I find the engine to be easy to get around. My only complaint with the Frontier are the weak feeling brakes. Our Xterra we had before the Frontier (same platform) had them as well. Overall, a rock solid truck for the money.
 
Originally Posted by MolaKule
I have the 2012 maxi-cab version and wouldn't have anything else as an all around 4-wheel drive vehicle.

It has an engine oil cooler.

My only complaint is the oil filter placement although they do have an access door in the rock shield, but they could have dulled the edges on that sheet metal.
frown.gif



I turn the wheels hard right and access the filter from the driver side on my 2010. I think the access panel is for dripping so it doesn't pool on the skid.
 
Originally Posted by pezzy669
The 4.0L/Auto combination had a common issue of the radiator integrated trans cooler cracking allowing coolant into the trans causing major transmission failure. Close friend of mine had her Xterra dump its trans from this issue ~128k miles, my mom had an '11 or '12 Xterra Pro4X but she unloaded it at ~70k miles and the issue had not arisen by then.


That problem has been long fixed since '08 or '09 along with the timing chain issues. My '07 never had the issue pop up in my ownership. '09 and up is ok except for the trucks now being made in Canton, Mississippi which quality is a hit or miss, more than likely a miss though. Not sure which year that was, but I would avoid them.
 
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