Nissan Frontier Interior Review
The front bucket seats that come standard in the Frontier Crew Cab are unbelievably comfortable. Other interior features included a center console between the front buckets, large door-mounted armrests with map pockets, and an auxiliary 12-volt power port.
On the dash, the instruments are well laid-out and very readable. The controls are largely well placed and intuitive. One particularly nice feature is that, on the 4-speed automatic, the overdrive switch is conveniently located on the floor-mounted gearshift. We also appreciated the large and easy to operate buttons on the radio.
The rear bench seat is certainly more comfortable than the jump seats found in extended cab trucks. And the legroom is adequate for children or small adults-as long as the driver is not too tall. When you move the driver's seat all the way back it touches the front of the rear seat.
There is a small storage area behind the rear seat (the seatback hinges forward to access it). Unfortunately, the rear seat cannot be folded completely away for more cargo area, as is the case in the Dakota QuadCab.
Nissan Frontier Road Test
We picked up a Nissan Frontier Crew Cab SE in the Los Angeles area and headed north to the small town of Bishop on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Large sections of Highway 395 are two-lane; it's the kind of old-style highway where you often get stuck behind slow-moving trucks and RVs.
The Frontier is a joy to drive. It has a smooth and comfortable ride, even with big 16-inch tires and an off-road suspension. The 3.3-liter V6 and 4-speed automatic provide the oomph needed to safely pass slow-moving vehicles. With the Crew Cab's rugged-looking body decked out in Solar Yellow, we felt like we were on safari as we headed through the Owens River valley for some fly fishing.
The Frontier performed well. We were particularly impressed with the way it conducted itself on one road that supposedly led to a secret fishing hole, but turned out to be a series of sandy moguls punctuated by short sections of hard-packed dirt. On the sandy sections we had to maintain speed for fear of getting bogged down. While the moguls made ride rough, the truck stuck to the road and tracked well. The only real problem was that the secret fishing hole is still a secret-we never did find it.
On less radical dirt roads the truck did just as well, although we did occasionally wish it had a limited-slip rear differential (a $450 on 4x4s, unavailable on 4x2s). Without it we found that the rear end had the predictable tendency to swing around when cornering on dirt, at even moderate speeds.
Back on pavement, the ABS brakes held the truck straight and true in an emergency-type stop. And, thanks to the longer cab that distributes weight a bit more evenly between the front and rear tires, the Crew Cab really didn't have the bounce you get from other unloaded pickups.
Nissan Frontier Lineup
Frontier replaced the Nissan Hardbody nameplate in the 1998 model year. All body styles are available in a basic XE trim package. On King Cabs and Crew Cabs you can opt for the sporty and luxurious SE package, which includes air conditioning, six-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo, leather wrapped steering steel and shifter knob, color-keyed trim, and much more.
Two new models are new for the 2000 model year, the Crew Cab and the Desert Runner. The Desert Runner is a 2WD King Cab that has the same chassis, ground clearance, and track as a 4WD model. (Both the Desert Runner and Toyota's PreRunner-another 2WD with offroad suspension and stance-take their names and inspiration from specialized 2WD trucks that offroad racers use to pre-run desert races.) XE Desert Runners start at $15,740.
The base Frontier is a 2WD Regular Cab that employs Nissan's 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. It starts at $11,590, but it's pretty basic. For an extra $549 you can get the Value Truck package that adds air conditioning, chrome bumpers, chrome grille, and an AM/FM/cassette four-speaker stereo. You can add a more extensive $949 Value Truck package to the XE King Cab 4X2 ($13,540). This package adds alloy wheels, sliding rear window, flip-down cargo light, and privacy glass.
Crew Cabs and most King Cabs come with a more powerful 3.3-liter V6. The Crew Cab is available in 2WD and 4WD models. Like the Desert Runner, 2WD Crew Cabs have the look and stance of a 4WD truck. The offroad appearance is enhanced in the Crew Cab SE ($18,590) with 16-inch tires.