Frontier V6 vs Taco 4cyl

Has anyone bought Nissan Frontier over 4th gen Taco? anyone is leaning towards it?




Its a sharp looking truck. I am starting to see lots of them on the road, and it does look sick, sure hows that V6 thought

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFu6T33Cqbw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8XLpDNgibE


Adding new links :

( This nissan frontier front looks super cheap, the paint is just ew )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rNW8ZnRdo4

 

You might get some better feedback on a Frontier forum.

 

intimidated much ?

 

I'm not following. Could you elaborate?

 

I'm in if you can get a nicely equipped one with a manual transmission like my 2000 Frontier SE-V6 Crew Cab!

 

I might have bought one but no 6ft bed. They look and feel pretty nice when optioned up to the 40k ish area.

 

Riiighhhttttt. I mean, why would you go to the Nissan forum to find out their opinions on why they bought the Nissan over the Tacoma? Absurd.

 

You can get them with a 6 ft bed.

 

Yes, the 2025 Pro-X is finally in a long bed (aka useful bed). This is the truck I would have purchased had it been out months ago. But such is life.

 

Sorry, the Nissan was not a contender for long but I appreciate they have a long bed option. I expected my wife to like it more but she did not. She liked Tacoma seats by far if TRD upgrade package or above, and Tacoma is a top safety pick. I like turbo engines.

Long ago we had an 1989 and then 1993 Hardbody and those bring back good memories.

 

My wife and I have had a couple of Nissans and have had a LOT of trouble with them. Granted and Pathfinder is not a Frontier, but still, I would never buy another one.

 

I test drove both. Frontier is very solid, frame looks amazing. Turning was too heavy for my liking. The interior is pretty lackluster, it's pieced together from other Nissan cars and SUVs, one way they keep the price down.
Once I drove a Tacoma I knew immediately it was the one I wanted. The interior is much more classic, it's not flashy but seems like it will age well. Also it was a manual, which I really enjoy. The 4 cylinder seemed to have more pep too.

 

Yeah I assumed we were only talking Pro 4X. No long bed available in 24 and the lower trims don't come close enough to TRDOR capabilities. Bringing a 6ft bed to the Pro 4X for 25 will no doubt capture a certain segment of buyer if they keep the NA V6.

 

Nice, it had a low geared rearend too, but almost no choice, the 3.3 was tough, but anemic. I had an ´02 Xterra auto with the same engine.

My ‘12 Xterra Pro4X 6MT was sweet, that transmission was smoother than the 6MT in my ‘24 Taco. Gears were closer because 5th was drive instead of 4th, so it only had 1 overdrive instead of 2 and no rev hang. Both suffer from a high geared reverse and need 4Lo to backup a trailer or an incline.

 

Frontier interior is lack luster, but I'm ok with that. Unrelated I hear people complain about screens and operating systems. When I see the adds for Vovo, haven't been in a Volvo in years. The infotainment screen does not look like something people would like, it does not look like something you'd see in a Cadillac, or Lexus. Maybe it's a good system in the Volvo, I doubt if I'd find fault with it. Maybe Volvo customers aren't concerned about the infotainment system, I'd think there would be more complaints.

 

I had a '22 Frontier SV CCLB 4x4 for a little over a year. I liked the truck overall I suppose - it was my 4th Nissan truck over the years ('86, '97, '14 and then the '22). I always wanted a Toyota, but the Nissans were always less expensive and I couldn't justify the added costs when I was younger and raising a family.

The good things I liked about the '22 were the aggressive tow/haul mode in the transmission (more aggressive downshifting than my '24 Taco), I liked the interior for the most part - I thought it was more 'classic' and basic. Some silly, small things that I liked. The steering wheel controls on the left side of the wheel - all within thumbs reach and all on the same side (volume control, plus track control for the radio vs the Tacoma having those separated on each side of the steering wheel), I liked the placement of the cupholders lengthwise next to the shifter better (I'm tall with long arms so it was just a tad more comfy than the placement of them between the shifter and console on the Tacoma), and I did like the V6 for power (but not fuel economy - was averaging 16 mpg with it, where my Tacoma is 20+). Had plenty of power.

What I didn't like, and what really drove me to the Tacoma was the Nissan's terrible turning radius and heavy steering feel. The steering feel issue is not as apparent on a 20 minute test drive, but its hard to gauge on just one test drive. After the first month of ownership and using it as my daily driver, I was regretting the purchase for that reason. Additionally, the seats in the Tacoma are more comfortable/roomy and I was able to get some options that I couldn't get in the Nissan, but the steering really drove me away from it. The steering feel topic has a lot of opinions - its all based on personal preference, and some folks apparently love the steering feel in the Nissan. To each their own...

I really like how the Tacoma drives overall vs the Nissan, and am happy with my purchase. I finally got a Toyota, and I'm very pleased so far (3300 miles and purchased back in mid-April). No regrets, except I do wish I could have gotten power seats in the Tacoma in the SR5 trim.

 

Thanks for your review. I'm a 'steering' nerd too. Had a Versa, that always liked to drift to the left on the highway. Suspension and everything was in spec. I love the steering on my 2024 Sport. Very responsive and tracks straight. I do notice it does get a little heavier in Sport mode, which it is designed to do.

 

That's a really good point. The turning radius and steering completely suck on the Frontier. Used to drive class B commercial vehicles and it felt like one of those. The Tacoma is definitely less fatiguing to drive.

 

In 2008 I was going to buy a used Tacoma but at the time I couldn’t justify the extra cost of the Tacoma. I bought a lightly used 2005 Frontier CC instead and kept it for 10yrs without too much complaint. I got a new transmission on warranty from the common cooler leak that killed transmissions on those years.

Then in 2018 I was finally going to buy a Tacoma. But at that time the lack of power, towing ability, room, fuel economy and cost just didn’t make sense and I ended up buying a new 2018 CC F150 ecoboost because it checked so many boxes. Awesome truck, with my only complaint being resale value.

Now I have a 2024 Tacoma OR arriving next month and I can’t think of anything that’ll stop me from buying this time. Improvement in power, economy, driveability, looks great, I don’t need the room of a fullsize, and the high resale value is a big one that can’t be ignored. Resale value on used Tacoma’s here is so high I don’t understand why anyone would buy a used one.

 

As you may be aware, the 3rd gen Frontier is a re-skin of 2nd gen. Certain 2nd gen Frontier shortcomings, like the cramped rear seat in crew cab models, still remain.