Tacoma/frontier

Having hard time deciding between the two….24 Tacoma with the 4cyl turbo…or the Nissan with 310hp v6…
Both drive good….Leary about the 4cyl…
Thoughts..?

 

From my experience, there is always less chance of breakdowns if you buy a Toyota/Lexus products.

Im sure frontier is a nice truck. But I would not want thing thing for 5+ years.

 

Nissan? Not sure you can make the comparison between this Tacoma and a Frontier. 2023 Taco vs 2023 Frontier maybe.... but whatever the Frontier offers that the Tacoma does not would be negated by the Tacoma resale values.

 

Kind of nice to see them side by side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FreGb5720tA

 

Looks like they went back to the cheesegreater grille on the limited.

 

Old tech versus new tech I guess…
My 02 Tacoma was great and 10 tundra as well …hope Toyota got this new one right…thanks lol

 

There isn’t enough real world experience with the ‘24 Tacoma. There are barely any on the road yet, never mind any long term feedback on strengths, weaknesses, or reliability. Any opinions you’ll get will be purely biased based on opinions rather than proven track record.

 

Based on the limited 4th gen info but on capability and price point alone, new Frontier is a far better choice.

They are on lots actually for sale right now with the Pro4x and loaded options for $45,000 all day. They look better in my opinion. Resale will be less but honestly, I don't care. Current generation truck for 3rd gen prices. Nissan did it smart, I hope they take a huge chunk of market share just for not inflating the shit out of prices with this generation.

 

I guess I can butt in on this as a 2022 Pro-4X owner.

I love the truck. It’s the most comfortable vehicle I’ve ever had. Seats and ergonomics are great for me, even without a telescoping wheel. 8 hour drives feel just as good as errands around town, the seats/ergonomics are really great compared to the 3rd gen Tacos I’ve driven.

I have an early ‘22, but Nissan has worked out quite a few bugs (and added some ‘features’) going into late ‘23 and beyond.

The Frontier has always been a very reliable platform for Nissan, despite their shortcoming with other models. The 3.3 and 3.5 v6 have proven very strong, the 4.0 v6 had some growing pains, but good for most; and I’m confident the 310hp 3.8 will be good as well. Plenty of Frontiers out there with 300k(+) miles. There’s a few reports with 1m miles, but as for any vehicle, those are pretty rare. I wouldn’t buy a turbo-I4 pickup as a daily to drive longer than 3 years. I don’t trust the extra forces put on those engines, at least until I see the evidence otherwise.

I was dead-set on a TRD-OR but Nissan won me over with the 2022 facelift.
I personally appreciate the simpler styling over the futuristic angles and interior of the 4G.
I’m having issues warming up to the 4th-gen Taco style, but in retrospect - I had hold-ups with the 3g in 2016 as well. I was really set on a 3G-OR, even had one on my Amazon wishlist as (kind-of) a joke for 3 years and cross-shopped it very seriously while looking for an upgrade.

I realize I’m out of my element here, but I wanted to add a good word for Nissan. The aftermarket has really picked up for the 3rd gen Frontier, they’ve had a reputation for reliability in the body-on-frame platforms. You’ll miss out on some resale value, but since I don’t run a business with my truck and don’t care about cost v. revenue numbers, I’m fine prioritizing enjoyment and savings over my monthly payments/acquisition costs.

-Clubfrontier.org is akin to Tacomaworld for Nissan and might provide some alternative perspective, if you’re interested.

I feel I should mention that Nissan’s dealer network is really terrible. If you don’t find a price you like locally, look elsewhere. I bought mine 350 miles from home to avoid a $3k markup and I’m still having issues with my local service department.

As a disclaimer, I’ve never driven a ‘24+ Taco and only have the 3rd gen Taco experience to compare to the 3rd gen (2022+) Frontier. I’m also one vocal data point amongst many thousands. I have had some minor issues with mine, but nothing that would scare me away from the brand, as they’ve shown an effort to remedy those complaints.
I also feel the need to mention that Toyota is FAR AND AWAY better at marketing the Tacoma over Frontier, and implore you to looks at objective experiences.

I’m happy to answer any questions and I hope you check out the Nissan side for their customer’s perspective on their product.

 

In 2006 I bought a Frontier instead of a Tacoma. Mistake.

 

The Pro-4X is a great looking truck. It's easy to notice that it, like the Colorado & others, took on bold hard lines in their body designs before even Toyota did with their 4th gen. When I come across pics on my phone of my 3rd gen Tacoma, it looks like a damn gold fish bowl in comparison.

 

To the alternate
At my company we had a 2007;Frontier and a 2010 . The 2007 had a timing chain guide issue ( fixed under warranty ) but honestly both were great trucks . I’d like to add both were manual . 2010 sold it at almost 300 k miles . The only things that got replaced were front 4 WD hubs a radiator, brakes struts and shocks . Oh the 2007 at some point needed the same stuff except the radiator , but that one ate some joints . I’ve had good experience with them

 

The Frontier isna better looking truck, to me...but the powertrain is lackluster. I was actually had a deposit on 2024 Tacoma OR but after seeing it in person it wasn't my cup of tea. I actually thought it looked a lot like the Frontier, boxy in the rear. I drove it and it is an improvement over the pervious gen but I think all the hype had me subconsciously thinking it would be more than it is. I ended up buying the 2024 Tundra OR and convinced my wife that we need to keep the Gen 2 Tacoma for a spare car.

 

I have zero personal experience with either new Nissan or the 2024 Tacoma.

Two of my customers, long time Toyota guys (both had Tacomas & Tundy's since I've known them ~12 yrs), both went to Frontier this round due to price. Both were not happy about turbo either, but I take that with a grain of salt due to the fact they are both older ~late 50's early 60's New Englanders.... Overall, they both really like their respective Nissan.

 

I had a 2nd gen 2011 Frontier. I didn’t like the heavy steering feel and cheap interior plastics or seat fabric. Everything else was great. I’ve read that some people are having paint issues and the steering feels the same as the last gen. Otherwise it seems to be a solid truck. I kind of wish they wouldn’t have gone with D.I. on the new V6 but I think it’s helping gas mileage.

 

Lack luster powerplant in the Nissan? 310HP with an 8 speed transmission. Have you driven one? It is what most here wish was in the Gen 4.

 

I drove several frontiers with the new 3.8 engine. It's a great power train, lots of low end oomph and smooth shift. It's what the 3rd gen taco should've been.

 

Frontiers are pretty reliable. A little cheesy inside, and the turning radius is crazy bad. But the ones I had driven had great engine and tranny response compared to the Tacomas. Way better.

But aftermarket stuff, not so much.

 

The new frontier is a very good copy of the third generation Tacoma. It even comes in an access cab.

 

Frontier should see refresh this year as a 2025 model. Definitely my personal second option for a mid-size.