You heard correctly, I am the official owner of a 2022 Nissan Frontier. It’s no secret, if you have listened to the show, that we all love the Nissan Frontier. Matt and Casey both have a 2nd gen Frontier Pro-4x and they wheel the piss out of those trucks. And day after day, they continue to be as dependable as they are capable. In my case, I am coming from a platform that is arguably one of the most off road capable vehicles ever made. The 80 Series Land Cruiser has achieved legendary status for its amazing versatility in all environments and for its dependability. If that is the case, then why would I go out and buy a mid size pickup that has IFS and doesn't even have a locker? The reason is because I wanted something more daily driver friendly and I wanted something with a bed. I wrote a previous blog post about the untold story of owning an 80 Series Land Cruiser. At the end of the day I wanted the best of both worlds.
The Frontier I purchased is a 2022 Frontier S in red alert red. That means it is the most base model frontier you can get. Only requirement I had was that it needed to have 4 wheel drive. Even for being a base model, I am surprised at the amenities that it comes with. It has blind spot monitoring, Apple car play, satellite radio, adaptive cruise control and a decent info screen to tell you engine parameters and other important diagnostics. The thing I am loving the most about this little truck is the powertrain. The 3.8 liter V6 puts out 310 hp and 281 lb/ft of torque and paired up with the 9 speed transmission, this thing is really quick. Or maybe I am just not used to having a car that has some passing power anymore. I have been averaging 20 mpg this week and that is twice as much as I was getting with the cruiser. Having a stereo now means I don't have to listen to my podcasts on a little bluetooth speaker anymore. I am absolutely loving this truck and cannot wait to really bring out its potential.
No, this is not the Pro-4x model but it still has the same mechanical underpinnings, except for the electronic rear locker. ARB has a mechanical air locker available for this and I am planning on adding that sometime down the line. I am planning on building this truck to be offroad capable while still being daily driver focused. Famous last words. I am looking into different suspension systems and I'm really curious on what the aftermarket support is going to be for this truck. Many people are hung up on the fact that this generation Frontier shares the same frame as the previous model. I like that because the little aftermarket support there is for the Gen 2 trucks, still applies to these new trucks. I want to get 33” tall tires on 17” wheels. I have my eye set on specific wheels and we will see if Santa Claus is gracious this year. I know Nismo is making a big push to have aftermarket products for this new Frontier. I really hope that the overlanding and off road community adopts this platform and sees what this under appreciated truck has to offer.
I will admit, I am a Toyota fan boy through and through. My family has had mostly only Toyota’s and they have all been great cars. Nissan has also been really good to me. My wife has a 2011 Nissan Versa she bought brand new and that is still her daily driver till this day. That little car just gets oil changes and brakes. It has been super reliable and shows no signs of quitting. The other canary in the coal mine was Matt. He should be hired by Nissan to test all their vehicles to see how long they stay together out on the trails. He wheeled his frontier for two years completely stock and went everywhere and did all the trails that more capable trucks went. That truck continues to be wheeled hard and daily driven.
Hopefully my frontier is as reliable and dependable as Matt’s and Casey’s. I am also excited to see where the aftermarket takes this truck. Will it ever have the same support as Toyota Tacoma? Maybe not, but I feel that this new generation of frontier will show new generations of wheelers that you don't need a $65,000 dollar rig to go out and explore.