2020 Nissan Frontier | Review & Road Test

Описание: For the latest Nissan Frontier pricing and information:
https://www.kbb.com/nissan/frontier/

This is the 2020 Nissan Frontier. As you can see, it doesn’t look like anything you can buy from a dealer. What you can get off this truck might surprise you.


First, let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way, yes, the Frontier has not seen a major redesign since 2004. So there are lots of things that will look, uh, familiar here.


Regardless of what’s dated, this review is special not only because I’m reviewing the Frontier’s new V6 powertrain, but I’m also reviewing some new aftermarket parts from Nissan Motorsports.

Nismo re-enters the off-road scene with upgrades for the Frontier, Titan, and even your discontinued Xterra.


One other special thing about this review, I’m taking this Pro4X with the off-road package on the most aggressive test drive I can think of, the Rebelle Rally.

VO: The Rebelle is a 7-day, off-road, map and compass navigation rally where competitors don’t get to use any GPS device to navigate to over 150 checkpoints covering 2000km.

Driving through rutted out washes, sand dunes, and over a thousand miles of dirt and gravel roads, this is going to be a tough week that will be a great test of the Frontier’s new engine as well as these new Nismo parts.


The Frontier’s new powertrain really makes up the big news for this model year. A 3.8-liter V6 now powers this midsize truck and I can tell you right out of the gate, the extra horsepower feels substantial. (OLD: 4-cylinder = 152 hp V6 = 261 hp NEW: 3.8L V6 310 hp/281 lb-ft torque).

I get a good punch of power at tip-in, and I don’t feel as though the truck is struggling to move.

This engine is a huge improvement on this truck, especially if you’ve got some tough terrain to handle.

Helping it along is a new 9-speed automatic transmission that replaces the old 5-speed auto and 5-speed manual options.

For normal driving, it shifts through the first three gears pretty quickly to get to the cruising gears. Shifts are smooth and efficient, great.

But, if I’m looking for more power on dirt, I’ll sometimes shift manually with the stick to hold the lower gears a bit longer. And that definitely works out to my benefit out here.


This transmission finally moves this truck into the modern age!
As a result, gas mileage numbers are improved over the last V6 engine. (4x2: 18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway 4x4: 17 mpg city, 23 mpg highway)

Even up steep rocky ascents and the power feels great.

Our truck gets equipped with a beefed-up off-road suspension Nismo’s put together with Bilstein. There are heavy-duty coils and shocks up front and reservoir shocks in the rear for the Frontier’s leaf springs.

Off the bat, I can tell you the suspension feels fantastic. It’s so comfortable on the road. And we’re running 32-inch KO2 tires. I can certainly hear them, but I really don’t feel them the way I would with a normal suspension.

So how do they feel on dirt?

The extra travel especially in the rear with my leafs and the remote reservoir shocks really help smooth out bumps, especially when we’re on river washes and uneven whoops in the desert.

On washboard it’s stellar. We never have to compromise speed for comfort.



With the Nismo suspension package you can get up to 2-inches of lift, so we also get a little bit of extra clearance underneath us to get over bigger obstacles if we need to.


Obviously, we’ve got some other upgrades that can really make a difference out on the trail.

For the lighting package, Nismo teamed up with Rigid Industries for light bars and pod lights. These things will light up the desert like the Fourth of July if you need it.

We also get a steel bumper that’s the first in a series for Nissan trucks and SUVs.

The bumper is a bit heavy and does affect my front-end clearance a bit, but with any off-road driving, I’m being careful and picking our lines carefully, and we’ve been great. Honestly, this thing gives us extra protection up front and looks pretty good to boot. We’ll keep it.

Maybe my favorite NISMO bit Nissan’s making available is our 17-inch off-road wheels. These 6-lug suckers are outstanding looking. All NISMO parts will be available through dealers later this year.



Other upgrades that do come on YOUR Frontier now include a standard push-button start, leather shift knob, an adjustable steering wheel, and power windows.


The V6 powers over sand dunes without feeling burdened or like it’s struggling at all. I totally appreciate that I don’t have any turbo lag to deal with. The second I put my foot on the throttle I get moving.

While, yes, we do expect to see a complete upgrade to the Frontier coming hopefully soon, the new V6 powertrain is a very solid step in the right direction.

After all, the Frontier remains the smallest and one of the most affordable (Base price: ~$27,900) midsize truck on the market, and a lot of buyers are looking for exactly that.