They Still Make One Like They Used To: The 2016 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab

The 2016 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab.

Ten years is an eternity in the car business.  The Nissan Frontier has been with us for 12.  That's right, the midsize pickup truck you see here, has, with very few changes, been with us since 2004.  So, can it compete today?

How The 2014 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Tries To Hide Its Age

The 2014 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X.

In the 1970s, the streets were awash with small pickup trucks.  There were Toyota pickups, Datsun pickups, Mazda pickups, the Ford Courier, which was the Mazda pickup with a Ford grille and badging and the Chevy LUV, an Isuzu kept secret because Isuzu had yet to sell its own vehicles in America.

Over time, the small pickups got bigger, and the number of them got smaller.  Today, there are really only two: The Toyota Tacoma and the Nissan Frontier. And they are not small at all.

It has been ten years since this generation of Frontier was introduced, five years since its last facelift. In large trucks such as the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram, there has been rapid change and evolution. But the Frontier looks and feels like a relic from a different age.

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Nissan Frontier 4X4 CC SE Review

Having pushed the physical dimensions and sticker prices of the once-lowly pickup truck about as far as possible (Lincoln? Cadillac?), a return to sanity is a welcome thing...and just in time, Nissan refreshes its mid-size Frontier pickup.

Now that Nissan has announced it will be outsourcing its big truck, the Titan, to Chrysler (2011 Titans will be re-badged Dodge Rams), the Frontier is the standard-bearer for Nissan's truck business...and the impression it makes is a good one.

Not too big, not too small...there's a "just-right" quality to the size, capabilites and handling of the new Frontier. Nope, it won't cut the mustard as a heavy-duty construction truck, but for the average truck owner, the Frontier is more than up to the job.

More good news: It's affordable. The base price on the four-door crew cab I tested was only $25,960...bringing with it a 4-liter 261 horsepower V6, a 5-speed automatic transmission, shift-on-the-fly four wheel drive, 4-wheel anti-lock disc brakes and most of the features that you could wish for on a truck option list 15 years ago.

So what's to add? Well, Nissan specified the SE Value Truck Package for this tester, adding remote keyless entry, power windows, power door locks, power outside mirrors, cruise control, 16 inch alloy wheels, a sliding bed extender and a security system for a package price of $1,380. That plus another $700 for a moonroof, along with destination charges brought the bottom line to $28,785. Not bad at all for a roomy, capable all-wheel drive truck.

The EPA estimate is 15 city, 19 highway miles per gallon...again, not bad for the size and capability (thank the 5-speed auto and the V6 for getting the mileage that high).

This is a great time to seriously evaluate how much truck you need. If it's not a monster workhorse, then the Nissan Frontier is a solid choice.