Im in the market for a new truck. I've been driving a 4x4F150 for the last few years. Never been in love with the truck. Decent ride, but otherwise Ive never been impressed with it. Ive narrowed my next vehicle down to two trucks. A 2021 Army green Toyota TRD Pro and a 2020 White Nissan Frontier PRO 4X. The Toyota is a bit over $40K, the Frontier is $32K w/ current sale at a local dealership. Im leaning toward the Frontier due to price and I tend to like it a tad bit more. However, the lifetime warranty the Toyota has makes me wonder if it woudnt be a better choice, although Im a bit skeptical about the fine print. The Toyota has more options, but im really not into all that jazz. I want durability/reliability over electronics and infotainment. What say you?
Current ride is a 2002 Tacoma, 220k+ miles. SR5, quad cab, 4x4. I have the preventative maintenance done on schedule. The truck has been to the shop once for a bad injector. One unscheduled repair in 18 years is a damn good record. The V6 is a little short on power for towing an 18½ foot fiberglass bass boat. But, she tows it about the same as buddy's Chevy Silverado 1500 tows his 19½ fiberglass bass rig.
I’ve not owned either. I do own an F150 currently. With the wife and 2 kids, a Tacoma would be way too cramped. IE, our Subaru Forester. We all fit, but the F150 4 door is massive inside in comparison. So I guess it depends on your intended use and what you require of it.
Got a 2011 Tacoma OR access cab. I’ve also driven a 2019 Tacoma OR and a Nissan Frontier as rentals on vacation. My Taco is great off road. A little rough on road but that is probably the tires more than anything. 2019 Taco was smooth in the highway with stock tires and did great on show/ice on the road. Both had enough engine for my use. The Frontier I drove was smooth On the road but can’t say anything about off road. It did feel smaller than the Tacoma both inside and out. The engine had enough power though not sure if it was a 4 or 6. Never needed to push it. Those Pro-4x models look good. That’s the one I would get of the lineup. I also agree about all the bells and whistles tech stuff. If I could choose A new one I’d probably go sport or sr5 but if the OR is a good deal why not.
I really like my Xterra which is the same platform as the Frontier with a different rear suspension. The 20+ Frontiers got an engine and transmission change IIRC. The older having a 4.0L and 5 speed auto. I think the newer are. 3.6 and a 8 speed auto. The P4X package gets you lower gears than other packages. I haven't heard much about the newer driveline but the older stuff was solid. I have 209k on my engine. Annissue with the 05-09 radiators cost my X it's transmission around 140k but with a new transmission and radiator it hasn't missed a beat. There hasn't been any issues with the 10+ vehicles related to the radiator. The Toyota holds value better but I wouldn't say it's a better vehicle because of it. A 3:1 cost ratio put me in a $5500 Xterra vs a $15k 4Runner with similar miles and options and it's taken me and my family everywhere I've ever asked.
If you'd consider a lightly used 2019 frontier I'd say that's your best bet in that vehicle class. Toyota makes a good vehicle, but frontiers up until that year basically haven't changed in 15 or so years. It's safe to assume they've worked out the kinks. The current generation of tacomas are probably fine, but have had their fair share of problems. They offer more tech, but at a cost of a much higher price of purchase. Resale value is higher on Toyota, but that only matters if you plan to sell it before its dead.
Great post, thanks for the input and keep it coming. Ive noticed the last couple of years, the Tacomas aren't getting the reviews they once did. I know in my neck of the woods, I see many from the 90's still rolling around. Have several friends with a variety of year models and they all love them. The biggest complaint Ive seen about the Frontier (online) is that they havnt updated the truck in 15 years. To IW17's point, thats a selling point to me. Ive worked in the manufacturing side of automotive for many years. Ive never seen a launch that went as planned and many had warranty issues for years! Ive even had co-workers track down specific dates of manufacture on vehicles they were buying because of issues at the assembly plants (dont buy a vehicle made on monday morning or friday afternoon). Although in my limited experience Toyota, Nissan, and Honda are much better than the "Big Three" at getting things right. Another selling point for me, Nissan is made an hour or so away from me. There HQ's is just up the road, and I know many folks that work there. They all love working there! Toyota has a plant not to far down in Alabama, but Im not sure whats made there. Either way the more I can help Tennesseans out, the better. Although I think the Frontiers are made in MS, with some of the stuff being made in Decherd, TN.
Generally the Frontier is a good value it you intend to keep it for a long time where as the TRD Pro Tacoma will hold more value in case you decide that you don't like the (kinda) midsize type trucks. EXCEPT for the fact that the 2020 Frontier is a one or two year only deal because the new design wasn't ready yet but they decided to go ahead and throw the new engine/tranny into the existing truck. It was supposed to be a 2020 only thing but 1.Covid19 and 2.Nissan was already in serious financial trouble so we'll see. A first year drivetrain from a company rushing to partially update it's product while facing serious internal issues would give me pause. And why the hell did they put that start/stop button where cupholders usually go? If the question was 2019 Frontier Pro4x vs TRD Pro then I'd go Frontier without reservation. I vote either 1. Talk Nissan into the longest free warranty extension you can get (they'll do it), 2. Buy the Tacoma and drive it for a year and if you don't like it sell it for what you gave for it (won't be hard) and look at the 2022/2023 options or 3. Find a 2019 or slightly older Frontier Pro4x with no miles. They're great trucks. On the subject of option #2: I've had several friends sell and trade their 3rd Gen Tacomas in the past year. Mostly because they decided that they would prefer a F150, 4runner or Tundra, not due to any issues with the Tacomas. The ones with one or two year old trucks in good shape received what they had paid for them new so basically they drove them for free for a couple of years. I doubt that the popularity will lessen anytime soon so the TRD Pro is a better than safe option.
I have a 2019 Toyota 4 runner sr5. No problem yet. The Toyota dealership gives lifetime engine and transmission warranty. Catch is all your services has to be done there. After this is paid off I'm going with a tacoma. They are built to last. They also hold their value well.
I for some reason had it in my head the Nissan choice was the larger Titan, not the Frontier. Carry on.
The Toyota has a great warranty. I originally wanted a Tacoma and still do. Mainly the warranty and reliability. The Frontier just seems a better value. They sold the Tacoma I was looking at, but there will be more. Some great comments!
For what it's worth if you wait a little longer the deal may be even better on the Nissan. Pre-Covid19 madness the local dealers were selling the Fontiers at deep discounts in preparation for the 2020s with the new motor and tranny. Now I see those same trucks on lots as trade ins and for a lot more money. Given that the Nissans don't have the cult following that Toyota does when the completely new Frontiers are ready to ship to dealers I expect that the 2020 and 2021 old body style/new drivetrain will be discounted in a similar fashion. It's not a give though, considering how hard it was to find trucks last summer through early winter. Also, if you're not set on the TRD Pro the TRD Offroad is a good package for a little less money.
Below is a list of vehicles I currently own. The bastard out of the bunch is the Nissan, which I bought trying to save money when I really wanted a Tacoma. It has been a good truck but I have had more issues out of it than the 2005 4runner, and the 4runner has 50k more miles on it. The interior of the Nissans have always seemed to be one of the areas where they save money, although the seating position is more truck like than that of the Tacoma. Personally, I haven't looked at the newer Nissans, but I have a hard time considering anything but Toyota based on my experience. I keep vehicles so I do not worry so much about resale value over time, but there is no question that the Toyota's hold their value much more so than that of Nissan. In my humble opinion, my Toyota's have been much more reliable, as in needing nothing but tires, brake pads/rotors, wiper blades and fluids. The Nissan meanwhile has needed various sensors, a set of wheel bearing hub assemblies, coolant connector at firewall, plus all of the items that the Toyota's have needed. I kept my Nissan when I bought the Tacoma, to use for Home Depot runs, and house chores. I live in a rural area with no trash service so I load my dog up in it, and make a trash run. I also drive back and forth to work in it to keep the mileage off my Tacoma and in case I hit a deer (I work from 2300-0700). 2005 Nissan Frontier SE 4×4 4.0 6 speed manual 2005 Toyota 4runner Sport 4×4 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser 2015 Toyota Tacoma TRD Offroad 4×4 Auto
2022 Frontier pics and information was officially released today. Styled a lot like a Tacoma, but with a better looking front clip. https://www.caranddriver.com/nissan/frontier