Until this week, it had been four years since I’d driven a Nissan Frontier pickup.
Not a lot has changed; it is still a sturdy, good-looking four-door truck with a very small box on the back.
I remember the first Frontier I drove, way back in October 2000. “It’s my all-time favorite product from Nissan,” I said then after spending a week with it.
Over the years, the truck has become somewhat dated. Its unusually wide turning circle, which creates difficulties in parking lots and on narrow streets, is enough to diminish the high praise. The 43 ½-foot turning radius is 3 feet wider than that of its rival, the Toyota Tacoma.
A 2014 Frontier Pro-4X Crew Cab, finished in attractive lava red, carried Jan and me on Monday to Estes Park, by way of flood-devastated Glen Haven. The pickup, on the 8-mile drive from Drake to Glen Haven, was dwarfed by the size of the many trucks hauling patching materials and working the roads for which most of the paved surfaces are gone.
As busy as was the highway, the pace in tiny Glen Haven was almost frenetic, with workers everywhere rebuilding the damaged businesses. The general store, known for daily-fresh cinnamon rolls, expects to reopen within a few weeks.
The Frontier’s ride is comfortable, even with its flat seats and lightly bolstered seatbacks. The rear seating area suffers from lack of legroom. “Well, of course, we have the Titan (Nissan’s full-size pickup),” would be the response of a Nissan salesman.
Power is plentiful from the Frontier’s 4-liter V-6 engine, with 201 horsepower and 281 lb.-ft. of torque, and the shifts are smooth from the 5-speed automatic transmission, operated by a tall shifter. It’s a good combination for the 4,400-pound truck.
The Pro-4X turns the Frontier into a very capable four-wheeler; the twist of an electronic switch on the dash engages four-wheel high or, even four-wheel low range. It uses Bilstein offroad-type shocks and B.F. Goodrich Rugged Trail 265/75R16 tires.
Overall fuel-mileage average, aided by the Big Thompson Canyon descent from Estes to Loveland, was 18.3 miles per gallon. Tow capacity for the Frontier Pro-4X is 6,300 pounds.
The Nissan’s cargo bed, only 59 inches in length, grows through dropping of the tailgate and use of sliding bed-extender bars.
A voice-activated navigation system with color display screen headed several options which raised the Frontier’s sticker price to $36,050 from a base of $31,850. Other extras, in addition to the sliding bed extender, were leather seats (heated in front), heated outside mirrors, power moonroof and roof rack.
A Rockford Fosgate audio system with 10 speakers and subwoofers is standard. Included among other items are USB connection port, dual gloveboxes, front/side/curtain airbags, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, cruise control, rearview camera, dual-zone temperature control, rear under-seat storage bin, automatic headlamps, fog lights, skid plates, sliding rear window, spray-on bedliner and adjustable tie-down cleats in the cargo bed.
Notes from e-mail
Hello Bud, I am still driving my 2004 Chevy Trailblazer up here in Conifer where I have a comfort level when switching into four-wheel drive manually. I know that all four wheels are locked in until I believe it is safe to dial it back to two-wheel drive. Conditions up here can be tricky on ice and snow. I trust my visual analysis of the road conditions and just like to know that all my wheels are working when I turn the dial to 4/wheel. Are there any models being made anymore that still gives me that option or are they all automatic when it comes to needing 4/wheel drive. Can I trust that type of driving that the car will know when to switch power to an individual wheel when it senses the need. – F.D.
Though all-wheel-drive crossovers have gained the spotlight, Frank, I believe models such as the Nissan Xterra, Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, Toyota 4Runner and others offer four-wheel-lock capability. However, don’t underestimate the terrain-conquering capabilities of today’s AWD models; most will take you anywhere you want to go, even in wintertime.
Bud, I noticed the 2015 Audi A3 in last weekend’s Post and I’m confused by it. Does it replace the A4 or is Audi expanding its line of cars? – J.M.
You should read the column, Jess, in addition to looking over the photos. It explained that the A3 is smaller than the A4 and joins Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Acura in a new premium compact sedan field.
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