2022 Nissan Frontier Pro4X first drive
The final Frontier, OK not the final one, but the all new one. I think 2005 was the last big change for Frontier. It was a big money maker for Nissan, since they didn’t retool very often. But it was an economically priced truck, along with Toyota Tacoma owned the midsize truck market. Ford, GM and Dodge stopped making midsize trucks over 10 years ago. Now they are all back with midsize. Chrysler or whatever they are called this year, didn’t bring the Dakota back yet, but brought back the Jeep Gladiator in a midsize. So if you count the Honda Ridgeline as a truck, there are 5 trucks in the midsize. The new 2022 Frontier is a good looking truck, the same size as before. Interestingly the 2021 Frontier came out with the first 3.8L V-6 that is now in the 2022 Frontier. Testing a new engine before the new truck is wise. With the most horse power in the class with 310. Torque is 281 lb-ft. The new 9 speed auto transmission is shared with the Nissan Titan. The Frontier I reviewed was the PRO-4X off-road package. This gives it front bash plate, aluminum skid plates on transfer case and fuel tank. Also Bilstein off-road shocks, all-terrain tires, rear anti-sway bar and a rear axle electric locking diff.
The interior had quilting on the seats, a nice touch. Heated steering wheel and seats, made for Colorado. Though the basic same size as last model, the front seats are slightly narrower for better access to the door pockets. Of course all the infotainment options on this high end model, with nine inch touch screen, Apple play, Android play, voice recognition and dual climate controls. Fender speakers are nice, all 10 of them. Wireless phone charging fit’s my big Apple phone. Don’t tell anyone I have an Apple phone. Push button start and LED lights as the trend is. Nissan was the first to have factory sprayed in bedliner and the Utilli-track railing with 4 adjustable tie downs. It’s 2022 so all the safety features you can imagine are in this truck, it would take effort to crash. Lane departure warning, Blind spot warning, Rear cross traffic alert, Rear sonar system, Rear automatic braking, High beam assist, Traffic sign recognition and my favorite Intelligent cruise control. Frontier has the longest option names, read the manual.
The 17 inch all-terrain tires had excellent grip on our neighbors off-road trail. It did well, using the rear locker helped. The tires had the right grip, but didn’t help the on-road feel. I found the PRO4-X interesting option, Intelligent Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection and Off-Road Mode. Another long name. Towing on this 4×4 model was rated 6270 lbs. of trailer. We towed only 5000 lbs. of trailer as it was in a snow storm. It did well, using up most of it’s RPM when loaded going uphill. The Frontier came equipped with Tow/Haul mode. All it needs is a factory trailer brake controller. This review was also my new reviewer, Isabel’s first video. Another farm girl, who else would I hire? I want a women’s prospective reviewing trucks with trailers. My prospective is it’s a good looking truck. Interior not necessarily made for wide body reporters.
