Nissan Frontier Crew Cab

Solid, powerful, reliable

By Arid-Zone Cajun (Wenatchee, WA) on Sunday, August 12, 2007

"I own a Storm Gray 2005 Nissan Frontier Off-Road crewcab truck, purchased new on 30 June 2005. It is a secondary vehicle, used for the specialized activities of occasional light hauling, transporting 2 to 3 touring kayaks and gear, and as a four-wheel-drive support vehicle for accessing hiking departure points in remote mountainous or desert areas. I originally drove a white 2001 Ford Ranger which I had planned to replace as soon as Toyota came out with a long-bed crewcab Tacoma. Toyota did so in 2005. I test drove such a vehicle, finding it to have an excessively weak suspension (floating on straight roads, lots of lean in corners) and to be unhandy because of its length. On a lark, I test-drove a Tacoma crewcab TRD short-bed truck with manual transmission. This vehicle was very fun to drive, being powerful and good-handling. The downsides were poor forward visibility, due to the high hood and low driver’s seat, and the suspect plastic truck bed, which had already been reported to exhibit failures by off-road drivers. To compare, I drove a 2005 Nissan Off-Road crewcab short bed which had higher front seats, much better forward visibility and somewhat smaller external dimensions (which are useful in poor/off-road situations), taller truck bed walls, and a more sporty driving experience. I bought the Nissan. I provide the following observations after two years and 8,700 miles. I average 12 to 13 miles per gallon in town, and 18 to 19 miles per gallon on the road. The 6-cylinder VQ40DE engine is very powerful and torquey up to about 65 mph, above which it fades at bit but remains competent up to 82 mph which is the highest speed that I’ve driven this truck. The engine has developed an irregular vibration during idle that can be heard and felt in the steering wheel and brake pedal. I understand that this is a common feature of Frontiers and Xterras with this engine, and is tentatively attributed to inadequate motor mounts. The vibration disappears when the truck is moving. Low-end torque is very strong and comes on immediately, requiring careful modulation of the engine on unconsolidated surfaces such as rocks, gravel, and sand, and on icy or snowy roads. Part of this problem is the BFG Rugged Trail tires, which lose traction easily on wet, icy or snowy roads. I switch to Bridgestone Blizzaks in the stock 265/75-16 size during winter, which still can be a bit dicey on snow and ice because of the relatively large OE tire width. Adding weight in the bed in snowy/icy climates is essential. The 5-speed automatic transmission is smooth – I’ve experienced only two circumstances when it has failed to shift properly, both times going downhill immediately after cresting steep mountain passes, when the transmission failed to shift up from the lower gear it was in as the truck picked up speed due to gravity (note: the overdrive gear was not manually locked out and therefore was not the cause of the shift failure). I solved the problem by manually shifting into neutral, briefly coasting to let rpms drop, and shifting back into Drive. The four-wheel-drive system has performed flawlessly. The truck has had no mechanical problems. The truck suffers from many squeaks and creaks, particularly from the rear springs. There apparently is a TSB fix for the last-mentioned (lubing the leaf spring shackle); however, the noise appears to recur after a period of time. The underbody clearance is acceptable for my uses, the worst of which is driving on degraded gravel/mining/forest roads (e.g., White Rim Road in Canyonlands). I replaced the OE skidplates with much larger and beefier skidplates from Shrockworks, to better protect the underbody when I drive on bad roads to remote locations. I also installed rocksliders from Shrockworks, to protect the rocker panels in the backcountry and the doors in parking locks. They also function well as steps. The truck has accumulated numerous stone chips on the rocker panels as they flare out behind the rear doors. The dings penetrate through the inadquately-sized stock protectant plastic film glued to the panel. Bare metal is exposed. Many other owners have commented on this deleterious feature of the 2005+ Frontier. I had hoped that the rocksliders would intercept sprayed gravel and eliminate the stone chips; this failed to happen. I tentatively plan to coat the lower rocker panels with Herculiner to serve as a protective surface. The truck ride tends to be bumpy and sometimes jarring. Axle-hop occurs when driving over speed bumps or on washboard dirt roads. The 5-foot bed has worked out OK. I mounted a TracRac rack, which with its accessories eliminated the need for the built-in utilitrack system. At times I carry large truck boxes in the bed. These are locked in with cables; however, next spring I tentatively plan to improve their security by bolting them to the bed-floor utilitrack using some of the utilitrack hardware that I have on hand. Even with the short bedlength, the TracRac easily transports a 19-foot tandem kayak plus one or two more 17-foot single kayaks. I have used the folding bed-extender only once in two years when I carried a particularly large load of boxed goods. I really did not need it then. I chose not to get a OE roof rack, having read reports about the very high road noise generated by the rack at speeds above 55 mph, and also that the rack is too weak and poorly anchored to properly hold kayaks. The tailgate is sturdy but very heavy. In retrospect, I wish that I had chosen the Avalanche white exterior color. The Storm Gray looks much better on the truck; however, under hot sunny desert conditions, it causes the interior to heat up faster than I have experienced in my white-colored vehicles. The interior of the truck is workmanlike. I chose the charcoal gray cloth interior. Again in hindsight, I wish that I had chosen the blue cloth interior. The combination of dark gray cloth and dark gray plastic parts is unrelenting dark gray. I did install black/light gray insert Wet Okole neoprene seat covers on all seats. They fit perfectly and work very well as seat protectors after kayaking, hiking, or skiing. They promote sweating and stickiness when I use the truck for long drives or when intense sunlight penetrates through the cab windows and hits the passengers. I place a cotton towel over the seatcovers under such circumstances. I likely will not replace the Wet Okole seat covers when they wear out, rather I will use temporary waterproof covers after wet activities. The driver’s seat proved very comfortable on a 3,700-mile roundtrip trip from Washington State to Arizona in September 2006 – no back, neck or leg fatigue after multiple consecutive 8- to 12-hour driving days. I like that the more upright front seats compared to the low seats in the Toyota Tacoma. The driver’s seat does not slide back far enough for me (I am 5’10” tall with a 32-inch inseam), making me feel that I am sitting too close to the steering wheel. The front seats also would benefit from being a half-inch to one-inch longer, which would provide better thigh support. Headroom is adequate. The kneeroom for adults in rear bench seat is tight when the front seats are pushed back as far as they go, which they must be for the comfort of at least the driver. The rear seat is OK for short trips, say an hour or less, or possibly for longer time periods for pets or young children. The plastic interior parts scratch relatively easily. Dashboard controls are simple, functional and perform well. Cruise control works well. The speedometer is properly calibrated. Air conditioning and heating has been adequate. There is no provision to individually close the dash vents; they can only be moved to blow in another direction. To stop the draft, the entire ventilation system must shut down. The locking glovebox introduced in the 2006 Frontier is a desirable feature. Interior storage is good. The console between the two front seats is too low to serve effectively as an armrest. The storage compartments in the doors are too narrow to hold standard one-liter nalgene hiking water bottles. Rearward visibility is excellent if the rear seat head rests are removed. I keep them on hand for reinstallation on the rare times when I carry rear-seat passengers. Interior noise is low to moderate, depending on road surface and the presence of the TracRac and kayaks. The stock radio is adequate. I purchased an aftermarket locking gas cap. Lack of a built-in locking gas cap cover or provision of a locking gas cap as standard equipment is a thoughtless design or cost-saving feature. In sum, I would highly recommend the 2005 and more recent Crewcab Off-Road (and likely other 6-cylinder model) Nissan Frontier trucks. They are powerful, have good load-carrying capacity, are comfortable and handle well for a medium-sized truck, and are fun to drive. Most detrimental features are those associated with pickup trucks in general, and especially with the moderate off-road features and capability of this particular model truck. Replacing the stock tires with better performing ones for the desired uses of the truck would be a benefit. Reliability and performance to date have been excellent."

20 people out of 20 found this review helpful

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Powerful and Functional

By FrontMan (Denver, CO) on Monday, February 16, 2009

"2005 Crew, 6-spd, 5' bed, 2WD. 18 city, 21 hwy, 53K. Added running boards, tow, mud flaps & bug shield. First decided on mid-vs full-size. Then tested Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Toyo & Nissan (friends own each AND dealerships). Quickly narrowed to Tacoma & Frontier...equal consumer reports ratings, mpg, looks, versatility. Chose Frontier due to lower ins., proj. Mx costs, stiffer ride...I can place the truck where I want, when I want in almost any Weather/driving condition. Love IT! Reliability. Perform preventative Mx and have pros do work I cannot. Minus a faulty altenator replaced under warranty, ZERO issues. Always starts, always has power, best truck ever owned. Quality. Few are on resale lots. Did research, used dealer rebates, incentives, etc. to both dealer's & my benefit, got a poweful, functional truck for great price. Resale lower than expected, but I keep vehicles for > 10 yrs, not as important to me. Performance. Better vis and comfort all around. M-F driven HWY up to 85 mph..it's sporty/agile/SAFE! Around town we've helped people move, haul landscape materials, dirt rock and simple groceries and shopping. Utili-trak and bed sliders are ingeniously simple. OEM tires wore at 36K, repalced with same-sized Mich...much better traction/perf. No 4x4, but camp/hike often & travel dirt, snow packed and mtn roads. Yes, it axle hops on washboards and easily spins wheels when starting on ice, but using common sense and remembering it is 2WD...handles A- in all conditions. Easily merges on short on-ramps. Starts in 1st or 2nd. Manual 6-spd allows me to "hear" best shift range (@ 2750-3000). Cruises at 75-80 no problem. Towed 6K from East coast to mtns THRU' KS...rock solid. Oil filter and cabin filter could be easier to reach, but good access overall. Styling & Comfort. Give Nissan an A-. prefer more durable interior, but it is a truck...back seat versatility outweighs need for comfort and still good for up to 4 adults on trips of 4 hrs or less (better than my brother's Tacoma...per my Bro). Overall, great power, stiff, comfortable ride, handles suburb jobs and wknd trips to outdoors equally well. After 3 yrs in -10* to 100* temps, flat to mtns and 53K, the only things I'd consider are 4x4, tonneau and better turning radius. Still the best I've ever owned and Tacoma is still a distant #2..."

6 people out of 6 found this review helpful

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Great Vehicle

By LB (Owensboro, Ky) on Monday, July 19, 2010

"Bought new in 2005, I do not get the good mileage that others have claimed, probably because I drive it hard! It has great power and acceleration, handles very well in all weather conditions. Get comments all the time on what a nice looking vehicle it is!"

2 people out of 2 found this review helpful

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