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2020 Frontier gets 3.8 V6 and 9 speed

50K views 190 replies 70 participants last post by  Speedfrk 
#1 ·
Just saw where Nissan is giving it an all new motor and transmission.

makes me want to trade my 2018, almost. Only 10% more fuel mileage though, kind of sad.
 
#2 ·
Not me, I have no interest in these high gear count auto transmissions. Fuel efficiency through limited rev range. Unnecessary complexity, just look to the Ford/GM cooperative 10-speed and all the issues it's had.

Sure, I'd like better fuel efficiency, but not at the expense of durability and usefulness. Aerodynamics and lighter weight materials (where it does not sacrifice structural integrity) would certainly contribute to improved fuel mileage.
 
#62 ·
the new 2020 is suppose to get gasoline direct injectionwhich in other vehicles
can cause like in the honda oil dilution with gasoline the exstreme presure of the gasoline can blow by the rings adding gasoline into the oil
plus GDI motors do not wash gasoline over the valves that keeps them clean
so the end result can be exstreme carbon build up on valves
 
#3 ·
A writer on the web wrote that Nissan is getting rid of the King Cab in the new Frontier. Only Crew Cab. This makes a 6' bed version too long for practicality. I hope this rumor is false.

The manual transmission is an endangered creature. I can see Nissan only offering the 8 speed auto for all new 3.8 L Frontiers. At least they had the smarts not to put a CVT into a truck.

We also know we cannot buy the first model year as they are still debugging the design. So late November 2021 is the first practical time to buy.
 
#5 · (Edited)
No way. Not buying until they have worked the bugs out for at least 3-4 years. All to gain maybe 2mph on paper. Been seeing reports the Ranger isn’t getting much better economy than we are. With the price difference my new dependable proven 2019 will be cheaper in the long run. I bought now just to get a 2nd gen while I can. It’s why I bought a manual transmission Focus, a Prius get ls better mileage, but cost 10k more. Never make up the difference in mpg, and cvt’s suck.
They gave me 7k off sticker on my SV, lets see if they discount the new drivetrain. And same torque. Torque rules, horsepower fools.
 
#6 ·
so much more than just lower rpm's. Many think having lower rpms mean less fuel used, but thats not it, not in general.

I had an old VW that screamed at 4k rpms and almost redlined, yet got 40mpg.
They put an entire new engine into this new frontier with 4 more gears and 10% is all they claim improvement ? haha which means in reality probably closer to 5%. There have been a few GM products that went to the 10 speed with zero improvement and I think 1 actually got worse.

As for the Frontiers 9 speed, I just want to know what the crawl ratio is now, thats probably a gigantic improvement
 
#8 ·
I tow a lot, and carry heavy loads over long grades. The extra gears would help keep the truck in the powerband.

As it is now, I’m either doing 4500rpm to hold 55-60 MPH, or 3000rpm and slowing. If I leave it in drive, the trans will hunt for the right gear. Speeding up and then slowing back down.


I don’t know about the rest of the truck but I’d love more gears.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#26 ·
I tow a lot, and carry heavy loads over long grades. The extra gears would help keep the truck in the powerband.

As it is now, I’m either doing 4500rpm to hold 55-60 MPH, or 3000rpm and slowing. If I leave it in drive, the trans will hunt for the right gear. Speeding up and then slowing back down.


I don’t know about the rest of the truck but I’d love more gears.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have a van that’s an 8 speed and on grades it never seems to know what gear to be in.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Someone mentioned they are interested in buying the 2020 - I would wait a year when 2021 MY is out, that way you get some good incentives on the 2020 as it too will be "outdated" at that point (old body style, with 3.8l).

Although the MPG isn't much greater, it's still inline with all similar trucks in this class (and that's with the current body style). Something I haven't read others mention is that hopefully the 2021 truck will be a little lighter (as compared to current model with cement filled hood and tailgate), which might help increase the fuel economy a little more.
 
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#10 · (Edited)
I don't like how it went to push button start only, I prefer the old fashioned key so I can still get into the vehicle and start it even if the fob is dead. Plus the placement in front of the gear shift looks goofy to me, obviously an afterthought. Why couldn't the push button be in the same place as the old keyhole?

One nice thing to know is that the new models frame should be either the same or very similar to the current model since it'll be running the same transmission and engine. 2020 sounds like a year to completely avoid since this to me looks like a test mule year to get the bugs out of the engine and transmission.

The mileage though should be pretty decent, its supposed to be 10% more than what the 4 cylinder got, so 20-21 City/24-25 Hwy, which for a truck is pretty good, assuming that's what it'll be rated at.

Also why did this get moved to the 3rd Gen Discussion? It's still a 2nd Gen just has a new motor and transmission...
 
#15 ·
Push button start is just a huge invitation for thieves. Bye bye to reasonable insurance rates.
 
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#16 ·
I am probably not going to buy one but I like that they are putting the new motor and transmission out in the current body style. I am happy with the current truck but would like better gas mileage. If they were smart they would just keep doing this for a few more years as they could keep the price lower than the competition.
 
#17 ·
I just read in an article that power locks an windows are gonna be standard. The 3.8 is gonna be the sole engine option getting rid of the 2.5 4 banger and the 5 speed stick along with the engine. King and crews still available no word on long bed option. Also no word on 6 speed stick option. The new 3.8 will be available in the 2020 frontier this coming spring which is still the same 2nd generation body that's been around for a good while THEN they'll move to the next generation. I lost the article I just got done reading. That 3800cc engine will put out supposedly 310 horses and 281foot pounds of torque.
 
#25 ·
#28 ·
9-speed auto points to Daimler, through their joint ventures with Renault and Nissan. It's been in use in Mercedes vehicles as the 9G-tronic for 4 years or so.
Which further points to the new Frontier being a rebadged Renault Alaskan.
The Alaskan currently being sold with a diesel overseas, which could easily be replaced with the new 3.8L for the US market.
 
#29 ·
I admit I didn't have time to read all the articles on this so I have 2 questions for you all that are more knowledgeable than me on this stuff:

1) Is the 3.8 / 9 speed used elsewhere in other Nissan vehicles so it somewhat proven elsewhere on other Nissan vehicles? I think I've heard that the transmission may be used in the Titan but is is the same one?

2) After working for 20 years on vehicles, I still (embarrassingly so) not quite sure I completely understand the difference between HP and Torque. Does the increase in HP mean I could beat a Honda Civic off the line, but if I am towing a large trailer I would be less efficient than my VQ40 today? Anyone here could clarify for me?
 
#34 ·
This.

Years ago I had a beater 78 Cadillac with the 425 V8. The car was never going to win ANY races, but it had this weird amount of pull if you just kept moderate throttle. It would pull up and over hills without any need for more throttle input.

Sure enough, engine specs, 190 HP, 320 FT-LBS of torque @ 2400 rpm....
 
#36 ·
Fwiw, which might be very little:
Infiniti used to use a VQ variant at 3.7 liters, as does the current 370Z. The Nissan GTR uses a 3.8.

I recently had the opportunity to drive my buddy's Infiniti G37X AWD w/ a 7-sp auto trans. It was quick!! Would guess the car at ~3800-3900 lbs & in the 5.5 0-60 realm.
 
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#37 ·
I wish they were going to drop in a small diesel. I would love to have the current truck with a small diesel motor. Don't reserve the diesel for the high trim levels so they are uber expensive. Put them in the SV and sell a bunch of them.
 
#38 ·
If they are truly axing the manual trans, I'm glad I picked up my '19 manual when I did. I was on the fence about getting the closest one I could find (~600 miles away) or waiting and ordering a '20. I also wonder if the Tacoma will continue offering manual trans if the Frontier indeed does away with it. Sad times. Hope my '19 can last me many many years.
 
#39 · (Edited)
The more research you do, the more you will find that THIS is the new Frontier.
This IS a refreshed gen 2 frontier being sold under the Renault Alaska badge and also Mercedes X-Class Pickup .
Also notice where push-to-start button is located.
This vehicle is evidence of an active Nissan/Renault/Daimler joint venture, along with the 9-speed auto which is almost certainly the Daimler 9G-tronic, and the Mercedes X-Class Pickup which was just discontinued from the Mercedes lineup.
 
#40 ·
Do you have reliable sources to back up these claims? As far as I'm concerned none of it is accurate.

-The Renault Alaskan and Mercedes X-Class are based on the NP300 Navara which has been around since 2014, Nissan has previously stated it has no plans to sell an NP300 Navara based truck in the USA or Canada.
-They have also stated that the "3rd generation" Frontier will continue to be based on F-Alpha platform along with the recently updated Titan 1/2 ton and some Nissan commercial vans.
-The new 9spd is a Jatco (Nissan) transmission that was developed and is available in the 2020 Titan, it has no relation to the Daimler 9G-tronic.
 
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