Don't look at anything older than 2011. I think that's the year they had all the major bugs worked out.

 

the gearing from first to second i believe is actually REALLY helpful when you go off-roading... the tail gate lock, yeah same here just go back and forth a few times and it works, i think there is a blog on how to make it turn easier. n the A pillar (or as i like to call it the 'OH ****' handles) ive actually never had to use.... but i would say this... I LOVE THIS TRUCK, never thought i would say that with a foreign truck, but i DO!!!

 

I like the look of the Tacoma but the drivers seat sucked so bad I didn't even test drive it. it had a 6 or 8 way adjustable seat but it felt like I was sitting on the floor. Asked them how much they wanted for the 2015 Frontier SV fully loaded with 7200 miles on it and paid cash and never looked back. Next truck will most likely be the Blue Nissan Titan FX4 I keep seeing on the lot. Not a fan of the XD's

 

@jaysantosauxiliarypolice i just clicked on those links..... HOLY CRAP those are high monthly prices!!! i bought mine brand new off the lot with 18 miles on it and i pay 425/month.... just something to think about before going that route (pro4x with lux package)

 

4X4 isn't a must, but I might as well if the difference in mpg is 1.

The biggest difference isn't MPG - It's selling price.

4X4 will cost you an extra $5K up front.

Naturally, if you sell the truck before it's completely worn out, you'll get some of that extra cost back.

 

I bought a 2017 Desert Runner and I love it! If you don't necessary need the 4 wheel drive,
then the Desert Runner is the way to go. It has all the same suspension, Bilstein's, etc., just
no 4 wheel drive (which insurance is also higher for). SO... If you don't need 4 wheel drive you
can save a lot of money all around. I paid $21,000 for mine with 22,000 miles on it. That's my 2 cents!

mdlweb

 

I don't know of any new model truck that still has the driver side grab handle. 3rd gen tacoma or 2nd gen colorado /canyons don't have them. Most full size don't either n heck even my wrangler didn't have either driver or passenger side handles.

I prefer the gearing in the frontier. Go drive one of the other midsize trucks as they are in 6th gear by the time you get to 30 mph and then won't downshift.
Yes I had a 2016 colorado z71 that never could figure out what gear it wanted to be in. Go check out coloradofans on the chuggle shudder issues which even do it on the new 8 speed trans as well..

Zero issues with locking the tailgate on mine, turn left it unlocks and turn right it locks.

Zero issues with gas gauge or fill ups. I don't understand the mentality to let the gas light come on before I find a gas station or do I pay any attention to the DTE. Mine gets to as low as 1/4 tank and I full up until it clicks off and it's full.

Now I have found the steering wheel controls a bit of a nuisance at first doing one handed sharp turns in a parking garage but I learned how to position my hand so not to bump the controls any more.

If you can swing the price I think the Pro4x is the way to go. You get all the goodies and 4x4. I come from the camp of better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Hell this truck actually has more options that should of been on the Chevy for 7 k less. Damn thing didn't even have a 4x4 indicator in the instrument cluster...whaaat!! Only thing I kinda miss is the step bumper which came in handy more than I thought it would.

 

1. I have never found 'take off' shifting to be an issue. The hunting around 40mph going up and down hills is slightly annoying, but I come from a manual transmission so any auto shifting is annoying to me.

2. Never had an issue with the locking tailgate and I use it often because I have a Bakflip bed cover. Maybe this is a one off or something is wrong with your particular tailgate.

3. I have heard that this truck does not like 'peaking' at the gas gauge while filling and is designed to have the engine (and ignition) off while fueling. I think the gauge itself is fine and there is a 'glitch in the matrix' with the ECU maybe, when you peak with the ignition on, or have the engine running while filling.

4. I have a grab handle (2013Pro4x). It was discontinued in later models. (2017 or 2016?)

5. I love my steering wheel buttons, I come from a vehicle with no buttons and I still feel like I'm driving a luxury vehicle with them

I can honestly say with no bias (yeah right... I know) that if you are interested in a dependable vehicle without too many bells and whistles, then this is a tried and true platform, if you buy a 2011 or later (as mentioned by Jwp1964)

 

I want to lock the tailgate to help minimize its theft. From what I read, locking the tailgate is to first turn the key counter clockwise, then turn clockwise. I have only been successful in locking it once.

I suspect that you're locking it and then immediately unlocking it again when you turn it counterclockwise.

To lock the tailgate, turn the key clockwise until the lock clicks. It doesn't take a lot of force. Then just let the key go. My key returns to the center by itself. Pull key out. Done. Tailgate is locked.

 

If you get an SV trim level, opt for the Value Truck Package (VTP). It is worth it.

 

Personally haven't experienced any issues with the 1-2 shift.

My '15 the tailgate lock seems to work just fine. No complaints. Obviously take some problems that a rental may have with a grain of salt, try another truck to see if it's any better.

When I drive down to the fuel-light coming on and refill I end up putting in somewhere between sixteen and seventeen gallons. I've never run it past that. I get around 250 miles, but I'm a leadfoot so take my poor fuel economy with a grain of salt.

2015 still has the grab handle.

I'm not a huge fan of the buttons as-implemented on the steering wheel either, but so far hasn't been a problem with incidental button pushes. My complaint is more that they're not especially ergonomic, they're very square. Also the big up/down on each side are too similar side-to-side, occasionally I've changed volume when I meant to increase speed, and I've lowered speed instead of turning down the volume.


I've never had a truly perfect vehicle, I think my '95 Impala is closest but when those debuted they were over $20,000, that's about $35,000 in today's money. It had better be close to perfect!

 

Speaking of rentals, right now the used Frontier market has a lot of rental fleet Pro4X trucks in it.

If you see a "low mile, one owner" Pro4X that is lacking the roof rack and/or the trailer hitch, it was likely a fleet vehicle.

Lacking one or the other is a maybe but lacking both turned out to always have been a previous rental when I was looking.

 

1. Doesn't shift soon enough from 1st to 2nd. Even with a fairly light foot, the tranny doesn't shift until around 3,000 rpm. That's relatively high specially for a truck. Not to mention that 1st gear is quite low (I understand the need for pulling) but for daily driving I wish it shifted sooner and probably help save a little on gas.

RPM's does not automatically mean better mpg. There is a lot more to it. my VW ran at almost 4k rpm on the hwy, yet I got well over 40mpg. Older vehicles with only 3 gears easily got 30
+MPG.

That said, you can easily keep the Frontier under 2k rpms. I do it daily

 

RPM's does not automatically mean better mpg. There is a lot more to it. my VW ran at almost 4k rpm on the hwy, yet I got well over 40mpg. Older vehicles with only 3 gears easily got 30
+MPG.

Mmmhmm. It depends on the rate of fuel needed to keep the engine spinning at that rate, which is in-turn going to be based on aerodynamic drag, vehicle mass, and combustion efficiency. Usually lower RPM means more efficiency, but that's for engines whose most efficient use of fuel are in those lower RPM ranges. that VW van probably wasn't set up for acceleration.

 

I'll second the Desert Runner as a viable option for 2WD (and less $$). I chose it over the SV w/TVP model for a couple of reasons... 1.) The stock 2018 rims are butt-ugly. I really like the DS rims. 2.) I don't want to live without the fully adjustable seat w/ lumbar support.

My old X had the lumbar, and my lower back truly appreciates it.

You miss out on the bed liner, utilitrac, upgraded stereo, all the "luxury" stuff...lol, but it is still a nice package.

 

I bought mine new on October 1st... which ended up being the last day of the month at my local dealer... which later turned out to be good, for me. I got a sweet deal and I could not be happier. I didn't start out looking at new trucks, but was looking for a gently used one with low miles. The prices that I was finding was just slightly under the cost of a new truck. I decided on the Pro 4X, because it had every option that I had considered. I love this truck, it has plenty of power and is very comfortable. My advice... Don't try to save money and buy a 4 cylinder. The 4 has lower power, but the truck has smaller brakes, basic suspension, etc. It only gets marginally more gas mileage even with the smaller engine. The 6 cylinder has ample power to pull things and is a blast to drive. Good luck with your search... and welcome to the club.

 

That's 2 things that never pop into my mind when shopping for a truck, MPG's and 4 cylinder. I know all these claims from all makes claim 20-26 MPG and I laugh. Mines been a steady 18 MPG so I'm not complaining. My 2013 Silverado CC 5.3 was 14 city or highway no matter what mods I added to help.
Can't remember if it's Ford, Chevy or Dodge but one of them doesn't even show the average City/Hwy MPG on the window sticker. Wish I could find that video.

 

It's based on GVW. If the truck is heavy enough it's in a classification that doesn't require disclosure of fuel economy since that fuel economy would vary widely for commercial cargo or towing applications.

 

My three complaints with the Frontiers are the shift points are sluggish, the overly plastic interior (I've upgraded some things and had the dash kit painted to match the black exterior paint), and the totally shitty cloth seats which I replaced with leather.

 

One perspective:

Use your own numbers if you don't like mine.

At my 17.5 mpg I'm at ~571 gallons of gas/10k miles.
At 21 mpg, it is ~476 gallons of gas/10k miles.
Using round numbers, that is 95 gallons of gas difference...let's just call this $300.
Is saving $300/10k miles worth the loss in power and payload? To some it is and to some it is not.

There is obviously WAY more to all this...such as the upfront cost as well as looking at this from a 200,000 mile standpoint.
YMMV