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It's cool that you can squeeze your kids into the king cab seats, but
the fact that you have to do so makes the point that the king cab seats
are not valid seating. I bought my king cab after my kids were grown and
the grand kids were still small... no one could fit in those seats. I'm
pretty sure that the sales guy that rode back there for our test drive
spent the rest of the day at the chiropractor. He couldn't even open the
door, he had to ask me to let him out.

It’s been written about in many trade publications that rear seat passengers in a king cab fair poorly in collisions, in 1997 when my second child was born I sold my king cab hardbody (only 2 years old) and bought a Quest minivan so they had safe room and rocked that until 2000 when the Frontier was offered in a crew cab.

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The best feature of the Frontier CC is the fold up back seats basically turn the interior into a SUV. I carry more stuff there than the bed. I’d never buy a king cab.

It’s a great place to lock a bicycle, remove the front wheel and easily fit 2 back there.

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They couldn’t explain to me when I wanted a new truck why they could still make a short bed 6 speed but not a long bed 6 speed same everything.

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They stopped it in 2010 as I ordered mine and they built it.

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Overall the Frontier is a great truck and there are both versions to fit our needs.

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It’s not the hood vs the bed, it’s the cab vs the bed in my visual balance. In the old days when almost all pickups were single cabs the six foot bed was a short bed and 8 foot was a long bed.
Twice Nissan came out with a short bed only crew cab, 2000 and 2005. We will see what they do in 2021. It happens when they change body styles.

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The turning radius of my CC/LB has never bothered me, I plan ahead and drive accordingly.

But, why do you say strange looking? As I said before, the CC/LB looks proper and balanced, architecturally speaking.The CC/SB is out of balance to my eye, more like a mid-sized SUV that had its roof removed. Like that hybrid Ford Ranger-Explorer thing they had out for a few years (not to that extreme, though), which provided what, about a 40" or so "cargo box"? Ish.

My philosophy with my Frontier purchase was to buy all the basic utility it could provide, and that meant 4wd, 4 real doors and seats, and all the bed length they made. Anything less, for me, was a sacrifice. And undoubtedly, it looks the best.

I agree, the bed on the short bed version is not in a proper ratio to the cab size. I had 1 short bed as the 2000 only came that way but as soon as the 2002 was released in the long bed version it was in my driveway as well as the three Frontiers after that.
How about the Hummer H2 with that micro sized bed? Im surprised they sold any.
The long bed crew cab has a better ride also, I’ve done numerous trips from NJ to Florida and back as can attest to the difference.

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It’s been researched and written about that a king cab is less safe than a crew cab in a collision as the cab is smaller to start with. This is referring to all brands and not just Nissan. I’d shop from a practical point of view leaning towards safety and price shouldn’t come out on top.
My kids were good in my Frontiers but in the beginning in car seats it wasn’t so great due to the incline and how the seat projected forward and how upright the back rest is.

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