I have a KC and as said.. the rear seats are useless, imo. I’m keeping my eyes open for a cc and if I’m lucky enough to find a long bed that would be even better. I’ve said on here before that with a small lift and one to two sizes up in tires.. changes the looks of these trucks completely. I hardly ever see them around here..

 

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.

Clint

 

its funny how people perceive things.

I think the long bed looks out of proportion. to me the hood and bed are roughly the same length so the truck looks equal but when you put the long bed on, it makes the back unequal.

I still think the long bed would be more useful to me and if I had one, I would probably say it looked better but....


I do think if I had a second gen that I would still think the first gen looks more muscular. the fender flares and aggressive front end on the 01+ first gen just looks tough.

 

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.

Clint

 

I traded my 2011 KC cause it absolutely sucked for kids/passengers.

Where I live the SV comes in CC LB so you get the full sized bed with four doors. You also get a strange looking truck with the turning radius of a semi.

Sent from my VOG-L04 using Tapatalk

 

I traded my 2011 KC cause it absolutely sucked for kids/passengers.

Where I live the SV comes in CC LB so you get the full sized bed with four doors. You also get a strange looking truck with the turning radius of a semi.

Sent from my VOG-L04 using Tapatalk

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've had four (4) CC short bed Frontiers, a Gen 1, and 3 Gen 2's. Just the right set up for me. Plenty of cab space, 4 adults go in the CC just fine and enough bed space for what I need to do. Love the util-track and bed extender, but I don't need a longer bed or full size bed. If that were the case, I wouldn't be buying this specific truck to begin with, I'd buy something bigger.

YMMV, but I personally wouldn't consider anything less than a CC for my truck needs for the foreseeable future.

 

I drive a crew cab short bed. If I could do it again I would go for the KC for the longer bed.

 

Can't really say that I miss having a long bed.

My extended family invested in a cheap utility trailer, so that's always an option for hauling the rare item that won't fit in the 5 foot bed.

 

Yep CC with kids is a must. I rented KCs in the past. The utilitrack system is great plus, the under seat storage is good for tie straps and things like that. I don't need a truck box taking up all the room in the bed. The shorter bed is just a learning curve, im considering adding a roof rack and bed bars to be able to haul long lumber more easily when needed, which for me is not often at all. Is it too late for you to add the poll to this question, it would be easier than reading all our rambling...

 

The only way I would consider a CC is with a long bed, kinda wish I had one actually. Not for passengers, but to have room for gear. It's something of a pain to shuffle stuff if I want to do the grocery shopping or something. But that was not the intended use either.

Kids grow rapidly, or at least mine did. When I switched out of my 03XE KC to a SVKC it was too late. Not enough more room to make any real difference. Unless you time it right there is a short window of time they would be excited to climb in the the back of a KC.

 

The rear seats of the King Cab are worthless for humans. Maybe a dog would be happy back there. I have more use for a 6 ft. bed thus the King cab works for me.

6 ft bed vs. hauling humans in the back seat. This is your decision point.

 

+ another one for Crew Cab Short Bed. Fairly easy to park and not the most horrible turning radius, though it wins no awards.

 

We looked at a king cab then brought the family in to check it out , My two sons 12 and 14 years old could not fit in the back seat. It would of held my rifle only (LOL) . So I bought the crew cab , a great vehicle .

 

If you are ever going to have other people in the vehicle... go with the crew cab.... my .02

 

I think the longer bed is a for sure on the way to go but I will always take a crew cab now that I have owned one. I grew up owning king cab / extended cabs and never once put anyone in the back till about 10 years back. I always had stuff back there so it was just a single cab with a storage area, to me.

but the crew cab, even with my kids being out of high school, I use it to carry groceries and the front wheel for my bicycle when I have to go to a ride somewhere and the bike is in the back. I carry all my cycling stuff in the back seat and am not a bit worried about anything being stolen or blowing out now. those back doors make it so easy to load / unload the stuff I put back there. way better than tilting a seat

 

3rd KC, first one with doors. No kids so have rarely ever used the seats...........that said - the doors suck - maybe open 90 degrees, why can't someone make a KC truck where the doors swing wider. almost makes the storage space useless. i actually thought is was easier to put stuff in and out of my old 2000 KC with no doors and the seats were actually more functional at least for 1 person. Agree with comments about bed size too, i would have a really hard time with a 5' bed! so when its time for a new ride it will be a tough choice - but we tend to use the cab more than the bed so will probably go with a CC and short bed.........

 

Two kids 6 an 9 ride full time in KC back seats no problem, tried 4 adults one time but that was very cramped.I know I can't fit back there,but kids seem to love it.

 

KC is all I would buy. 6 ft bed is bare minimum. But its just me and the wife.
But with kids its a different story.
If our kids were young I would not by a kc or cc. The 5 foot bed is worthless to us, rather have a suv and a utility trailer.

In the 90’s drove my family all over the east coast in kc Ranger with jump seats, pulling a popup, 2 dogs, 2 kids wife and a canoe. Don’t know how we did it or how the kids stood for it.

 

If you want to really use the rear seats, get a Crew Cab with the 6-foot bed. The 5-foot bed is useless for my needs.

 

If you have kids, Crew cab and make sure you get a truck with Utilitrac. The ability to tie down things using the rails trumps the extra foot the long bed gives you. I'll take a 5' bed with Utilitrac over an 8' bed with just the 4 corner tie downs any day.

 

Crew cab with the long box. Not only the most practical and useful, the long box is the better looking. The 4-door truck's appearance is proper with the long box. The crew cab short box is stumpy and unbalanced looking.

 

Crew cab for sure. I would only get a king cab if it was just me and the wife. They are better for hauling dirt bikes

 

Crew cab is my vote. My first Frontier was a king and my current one is crew. As written above, the versatility can’t be beat.

 

I have a 2004 and 2018 long bed CC .They are out there just a little harder to find.

 

Any CCLB SV/SL trucks in your area? I highly doubt you will be happy with a KC..

 

The crew cab is essentially a 5-passenger vehicle with a 5 foot bed in the back - Combines the best traits of a sedan, and a pickup.

Mine usually has one rear seat flipped down to hold extra cargo - but it'll still accommodate 3 or 4 passengers that way.

Ridiculously versatile.

I wouldn't even consider a king cab.

 

The crew cab is essentially a 5-passenger vehicle with a 5 foot bed in the back - Combines the best traits of a sedan, and a pickup.

Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a sedan and remove the trunk lid?