1999 4x4 of the Year: Nissan Frontier

Nissan Frontier

Likes
•Tight limited slip
•Stable and comfortable on highway
•Straightforward interior controls

Dislikes
•Not enough power throughout band
•Extremely untidy underhood
•Transmission shifter too tall for such low seating position

The Frontier was pretty much a party of one on the test, since it was the only compact pickup truck entered. But size didn't matter-instinctual comparos were constantly being made to the big ol' trucks, such as "It's better than the fullsizes on the highway" and "Lots of cargo room for its size but lacks the features of others." Yet the little Nissan took no offense to any remarks about how it stood alongside the other pickups-it had set out to rival the offerings of its own class, particularly in the field of grunt. It did so by pumping itself up with the Pathfinder-based 3.3L V-6, available in SE and XE King Cab 4x4s.

But let's set aside how it performed against vehicles that packed a wholloping 6.8L V-10 or 5.4L V-8-the 3.3L had reasonable power in the upper rpm, yet it simply wasn't available all the time. Around town, it had enough go but not enough get-up for twisty, hilly roads without keeping it tached fairly high. It fell to third slowest in the acceleration ratings, which felt about right for its perceived available power too. Even though it didn't have pep on road, it hugged corners, handled noticeably well, and was described with an F word-fun.

When we backed off the throttle on sand or dirt hillclimbs, the V-6 didn't have the strength to follow through, although its strong optional limited slip did help it scale that much farther than the Chevy but what seemed like miles behind the Kia. The SE in our competition came equipped with the standard five-speed manual transmission that many of the testers griped had too narrow gates and poorly spaced gear ratios. And while that limited slip excelled in curvy situations, minimal wheel travel hurt the Nissan at rockcrawling.

Four-wheel-drive engagement was very sure and one of the better of the group, but it couldn't ace the category because some people weren't expecting to be required to push the lever down and into place and because it blocked the cup holder once in low range. Wheelhop was negatory, and the ride over the whoops and high-speed stuff was the best of the pickups, although less bottoming out and front-skidplate testing would have been preferred, as would not having to take a beating from the sunroof cover as it fell off and smacked the unsuspecting over the berms.

Bottom line
A budget downsize pickup with an enjoyable ride and improved power.

Specifications