I'm thinking of buying a Frontier...

[MED]

I think Nissan is looking at following GM's lead with a Diesel in the Frontier; might want to look at that, but it is a year or two away. I commute from Conifer into Denver everyday, and 16-20mpg is not fun; hopefully, the Frontier is better then 20mpg. The diesel in my Jeep helps a great deal with fuel economy as well as performance in the mountains.

Although, I have never understood the purpose of a mid size truck. The box is too small to do much of anything; why not just get an SUV so you have the flexibility with cargo and passengers? What does the small box really give you? ...except the need to purchase a utility box or topper...or both. However, I don't understand the purpose of the ½ ton pickup either; why have a box unless you can put 5,000lbs of rock in it, or the flexibility to do any job. I don't agree with the suggestion of getting a ½ ton as a commuter in the mountains; what a waste of gas and money.

[Jer]

I think Nissan is looking at following GM's lead with a Diesel in the Frontier; might want to look at that, but it is a year or two away. I commute from Conifer into Denver everyday, and 16-20mpg is not fun; hopefully, the Frontier is better then 20mpg. The diesel in my Jeep helps a great deal with fuel economy as well as performance in the mountains.

Although, I have never understood the purpose of a mid size truck. The box is too small to do much of anything; why not just get an SUV so you have the flexibility with cargo and passengers? What does the small box really give you? ...except the need to purchase a utility box or topper...or both. However, I don't understand the purpose of the ½ ton pickup either; why have a box unless you can put 5,000lbs of rock in it, or the flexibility to do any job. I don't agree with the suggestion of getting a ½ ton as a commuter in the mountains; what a waste of gas and money.

Good points. I actually don't agree with the idea of a diesel in a mid-size truck but I guess we'll see what the buying public says about that one. I have a feeling they're creating a solution to a problem 1% of the buying populace had.

I've found that my Tacoma's bed is MORE than capable for what I need to do. I opted for the Access Cab because it fits my needs better (easy to get into the back to get to tools & such... no kids and rarely do I haul anyone other than a single passenger around with me) and I wanted the longer bed. The tiny little bed on the double cab mid-size trucks are... tiny. I've found that for 99% of my needs this truck bed does great and I've even had heavier loads of rock & sod in the back and it does just fine. Not like my Tundra mind you but I rarely actually need to do this and a couple of trips for the same load is worth it for all the advantages the truck has for me for 98% of it's use.

Trucks have gotten HUGE and I don't understand how the average driver thinks they NEED that much pick-up. Granted, I know some that do but for the most part it's status. I'm a pretty large dude and the Tacoma has plenty of room for me. It's cozy. If I need a bigger truck I'll rent one but have yet to need a bigger truck since 'downgrading' to a Tacoma. Best vehicle move I've made in many many years.

[MED]

Good points. I actually don't agree with the idea of a diesel in a mid-size truck but I guess we'll see what the buying public says about that one. I have a feeling they're creating a solution to a problem 1% of the buying populace had.

I've found that my Tacoma's bed is MORE than capable for what I need to do. I opted for the Access Cab because it fits my needs better (easy to get into the back to get to tools & such... no kids and rarely do I haul anyone other than a single passenger around with me) and I wanted the longer bed. The tiny little bed on the double cab mid-size trucks are... tiny. I've found that for 99% of my needs this truck bed does great and I've even had heavier loads of rock & sod in the back and it does just fine. Not like my Tundra mind you but I rarely actually need to do this and a couple of trips for the same load is worth it for all the advantages the truck has for me for 98% of it's use.

Trucks have gotten HUGE and I don't understand how the average driver thinks they NEED that much pick-up. Granted, I know some that do but for the most part it's status. I'm a pretty large dude and the Tacoma has plenty of room for me. It's cozy. If I need a bigger truck I'll rent one but have yet to need a bigger truck since 'downgrading' to a Tacoma. Best vehicle move I've made in many many years.

I love having a diesel in the mountains; huge difference in both fuel economy and performance. I guess I don't see the diesel in the small pickup either, but I don't understand the platform; if you commute up and down the mountain everyday, you would see the difference between gas and diesel very quickly. Mine pulls the mountain up 285 in 5th gear most of the way and only down shifts if my speed drops too close to the shift point. The OP lives in the mountains so he may want to look into diesel SUV/small pickup options since he mentioned the commute and performance issues. I certainly wouldn't see a 6.7 Cummins in a midsize, but a 2 or 3 litter in-line 4 for something that will be used for lot of commuting miles works great for me...my Jeep averages 22,000 miles per year for 8 years now; I hope to get 500,000 out of the engine with one trans rebuild. Now that I have my Jeep back from my X (lost for a few months in the divorce), I replaced my commuter car and the GMC Denali I used for bad weather and family stuff with one vehicle that does pretty much everything and doesn't kill my on fuel costs. Personally, the vehicle I most wanted that has never happened is a diesel in the Wrangler. I think you will see more diesel options as CAFE chokes the life out of SUVs, pickups, and trucks in the future. Personally, I wouldn't make a major investment into a vehicle with a mountain to downtown commute unless it got 30+mpg. This is my world, and the transportation costs are staggering.

I am sure the midsize pickup works for some people, but I still don't get it. The SUV works well for weather and off-road and a small trailer for the odd jobs provides enough size to allow a load of drywall or plywood, which is something that is not possible with a midsize pickup without a trailer. I have a hard enough time accepting a 6ft bed on a full-size...just don't understand having a small box. The 8ft bed is bad enough, which is why I have a flatbed. My jobs would quickly exceed capacity and I would get frustrated with it pretty quickly.

There are definitely some big pickups out there in all the wrong places that are ridicules often owned by people who never use them. Ten years ago I purchased a Dodge V10 club cab with the full float Dana 70; it didn't have a hitch and not a single mark in the bed; WTF! …it was good for me though since it had hardly any use. I am pretty dumbfounded when I see a 6” box on a 1 ton...why? I come from the farm and ranch mentality...I have a Cummins, Dana 80 dually, and a flatbed so my view on trucks is pretty skewed. My truck sits at home most of the time, but when I need to log, pull my trailers, get a load of road base for my property, or pull my sister's goose neck trailers on the ranch, it gets the job done. I sure as hell wouldn't ever drive it as a commuter, but there isn't a job I can't do with it. So, I either drive an SUV and grab a trailer if needed or pull out the beast for large jobs.

[Eric P]

2015 will be an all new Frontier.

http://m.leftlanenews.com/nissan-frontier-2015.html

[Dave_L]

Congrats on the truck! New cars are always fun.

On a side note, my double cab tacoma has done everything I've asked it. Towed a car on a car hauler over Vail pass, loaded an ATV in the bed for camping, hauled a bed full of 16 ft boards for my deck. There's a lot of uses for a mid size truck. I like that I don't rub elbows with a passenger but I dont have to look for the extra huge parking spots.

[Ronin13]

2015 will be an all new Frontier.

http://m.leftlanenews.com/nissan-frontier-2015.html

Most "New" cars look like ass... seriously, the new Chevy Silverados look ugly as fvck, I do not like where Toyota went on their last redesign, and Ford's new 150 took a while to grow on me, but that new '15 Frontier doesn't look like crap in my eyes, not perfect, but I'll say it doesn't look like complete fugliness.

[ChadAmberg]

Most "New" cars look like ass... seriously, the new Chevy Silverados look ugly as fvck, I do not like where Toyota went on their last redesign, and Ford's new 150 took a while to grow on me, but that new '15 Frontier doesn't look like crap in my eyes, not perfect, but I'll say it doesn't look like complete fugliness.

I just saw a new "Chrysler Jeep", dunno if it's a new Cherokee or what, but it was horrifically umblefugly. Had one of the ugliest rear ends since the Pontiac Aztec. I'd rather become a proctologist and stare at ass all day than drive that thing. Or even be the car behind it.

C'mon the Italians owning Chrysler should make these vehicles look great not... whatever the hell happened to it.

[Jer]

I do not like where Toyota went on their last redesign

Define 'last' as in year and model. I think if any criticism of Toyota the one that they don't update their vehicles design of features as often as the other manufacturers holds the most weight so I'm interested to see what generation & model you think was such a drastic change that it elicited such a response.

[blacklabel]

Most "New" cars look like ass... seriously, the new Chevy Silverados look ugly as fvck, I do not like where Toyota went on their last redesign, and Ford's new 150 took a while to grow on me, but that new '15 Frontier doesn't look like crap in my eyes, not perfect, but I'll say it doesn't look like complete fugliness.

It's hideous. I want a truck that looks like a truck. That looks like a Nissan Morano on meth.

[Jer]

It's hideous. I want a truck that looks like a truck. That looks like a Nissan Morano on meth.

I agree, that thing is pretty ugly looking. At first glance I was like... 'ohh, that's different' but the more I watched it the more I disliked it. Too smooth, girly and curvy for my taste for a truck.