Taco vs Frontier: Your Thoughts, Please

[blacklabel]

I have a 2008 NISMO Frontier with 102k miles on it. It's been perfectly reliable, has handled Pole Hill Road, Johnny Park Road, Pierson Park, etc. without much of a complaint. I prefer the seating position to my buddy's 2 year old Tacoma.

My primary reason for buying the Frontier vs a Tacoma was used pricing. I wasn't going to pony up the cash for a Tacoma and I'm happy I didn't.

[ZERO THEORY]

ALSO remember that the Tacoma's of that vintage are all plastic after the cab.

Hmmm...duly noted.

I own a 2012 Frontier SV Crew Cab 4x4 and I love it. My only complaint is that the turning radius sucks. I'd recommend driving both because they are fairly different aside from the Taco being grossly overpriced for what you get, new or used. I bought my Frontier new for less than I'd get a comparable used Tacoma for.

Frontier Pros
- Fully Boxed frame vs C-channel for the Taco.
- Metal bed vs plastic for the Taco.
- More powerful than Taco.
- Truck like seating position vs car like in Taco.
- More affordable

Taco Pros
- Better aftermarket
- Slightly better fuel economy

The Frontier has a decent aftermarket though, even if it is smaller than the Tacoma. Nisstec Lifts and Hefty Fabworks are both Colorado companies and two of the larger aftermarket vendors. Boulder Nissan is also one of the biggest proponents of the platform, to include the Xterra, in the off road community.

The only real issue with the X and Frontier was called the strawberry milkshake of death. It was radiator and transmission cross contamination but that issue was fixed for the 2009 model year.

I'm deadset on a manual, so any radiator/ATF mixture is a non-issue. Thanks for the heads-up, though. I will say that the Nissan was far more comfortable and naturally truck-feeling. However, the cab storage options in the Taco were awesome.

OP is looking to buy an 05-11 so I'm assuming a new vehicle is not an option.

if I thought you were irresponsible enough to buy something new.

Never understood the appeal of buying something new off the lot. My old man told me it was a no-no when I was younger and I have stuck to it.

I don't know anything about Nissan, but I bought my 07 DC TRD Taco used back in 07 and so far all I've done is change fluids as scheduled, including anti-freeze and hoses and did belt at the same time. And I had one rear wheel seal go out that I changed. Still on original brake pads. About 166,000 miles and I can't find anything bad to say about it. One wish I have is that they would put a larger gas tank on. In the winter I run mud tires and they do cut mileage down considerably, but that really only bothers me when I take a road trip through multiple states.
I don't use mine to tow, and quite frankly don't think it would do very good if I did. If I put four full grown men and about 10 dead coyotes in the back, it don't take much of a bump to bottom out.

Thanks for the insight. Bump stomps would definitely be part of the lift.

[ZERO THEORY]

I have a 2008 NISMO Frontier with 102k miles on it. It's been perfectly reliable, has handled Pole Hill Road, Johnny Park Road, Pierson Park, etc. without much of a complaint. I prefer the seating position to my buddy's 2 year old Tacoma.

My primary reason for buying the Frontier vs a Tacoma was used pricing. I wasn't going to pony up the cash for a Tacoma and I'm happy I didn't.

This is one of the biggest pros for the Frontier. Found an '06 from a private seller with 136K, a custom bumper, lifted, wheels and tires, new clutch, et. al. for under $15K. Meanwhile, there are guys selling '02 Tacos for the same price bone stock. WTF?!

[HoneyBadger]

I love the 4.0 engine in my 2014 Xterra (Pro-4X). I pulled a 6200lb trailer from Colorado to California and I was really impressed by the performance and power. Anyone that knows that route on 70 and 15 knows that its just one mountain pass after another. I towed about 5700lbs behind my 2001 Silverado extended cab (5.3L V8) on the same route from CA to CO back in 2012 and the Silverado couldn't maintain the speed limit over most of those mountain passes, while the Xterra could maintain and even accelerate well over the speed limit. Yes, different gearing and different situations with different aged vehicles, but I was really impressed with the Xterra's performance. I say this, because the Frontiers and Xterras are nearly identical under the body (and inside the cab).

I don't think the Xterra/Frontier is terribly comfortable or fun to drive on the highway - probably less so than other vehicles in this class - but I do think it is set up well for driving trails and off-road. I've only driven a Taco a few times, but I think the Taco handled better at highway speeds. Off road, I don't have any experience with the Taco, but I would guess that the Taco and Frontier are pretty similar in handling and capability.

Never understood the appeal of buying something new off the lot. My old man told me it was a no-no when I was younger and I have stuck to it.

Good for you. I wish my old man would have advised me the same way. Although even if he did, I'm not sure I would have listened.

[Sawin]

Zero Theory, thanks for posing the question... While not specifically between Frontier and Tacoma, I'm in a similar debate to you....
By and large, I agree with everything everyone is saying about both models.

The one thing I might add against the frontier is the ugly factor... I just think they're ugly; certainly uglier than the Tacoma, but I'm a nobody so what does my opinion matter?!

The new Chevy Colorado looks great in person and on paper. I saw one yesterday as a matter of fact... in the light drizzling snow... it's not that much wider than a Tacoma, really... and certainly not taller if you get yours lifted 3"+. but i cannot justify a new one either...

[Great-Kazoo]

IBJ

In before Jer


Taco's +'s resale, aftermarket support, almost bullet proof.
Negatives, Over priced when trying to buy a good used one. Same body style for how long? Fanbois will never let it go

Frontier +'s good market share, lower resale making them more affordable than taco's, good drive train
Negatives, less aftermarket support, resale

If i were in the mid size truck market working within a budget. Would have no problem buying a frontier. Buy what works for you.

[hurley842002]

IBJ

In before Jer


Taco's +'s resale, aftermarket support, almost bullet proof.
Negatives, Over priced when trying to buy a good used one. Same body style for how long? Fanbois will never let it go

Frontier +'s good market share, lower resale making them more affordable than taco's, good drive train
Negatives, less aftermarket support, resale

If i were in the mid size truck market working within a budget. Would have no problem buying a frontier. Buy what works for you.

IBJ haaaaa!

[Honey Badger282.8]

Zero Theory, thanks for posing the question... While not specifically between Frontier and Tacoma, I'm in a similar debate to you....
By and large, I agree with everything everyone is saying about both models.

The one thing I might add against the frontier is the ugly factor... I just think they're ugly; certainly uglier than the Tacoma, but I'm a nobody so what does my opinion matter?!

The new Chevy Colorado looks great in person and on paper. I saw one yesterday as a matter of fact... in the light drizzling snow... it's not that much wider than a Tacoma, really... and certainly not taller if you get yours lifted 3"+. but i cannot justify a new one either...

I much prefer the styling of the Frontier over the Tacoma. To me the Tacoma looks like some teenager designed it to look overly aggressive, almost to the point of compensation. The Colorado does nothing for me either, too bulbous and I hate that rake they designed into the belt line. The Canyon doesn't look bad imo.

[blacklabel]

I don't mind the last generation Tacomas. The 2016s look like a sqished F150.

[Calculated]

I've been down the gnarliest road I've ever seen on the face of a mountain in my buddy's 2009 Frontier. There were guys climbing asking how the hell we got there. It was a mistake made by following a GPS. We thought, hey, instead of driving 30 miles back around this way, it's only 1.5 miles this way, let's go that way. Like I said, turns out it was down the face of a mountain. I was going to buy a Taco but after that, I decided the Frontier was legit.

Bought a 2011 Pro-4x and have taken it to Moab, deep woods camping, mountain road exploring etc. and it flat out takes anything I throw at it. 45k miles and no issues whatsoever. Drives like a car on the road and off roads like a jeep. I love it. The one drawback I can say is I average around 16-18 mpg with the blend of highway and city driving I do, wish it was better. Mines got the same powerplant as the 350z so you can add the factory twin turbo to it if you want more power.

Pretty much everything Honey Badger 282.8 said.

Oh yea, one thing I forgot. The damn things heats up in like 2 miles, really nice in the dead of winter going to work at 1 am. All new cars may do that I don't know, but his truck and my truck both do. I've never had or ridden in a vehicle that warms up as quickly. Small perk.