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Hard-Body Image Copley News Service With a little cosmetic surgery and a supercharged V-6, the Nissan Frontier pickup has reclaimed the hard-body image it had in the late '80s.
The exaggerated front end, tailgate treatment and wheel arches scream out industrial strength. The less-exaggerated but contemporary interior styling is fully functional and fit for a couple of large males. Head, hip and leg room are generous at 39.3, 55.2 and 41.4 inches. The supercharged models are the top of line and come with such desirable features as 17-inch Firestone Firehawk GTA tires and good-looking alloy wheels that carry the industrial-strength influence. The interior gets baseball-stitched leather-trim seats. The new look is a very simple freshening, but it makes an impression visually. From the back, the lockable tailgate is a calling card for the truck, set off by a hefty plastic mounting plate at the latch and the jewel-tone Frontier name spread out across the bottom. F-150 owners may not sell out to get the new Frontier, but people who were tempted to buy a 2000 Frontier, should be pleased they waited for the restyled 2001 model. The supercharged package can be ordered in 2- or 4-wheel drive King Cab Desert Runner S/C, or 2- or 4-wheel drive Crew Cab. Prices start at $20,519 and go up to $23,019 for a King Cab S/C 4WD.
A Supercharger Value Package ($1,549) adds leather seating surfaces, security system, pop-up sunroof with removable sunshade, tilt wheel, cruise control and a 6-disc in-dash CD changer. The Desert Runner King Cab test truck - two-wheel drive on a 4WD chassis -- with auto shifter had a base of $21,569 and an as-tested price of $23,118. The automatic transmission refines some of the trucky fun with the manually shifted Frontier, but there's still plenty of bounce and jiggle in the ride to let you know this is a truck, not a pretender. For those who buy into the image, that won't matter, but this rig might not be the best choice for long commutes. A little more soundproofing at the fire wall would help keep engine noise out of the cabin and a layer in the doors would subdue the tinny, hollow thwang. There's nothing hollow about the 210 hp V-6, though. Even with the automatic shifter there is plenty of punch to spin the tires. Fuel mileage is as startling as the acceleration - 15 mpg around town and 18 on the highway, but that's only a bit worse than the non-supercharged V-6 Frontiers. Inside, the cab is nicely configured with plenty of storage slots, trays, a console and glove box (non-locking). Rear side-facing jump seats fold down for very short-term travel (kids or adults) and flip out of the way for groceries and tools. What the King Cab really needs is rear access panels, small swing-out doors that make it easier to load kids and gear. But if you need four doors, it only costs $1,450 more for the Crew Cab. A little bit of horsepower, fat rubber, molded plastic and red-stitching go a long way to pump up the slab-sided and underpowered Frontier that debuted three years ago. It's plastic surgery, but what the heck. This truck will sell because there's guts under the gloss. Mark Maynard is driving in cyberspace at mark.maynard(at)uniontrib.com. (c) Copley News Service Visit Copley News Service at www.copleynews.com.
Standard features -- Air conditioning, variable intermittent wipers, power windows/mirrors/locks, remote keyless entry, passenger vanity mirror, 100-watt AM-FM-CD audio system, tailgate lock, sliding rear window, engine and fuel tank skid plates, 2-tier loading and tie-down hooks. Safety features -- Dual front air bags with passenger-bag cutoff switch; 3-point front seat belts (height adjustable) with pretensioners and load limiters; lap belts at jump seats.
Base MSRP -- $21,569, including $520 destination charge; price as tested, $23,118 Options on test truck -- Supercharger Value Package ($1,549) adds leather seating surfaces, security system, pop-up sunroof with removable sunshade, tilt wheel, cruise control and a 6-disc in-dash CD changer.
PLUSES -- Great, gutsy whine to the supercharger when you jump into the throttle; industrial-strength styling; lockable tailgate. MINUSES -- Tightly sprung and jiggly for highway travel; needs more soundproofing for extended highway travel. News Index | Features Index |
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AutoWord Copyright© 2001 Copley News Service |
And we can credit the truck's freshened self-image to the style-savvy team in San Diego at Nissan Design International.
Included with the factory-installed Eaton supercharger are power windows, door locks and outside mirrors, 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels with P265/55R17 tires, body-colored fender flares, titanium-colored gauges and a 100-watt AM-FM-CD audio system.