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Remember the Nissan Hardbody that won all those off-road races in the 1980s and 1990s?
Well, then the new 2022 Nissan Frontier is going to look familiar as it draws on that legacy but with an aggressive, modern style.
Starting at more than $28,000, this midsize truck features a powerful front end with a big grille and chiseled hood, framed by new precision headlights. A wide, elevated stance and wide vertical fenders give you a sense of durability and strength, which are made even stronger by a high eye-point and high shoulder bodysides.
In the back you get machined lighting features that combine with rear fenders and a rear bumper to produce an athletic and agile design. Part of the 2022 Nissan Frontier’s power is communicated by the 126-inch wheelbase that works for off-roading, the construction site or the weekend landscaping project.
In total, there are nine exterior colors offered: the new Boulder Gray Pearl, Tactical Green Metallic (premium color), Baja Storm (premium color) and Cardinal Red Metallic Tricolor (premium color), along with Deep Blue Pearl, Red Alert, Glacier White, Gun Metallic and Super Black.
The 4×4-only Frontier PRO-4X and new-for-2022 2WD-only Frontier PRO-X feature LED headlamps, LED daytime running lights, LED fog lights and Lava Red grille accents.
The engineering team of the 2022 Nissan Frontier refined and tuned the powertrain, steering and suspension with a focus on the demands of U.S. truck owners. They built upon a proven chassis and frame – one of the most durable in the midsize truck segment.
The 2022 Nissan Frontier’s get-up-and-go comes from a powerful 310-horsepower 3.8-liter direct injection V6 engine, which was all new for 2020. Torque is rated at 281 pound-feet.
The nine-speed automatic transmission’s wider gear ratio and high-response electro-hydraulic control (versus the previous Frontier’s five-speed design) makes the Frontier’s shifting quick and crisp that delivers confidence in the machine.
Frontier’s fuel economy is 18 miles per gallon in the city, 24 miles per gallon on the highway and 20 miles per gallon combined. The Frontier’s hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering is back, which will makes long trips a breeze, with less steering effort and a quicker response time.
Another important feature is the new hydraulic cab mounts, which reduce road vibration by 80 percent. That means you get a smooth ride no matter the terrain. That is an amazing detail when you have been working all day and need to go across town to another job or your child’s soccer game.
Even the front stabilizer bar is bigger. Combine that with the rear stabilizer bar and you get a design that is geared toward better traction when off-roading. The Frontier 4×4 models also come standard with a four-wheel limited-slip system, which helps transfer power to the drive wheels with more grip on low traction surfaces. To make your Nissan Frontier a better companion, you get Hill Start Assist as standard on all models, with Hill Descent Control, which helps adventurers climb and descend steep grades, and a front steel skid plate standard on 4×4 models.
Frontier’s towing capacity is rated at up to 6,720 pounds and you get Trailer Sway Control, which can detect sway and automatically apply the brakes to eliminate it for a more confident towing experience. Frontier now also features two front tow hooks in comparison to the previous model’s one.
So, all in all, the 2022 Nissan Frontier is a well built, well designed performer that checks off all the important boxes including fuel economy. Give it a drive and see what you think.
