Avg. Price Paid:$14,462 - $24,281
Original MSRP: $18,200 - $32,080
MPG: 19 City / 23 Hwy
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Nissan Frontier Interior

These scores and this review are from when the car was new.

Scorecard

Overall: 2011 Nissan Frontier U.S. News Best Cars 8.5
Critics' Rating: 9.1
Performance: 8.8
Interior: 7.8
Safety: N/A
Reliability:
How we calculate scores
Research analyzed for this review

Pros & Cons

  • Powerful optional V6
  • Long options list for the class
  • Excellent off-roading performance
  • Limited passenger space
  • Low-grade interior materials

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Review Last Updated: 11/30/10

The four- or five-seat Nissan Frontier has a stylish and comfortable cabin, but its materials disappoint -- something that's common in the compact pickup class

  • "Hard plastic abounds on the dashboard, console, and door panels; all cabin materials are predictably workman-like. The controls do not operate with smooth precision."--Consumer Guide
  • "If you've spent any time in a Nissan truck lately, you'll recognize the Frontier's no-nonsense cockpit with large sweep-needle gauges and easy-to-reach switchgear." -- Four Wheeler
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Seating

Frontiers with King Cabs can seat four people with two jump seats in the back. However, those two rear seats get terrible reviews.  The front seats, however get very positive reviews, so if you opt for the Frontier, at least two of the truck's occupants will be comfortable.

Few reviewers tested the Crew Cab; the few that did describe the space on its bench seat as merely adequate. Then again, the rear seats in most compact pickups get poor reviews.  If you need more passenger space, consider opting for an SUT like the Honda Ridgeline.  It costs a good deal more than the Frontier, but offers much more useable passenger space, which is something you won't find in the compact pickup class.  

  • "+All models have supportive, comfortable front bucket seats. Adults have adequate legroom in the rear of the crew cab." -- PickupTrucks.com
  • "Deeply padded and softly upholstered bucket seats,"  -- Edmunds
  • "Seats right up there with the Tacoma as the most supportive and comfortable chairs in the segment." -- Four Wheeler
  • "Good six-footer headroom and legroom. The [front] seats are comfortable, but need more side bolstering to hold front passengers in place through turns . . King Cab's rear seats are best used for small cargo; only preteens will fit. Crew Cab has more space, but legroom is still kid-size with the front seats even partially back." -- Consumer Guide
  • The King Cab has "a low, short bottom cushion that supports maybe a postage-stamp portion of your lower cheeks. It's no place to spend quality time." -- Car and Driver
  • "If you need passenger space, the Crew Cab is the only acceptable version," -- USA Today

Interior Features

Most reviewers characterize the Frontier's interior as functional, but several complain about cheap materials and controls that aren't as precise as they could be. If a nice interior is a priority for you, consider the Toyota Tacoma, which offers nicer materials in a more car-like interior.

Depending on trim, the Frontier does offer some nice features, however. A premium Rockford-Fosgate stereo with satellite radio capability is standard on the SL and Pro-4X trims, and leather seating is an option. You can't get some high-tech goodies like a navigation system, but you can opt for an iPod interface as well as Bluetooth. These type of options are rare in the compact pickup class, which is known more for its bare-bones interiors than for its options list. If you like some gadgets with your truck, the Frontier one of very few compact pickups offering these options.

  • "If you've spent any time in a Nissan truck lately, you'll recognize the Frontier's no-nonsense cockpit with large sweep-needle gauges and easy-to-reach switchgear.  . . .  You can't get a Nav system yet, but hey, you never get lost anyway, right?" -- Four Wheeler
  • "Simple, handy layout. All controls are within easy reach."--Consumer Guide
  • "Easily read gauges, nicely shaped climate controls and high-mounted audio system controls." -- MSN

Cargo

Auto writers give the impression that you'll be hard-pressed to fit anything in the Nissan Frontier's cabin with the rear seats in place, but space is described as more than sufficient once rear seats are folded flat against the back of the cabin. The Frontier also provides innovative stowage areas.

  • "Both cab types provide useful space behind the front seats. Some thoughtful small-items storage up front, though the console's shallow tray needs a rubber mat to keep objects from sliding around." -- Consumer Guide
  • "For a smallish truck, the Frontier has all kinds of storage spaces, such as these cubbies located beneath the fold-up rear seats." -- Four Wheeler

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