Nissan’s new trucks impress

Acorn Automotive Editor


 

 

Rescued from the brink of bankruptcy by French carmaker, Renault, Nissan has seen a resurgence over the last few years with innovative product like the Xterra SUV and the Altima sedan.


Now the popular Nissan Frontier compact truck lineup has received total makeover with a dramatic new appearance, interior upgrades and the addition of a range of new factory-installed supercharged V6 models. The radically redesigned 2001 Frontier offers 14 different models, including Regular Cab, King Cab, Crew Cab and Desert Runner and three trim levels, giving buyers the ability to choose a truck that perfectly fits their needs and budget.


The Frontier’s new exterior, created at Nissan Design International, Inc., in La Jolla, California, offers a simple, tough, "machine" look with a powerful front grille and bumper, tall hoodline, oversized headlights and large fender flares featuring visible divot holes and bolts which hold the fender flares to the body. Additional enhancements include new fog lamps, from the 2000 Maxima, new tailgate cover and standard tailgate lock.


For the interior, a new instrument cluster with reversible gauges has been added, along with new seat fabric, new steering wheel and enlarged knobs and switches. Cruise control switches have now been located on the steering wheel and a new lineup of audio systems, including an available in-dash 6-disc CD changer, has been added.


Introduced as a 2000 model, the Frontier Crew Cab was the first compact truck with four full-size forward-hinged doors offered for sale in the United States. It is available in 4-wheel and 2-wheel drive. The 4×2 Desert Runner is a V6 King Cab compact truck that features the same heavy duty chassis, ride height and stance as the rugged Frontier 4×4 V6.


In addition to a choice of a 143-horsepower 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder and 170-horsepower 3.3-liter SOHC V6, a new factory-installed supercharged version of the 3.3-liter V6 will be offered in select 4×4 and 4×2 models called SC. The new supercharged engine, which will arrive in November, produces an estimated 210 horsepower and 240 ft-lbs of torque.


I got a chance to drive a selection of these trucks a few weeks ago in La Jolla and was impressed by the overall product. This is a tight, well built truck with a high degree of finish. Although I was driving pre-production prototype vehicles I got a good impression of how the production vehicles will look and handle.


The supercharged trucks, which will not arrive at dealers until November are impressive with power and torque for most driving situations.


One problem I found with the off-road capable 4×4 trucks is that the old style handbreak that is located underneath the dashboard was a fiddle to use and difficult to release. In off-road situations I have always relied on the handbreak as the final get out of trouble device. In the Frontier using the emergency brake requires you to take your eyes away from the road. Not a good idea! Nissan’s engineers and spokespeople informed me that they are aware of the problem and a change seems to be in the pipeline.


Nevertheless, I never felt out of my depth on the off-road part of the test drive when I was driving a supercharged, 4×4 crew cab. All Frontier Crew Cabs are built on the heavy-duty 4-wheel drive Frontier chassis, giving the 2-wheel drive the same rigidity, ride height and ground clearance as the 4-wheel drive pickup.


Four real doors allow up to five passengers to enter the vehicle with ease. The bed is about 20 inches shorter than the standard Frontier, but within 15 percent of the volume of many competitive extended cab model beds. An optional bed extender, shown in the photo, enlarges the Crew Cab bed length, rivaling the competition’s extended cab beds.


The interior of the Frontier Crew Cab combines the comfort and convenience of the current Frontier pickup with many qualities of a sedan. Crew Cab offers provisions for the installation of a child safety seat in the rear passenger area, something lacking in today’s extended cab compact truck market. Standard equipment is the SOHC 3.3-liter V6 engine, with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed electronically controlled overdrive automatic transmission and a 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive driveline. Also offered is the factory-installed supercharged engine.


Frontier Crew Cab can be equipped in a variety of ways to maximize the utility and flexibility of the vehicle, including a tubular-style heavy-duty roof rack, a first among compact trucks. This rack can be fitted with YakimaÒ designed attachments to carry skis, snowboards or mountain bikes while still preserving full use of the bed. Additionally, a variety of accessories help enhance bed utility such as a Bed Extender and a bed-mounted bike rack.


Westlake Motors in the Thousand Oaks auto Mall will be receiving first deliveries of trhe all new Nissan Frontier soon.



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