2022 Nissan Frontier Breakdown - Is Nissan Backing its Trucks? Is the New Frontier Enough?

Hey folks and welcome to the Truck King YouTube channel and the very first 2022 truck of the year breakdown. In this video we're going to talk about the new 2022 Nissan Frontier. Dad and I recently did a full review with that truck, you can check it out on the channel, we towed, we hauled payload and we offered our thoughts on how it actually drives. But in this video we want to talk about Nissan's truck strategy as a whole and where the Frontier fits into it. And just to be clear we're going to do this for every single one of the 2022 truck of the year competitors because we just want to offer you a little bit more than just saying hey it tows good. We want to talk a little bit more big picture and that's what we're going to do right now. Before we talk about Frontier I want to let you guys know something else. We're going to take your opinions into consideration so I want you to go below, drop that comment, let us know what you think of this new Frontier and when we do truck of the year deliberations we will read those comments and we will be sure to include them. You guys often come up with viewpoints that are really really good and surprising in some ways so we look forward to reading them and considering them. Now let's talk Frontier. As all of the 2022 trucks roll in here to Truck King HQ we're putting them through all of our sets of tests because we want to find the best truck of 2022. But it's never just as simple as you know driving that truck and towing with it. You have to look at the company behind the truck, what they're putting into the truck, what's going on with that company as a whole. So again that's what we want to explore with this video series and in particular today Nissan. So we're going to ask the same questions in these videos so I'll pose the very first one and I'll ask Dad. With this redesigned Frontier did Nissan do enough and is the truck now competitive in its segment? Yes it's competitive within its segment that's that's the key here and as far as Nissan is concerned I think that's that was the brass ring that's that's as far as they could really go. And before I say anything else I just want to really stress the fact that what Steve and I are doing here today is opinion. Most of the stuff you're hearing here is not facts but then again we are industry watchers we're in this up to our necks seven days a week. So we have a real sense of what's going on at a lot of companies even if they're not straight out telling us. And in the case of Nissan the reason I say that they did enough and that they probably did as good a job as they could is because the general feeling right now is that they're not backing their truck division very much. Look at the facts. The Titan in Canada no longer available. The Enve commercial line also discontinued. And for you Americans you know I don't want to rain on the parade but I doubt that you're going to have Titan very much longer. And again that's just an opinion but I can't see them running that line without all that other content for just the trucks that they're selling in the states. So when you consider how they're feeling about their truck offerings then you look at Frontier and you actually have to marvel at how much they did do because they had to spend some money to get a 17 year old model up to snuff. And so right now that really is the plus you know check mark category is that they have brought it up to their competitors levels. But I think of course the scary thing is they did enough for today but we know that there's new Tacoma coming. There's new GM twins coming. And when those come out you know they're probably going to move past this Frontier. There's a good chance. And then Frontier is just going to sit here the same for the next decade. So that's kind of the scary thing. And that's that's what dad's saying. And it's the same sense I got. Sometimes we get a new product that launches and you go wow they really went you know they threw the kitchen sink at this thing. All the features. All the models. The Frontier didn't feel like that. They felt like they did just enough to update it for 2021. And I think it's a good truck as it sits. But you know in the future as this moves ahead I'm curious to see if they keep on backing it. And one big miss I just want to point out that no off-road model beyond the Pro 4X. And I only say this because we have you know Gladiator, Mojave, TRD Pro, ZR2, AT4. These off-road models have become so popular. People love them. I just don't feel like even Pro 4X is enough. I kind of expected an extra model. And that's one example of something Nissan I think should have done, could have done, but chose not to. And nevertheless I'm gonna I have a heartfelt message for Nissan engineers. I think you guys did great with the budget that you were allowed. Fair point. So here comes the next question. We've established it's competitive but is it actually better than anything? Is there one thing the Frontier does dad that you feel like is truly better than the competition that makes it stand out? Short answer is no. It's an all-arounder. They touched on all the things that they had to so that the entire package when you're looking at it is it's good. But there is not that one standout feature. So it's just gonna be that sort of shade of beige when it comes to what you want to purchase. So that brings me to the next point which is you know where does Frontier land in the marketplace? And frankly in years past, probably because it was sold, it typically was priced lower than its competition. A lot of people have been driving them over the years. That's one of the things that they mentioned right off the hop. They say it's a good, dependable, little, economical, price point efficient truck. Okay this time around Nissan has priced it almost dead on with its competition and I just wonder if that's going to wash. Yeah yeah I agree. I think that feels like the biggest mistake here. They could have said hey look at our brand new truck and hey we're $5,000 less than a Tacoma as you go through the trim walk. That probably would have been really the sweet spot for them. Of course they want to make as much as they can so maybe that'll happen in subsequent years. Yeah we'll see. There's no rule that says that you can't roll back prices. Exactly. And at the moment they're in the same situation as most manufacturers which is everybody's selling everything they can build because of the shortages. So there's going to be no reason for them to do any discounts. However in a year or two that may change. Yeah that would be great. I think that's the right positioning for this truck based on what we said. It doesn't do that one thing that makes you want to pay big money for it. It does everything pretty well and that's why if it undercuts the competition it's a much stronger package. So you know at the end of the day this is a steady soldier and but that's about it. It's no general. Hopefully by now you have a better sense for this Frontier. So the last question I want to leave on is more basic more to the point. What is our favorite and least favorite thing about the Frontier? I'll go first with my favorite thing and it's obvious I'm picking this because I'm a dad. But the back seat of the Nissan Frontier the backs fold down and the bottoms fold up. So you get storage under the seat but when you fold the backs down you can get to those child top tethers really easily. I've been installing my child seats into a ton of trucks lately and the Frontier has been the easiest to install those. So I really appreciate that and then the thing I like the least is that silly aluminum skid plate they put up front on the Pro4x which is honestly just there for looks and the very first time you off-road it it will bend. Take my word for it. I gotta I gotta mention the the powertrain that engine transmission excuse me combination big leap forward and really worked well. I think that's going to carry them for for years to come. Least favorite thing sorry hydraulic power steering. Nothing wrong with it but with everybody else going electric I'm just not used to that heavy feel anymore. Yeah it also limits the kind of safety active safety features they can put in that truck for years to come. That's But anyways those are all our thoughts on the Frontier. I think we've really exhaustively covered this truck now and just so you guys know you can go on the channel watch our review and then sit tight because in January of 2022 we will be announcing the Truck King Truck of the Year and if you want it to be the Frontier please go below now and leave your comments. When we do the Truck of the Year videos we'll be combing through the comments because we want your opinions to help us make this choice. So go below now tell us why the Frontier is the best or the worst truck to come out this year and then as always while you're down there do not forget to hit like, hit subscribe, hit join to become a member of the channel and then come right back here to Truck King to see what we're testing next. See ya!