2022 Nissan Frontier gets a fresh new look and a lot more technology

After 17 years of service, it is time to say goodbye to the old Nissan Frontier. The all-new 2022 Frontier, making its debut on Thursday, is a midsize pickup that should still appeal to people who appreciated the base trucks of the old model, while still offering enough modern conveniences to satisfy all your techies.

First, this truck looks great. Nissan looked to its’ 80s Hardbody truck to give the new Frontier some personality, and, we must say, it totally works. The new Frontier is generally slightly longer than the outgoing model, adding about 5 inches, most of which is in front of the dash. Still, the old Frontier’s 126-inch wheelbase remains the same. We’re all here for the new front end with its blocky LED headlights, and we love how the bumper cuts away to reveal more of the tires. The sculpted and cushioned tailgate has a place to stamp “Frontier” in the sheet metal, and the nameplate extends the width of the truck.

The 2022 Frontier will be available in S, SV, Pro-4X and Pro-X trim levels – more on the latter in a minute. Both Crew and King Cab body styles are available with a choice of bed lengths of 5 and 1.8 meters. Please note that the Pro-4X model is the one with the Lava Red accents, LED front lighting and black painted grille. The rest of the Frontier line-up won’t have such nicenesses.

Nissan launched the new Frontier engine in the old truck, so we already know what to expect here. The 2022 Frontier has a 3.8-liter V6 with 310 horsepower and 281 pound-feet of torque. Power comes to the ground through a nine-speed automatic transmission. And no, a manual gearbox is not offered.

In terms of power, the Frontier is the best of many of its main competitors. The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins offer 308 hp and 275 lb-ft from their 3.6-liter V6, and the Toyota Tacoma does it with 278 hp and 265 lb-ft from its 3.5-liter V6. The Ford Ranger’s 2.3-liter I4 turbo has 270 horsepower, but it’s better than the other trucks with torque, offering a healthy 310 lb-ft.

The new Frontier has a maximum payload of 1,610 pounds and a maximum towing capacity of 6,720 pounds. That payload surpasses the Chevrolet Colorado and Ford Ranger, but the Frontier can’t compete with the two in towing. The Tacoma has a few configurations that can both pull and pull more than the Nissan, but overall the Frontier is competitive within the class. Sway control for trailers is standard.

The Frontier should be a little more pleasant to drive for 2022 thanks to new hydraulic cab mounts to the frame, which Nissan says reduce road vibrations by 80% compared to the old truck. The Frontier has a larger front anti-roll bar and a new rear anti-roll bar for better handling, and the hydraulic power steering ratio has been increased by 16%. Overall, these seem to be some neat upgrades that should improve the Frontier’s ways on the road.

When it comes to off-roading, Nissan doesn’t have full technical specifications yet, so we don’t have important information like ground clearance or approach and departure angles. What we do know is that the Pro-4X is only offered with four-wheel drive, Bilstein shocks, front skid plates, a two-speed transfer case and, of course, a rear limited slip differential. Hankook 265/70 series all terrain tires wrap around 17-inch wheels. A new off-road mode in the 360-degree camera works at low speeds in the low-range four-wheel drive to give drivers a view of rocks and other obstacles around them.

The aforementioned Pro-X trim, meanwhile, only comes with two-wheel drive. Nissan says this is for the customer who wants the rugged looks of the Pro-4X but doesn’t need the off-road capability. The Bilstein shocks and front skid plate are part of the package, but that’s it.

Hill-Start Assist is standard on every Frontier and Hill Descent Control is available on all four-wheel drive models. If you’re looking to improve your rigging, Nissan’s Nismo division offers a whole host of parts for the 2022 Frontier, including suspension upgrades, lighting, boarding rails, and rooftop racks and tents.

As for the interior, it looks about the same for the class. As you’d expect, the new Frontier is a leap ahead of its predecessor, but design still favors function over form. Sure, the Pro-4X has a lot of Lava Red accents, which is fun and all, but don’t expect anything fancy. In all fairness, the same can be said of just about any midsize truck. The car-based Honda Ridgeline really is the only one with a chic cabin.

In any case, there is plenty of storage space, with 4 liters of volume in the center console, 5.7 liters in the rear door pockets and 6.5 liters in the front door pockets. In addition, there is a small space on top of the dashboard and storage space under the rear seat. Nissan’s ultra-comfortable Zero Gravity seats are also standard on all upholstery. The Pro-4X has a relief pattern on the seats that reminds us of a Navajo blanket, and frankly, we hope it doesn’t carry over to the rest of the lineup. It’s just a bit too much.

The Frontier finally moves with the times with a standard 8-inch touchscreen with the NissanConnect infotainment system complemented by Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Drivers can opt for a larger 9-inch touchscreen, and wireless charging is available on the Pro-4X and Pro-X. As for other charging options, the front seats get a USB-A and a USB-C port along with two 12-volt outlets. The back of the King Cab has no outlets other than a 110 volt, 400 watt plug, but the Crew Cab has two additional USB sockets. There is a second outlet in the bed to power tools, blenders, what have you.

Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 suite offers an impressive amount of safety technology, including blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking and rear crossing warning with automatic rear braking. The thing is, it’s all optional. Many of these features are standard on the Honda Ridgeline, Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma. Adaptive cruise control is also available on the Frontier, but is an added addition to the Safety Shield package.

If you are looking for Nissan’s practical ProPilot traffic assistance system, keep looking. Nissan says its Frontier buyers aren’t really interested in letting the truck control the steering wheel, throttle and brakes in stop-and-go traffic, but it wouldn’t matter anyway, as ProPilot requires electric power steering which the Frontier does not have.

We’re still waiting for official pricing and fuel economy data, but Nissan says the Frontier should average about 20 miles per gallon with two-wheel drive and 19 mpg with four-wheel drive, just like the current Frontier. We’ll have the final MSRP details closer when the Frontier hits dealers this summer.