Photo: David Boyd / Nissan Nation Productions on YouTube
Ever wondered why the Frontier is so cheap compared to other mid-sizers in America? Based on the D40 series Navara, the Frontier as we know it today launched in 2004 for the 2005 model year.
That’s right! A 16-year-old design is still among us, and if you take a look at the interior of the Nissan truck, you’ll understand why the starting price undercuts the Ranger, Colorado, and Canyon. Excluding destination, the 2019 model year kicks off at $19,290 for the King Cab S with 2WD, the four-cylinder engine, and a five-speed manual when six gears are the norm.
On the upside, it won’t be long before the newcomer arrives in showrooms with a redesigned exterior, a much nicer interior, and a different engine. Compared to the optional 4.0-liter V6 of the 2019 model, the 2020 Nissan Frontier previews the next-gen truck's 3.8-liter V6.
Even though it features 0.2 fewer liters, the engine develops 310 horsepower (314 PS) and 281 pound-feet (381 Nm) of torque. The Japanese automaker says that 93 percent of the components are new or redesigned, but better still, the old auto is gone in favor of a nine-speed transmission.
This info is enough to get one excited about the 2021 redesign, and based on this allegedly leaked photo, we sure look forward to the next generation of the Frontier. Published by Nissan Nation Productions and detailed in length over the course of a 4-minute and 50-second video on YouTube, the truck looks ridiculously wide for the mid-size segment. But that’s not all, oh no!
If you take a look at the front grille, you’ll notice that the black plastic garnish is complemented by an M and an O on the driver’s side. That can only mean we’re dealing with the Frontier NISMO, but still, the square-ish windows lead us to believe that this is nothing more than a sketch.
The photograph in question is sourced from a slideshow presentation to U.S. dealers from March 2020, and the blue tint seems to confirm that. David Boyd of Nissan Nation Productions says that the image comes from an undisclosed source, likely knowledgeable about Nissan’s future products.
Even though uncertainty surrounds both the picture and the exterior design of the 2021 Frontier, what we know for sure is that Nissan won't disappoint. As for a NISMO-badged rival to the Ranger Raptor and Colorado ZR2, well, one can only dream...
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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