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2022 Nissan Frontier Nismo Rendering Looks Like the Japanese F-150 Lightning

Small trucks in America haven't enjoyed the same varnish of premium equipment or advanced powertrains as their bigger brothers. But that's beginning to change, and the 2022 Nissan Frontier is at the forefront.
2022 Nissan Frontier Nismo Looks Like the Missing, Is Just a Rendering 2 photos
Photo: wb.artist20/Instagram
2022 Nissan Frontier Nismo Rendering Looks Like the Japanese F-150 Lightning
The popularity of the Nissan brand has undoubtedly been going down for many years. You have recall after expensive recall, dull products, or ones that are simply too old. But over the past year, we've seen a huge swell of fresh ideas and models. Maybe it's time for sporty yet affordable Japanese vehicles to make a comeback.

Sure, you can get very excited about the 400Z sports car, but most buyers are probably interested in trucks and SUVs. The 2022 Frontier is more than just an answer to the Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado, and Honda Ridgeline. It's completely redesigned to be relevant for years to come.

The bold, upright styling is a nice mix between the sci-fi features of a Rogue crossover and the ruggedness of a pickup. It especially looks cool with the Pro-4X package, which is the off-road configuration. The silver skid plate and orange hooks make it look like a serious piece of kit.

But what if you went in the complete opposite direction? What if you didn't want good approach angles or recovery hooks? Well, we propose a crazy little idea: the Frontier Nismo. It sounds like the Ford F-150 Lightning of Japanese trucks and is the stuff that gets GT-R owners excited.

Every other truck in this segment is trying to be good at off-roading, so the Nismo would be unchallenged on the track. Unfortunately, Nissan hasn't realized the full potential of this idea, so if you could slide this story into their inbox, we'd appreciate it. Before that happens, you should know that this is just a rendering by Oscar Vargas (wb.artist20).

Just like the Lightning or the GMC Syclone, this thing sits lower to the ground on large, sticky tires. The suspension has been designed for better handling, while the body received a full makeover. Everywhere you look, there's a spoiler or a wing in black, designed to look cool and reduce high-speed lift.

Thinking back to a story from a week ago, we realize that this could appeal to the large Nissan-loving community in the Middle East. If they put a Nismo badge on a large SUV like the Armada, a twin-turbo Frontier should be to their liking too.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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