Nissan’s Three Amigos: A Trio of Frontier Pickup Concepts Debut in Chicago

While Frontier Project 72X and Project Hardbody take their respective cues from the Datsun 720 and Nissan Hardbody pickups of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Project Adventure is a vision of what a Frontier would look like outfitted for overlanding.

While there’s no formal plan to offer these vehicles as specific packages, Nissan says many of the parts and accessories are available both from the factory and aftermarket suppliers. All three concepts were conceived by Nissan Design America, the Japanese automaker’s California design studio.

In addition to paying homage to earlier Nissan trucks, the three concepts also start with different trim levels—S, SV, and Pro-4X—of the 2022 Frontier Crew Cab. Beneath the skin, all retain the standard 310-horspower 3.8-liter V6 engine and 9-speed automatic transmission.

“Truck culture is now very broad – hard core off-roaders, overlanders, surfers and kayakers, environmentalists, fishing and hunting outdoor enthusiasts and more,” said Hiren Patel, project lead designer for Nissan Design America. “The common ground is that they all use their trucks as canvases for personalization. We’re offering three styles to show how they could modify their own new Frontier.”

Building on “Lil Hustler”

The Project 72X Frontier starts with the base model S trim of the Crew Cab with four-wheel-drive. Its rather bare bones approach is derived from the Datsun 720 pickup, also known as the Lil Hustler. This inexpensive compact pickup served essentially as an entry level vehicle for the Datsun brand.

In its 2022 Nissan Frontier iteration, it employs a 2.5-inch lift kit with adjustable front suspension arms and a sport bar behind the cab on which auxiliary lights can be mounted. The gray paint scheme and white painted wheels (which are the same steel wheels used on Frontier spare tires) gives it the look of a basic no-frills pickup.

Pumping Iron with Hardbody

Nissan makes no bones about the 2022 Frontier borrowing styling cues from the D21 Hardbody that debuted as the company first American designed and built pickup. The Hardbody name comes from that model’s double-walled cargo box and flared fenders that imbues the compact pickup’s muscular look.

The Frontier Project Hardbody starts with an SV trim level Crew Cab 4x4 model and adds a 3-inch lift kit with adjustable upper control arms. It borrows the overfenders used on the off-road oriented Pro-4X trim and it rides on 33-inch tires mounted on wheels that have a block-style pattern similar to those used on the original Hardbody.

Other touches include a cargo-bed-mounted spare carrier, 10-inch LED lights mounted on a sport bar aft of the cabin, and blacked out accents including the door handles, mirror caps and rear bumper. Special graphics use ‘80s-inspired shadow outlining.

The Great Outdoors

As the most modern interpretation of the 2022 Frontier, Project Adventure envisions Nissan’s midsize pickup outfitted for overlanding. This concept is designed for those who want to get away from it all. In order to do that, a vehicle must be capable of extreme off-roading while providing shelter for overnight excursions.

Based on the Pro-4X trim, Project Adventure starts with a 5-inch lift kit, a carbon fiber snorkel to help the vehicle ford waterways and monstrous 34-inch mud terrain tires. As for creature comforts, the roof-mounted basket contains a sky tent for above ground camping, a Yakima bed rack system for gear and a Bluetooth audio system by Kicker to listen to your jams outside the vehicle.

Adding to its outdoorsy look are the exterior graphics that includes a body wrap map of the U.S. Other exterior features include a 50-inch light bar, black Frontier lettering on the tailgate and off-road step rails with removable steps.