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Another month gone
and another month with nearly 2000 more miles added to our midsize
hauler. With so many miles under our lightweights' belt, staffers have
noted the manual transmission is starting to whine more. Associate
editor Scott Evans took our Nissan Frontier home for the weekend: "There
are really only two things I'd change about this truck. First, they've
got to tone-down the gear noise. I realize it's a truck, but I've heard
race cars with straight-cut gears that didn't make as much racket as the
transmission in this truck."
"Second, they've got to update the styling of the dash, console, and
door panels. It looks straight out of 2003 and is desperately in need of
a refresh." Evans continues, "They can use the same materials, all the
same mounting points and dimensions, keep the seats and the rest. Just
make it look new like they do to the grille every few years. Everything
else can stay."
"This truck feels right-size to me. Full-size
trucks have gotten so tall and so large they're impractical if you live
any place denser than a suburb. This one feels nimble enough to get
around a city and still rugged enough to tackle a trail. The tall
seating position, manual transmission and 4x4 stickers on the bed make
me want to prerun it on the nearest dirt road. It certainly feels robust
enough to take the abuse. It's got good power, good clearance and it's
not too big or too heavy for moderate obstacles."
After a Vegas road trip and daily commutes, our
Frontier is nearing its 15000-mile checkup. We'll have more on that
update next month when we take it into our local dealer for its second
routine maintenance service.
"Second, they've got to update the styling of the dash, console, and
door panels. It looks straight out of 2003 and is desperately in need of
a refresh." Evans continues, "They can use the same materials, all the
same mounting points and dimensions, keep the seats and the rest. Just
make it look new like they do to the grille every few years. Everything
else can stay."
"This truck feels right-size to me. Full-size
trucks have gotten so tall and so large they're impractical if you live
any place denser than a suburb. This one feels nimble enough to get
around a city and still rugged enough to tackle a trail. The tall
seating position, manual transmission and 4x4 stickers on the bed make
me want to prerun it on the nearest dirt road. It certainly feels robust
enough to take the abuse. It's got good power, good clearance and it's
not too big or too heavy for moderate obstacles."
After a Vegas road trip and daily commutes, our
Frontier is nearing its 15000-mile checkup. We'll have more on that
update next month when we take it into our local dealer for its second
routine maintenance service.
| 2012 Nissan Frontier 4X4 PRO4X | |
| Service life: | 6 mo/13,732 mi |
| Avg CO2: | 1.11 lb/mi |
| Energy cons: | 194 kW-hr/100mi |
| Unresolved problems: | None |
| Maintenance cost: | $173.63 (oil change, rotate tires, inspection) |
| Normal-wear cost: | $0 |
| EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ: | 15/20/17 mpg |
| Average Fuel Econ: | 17.4 mpg |
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