As the Texas Public Relations department says, “It’s a whole ‘nother country.” After driving from the tall, beautiful pine trees of East Texas, past the oil fields of Midland & Odessa, and into the desert area of west Texas, I fully understand that statement.
We were fortunate to have a new, 2011 Nissan Frontier for our test drive vehicle.
It proved to be a good road vehicle for the long trip across Texas as well as a useful addition at our farm before we left. The Nissan Frontier is almost a rarity. Small pickups are becoming more difficult to find in the marketplace. Former “small” has metamorphosed into a regular size pickup. Regular size pickups are almost the same size that heavy-duty model used to be. If you can find a small pickup, it probably is not able to serious hauling and heavy work. Worse yet, if it is able to do all that heavy-duty work as a small pickup, then it probably won’t be capable on road trips. That’s the uniqueness of the new 2011 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X. It can perform in all settings so well that it really does deserve a very serious look by pickup truck shoppers.
Approaching the military base, we were driving through the mountains and tackling steep climbs and steeper descents. To our left, we could see across the narrow Rio Grande river and into Mexico. The speed limit along this stretch is 80 mpg and the little Frontier chugged along without even a sputter. It handled so well.
The Frontier is small enough to be very maneuverable in heavy traffic, yet it can carry or tow heavy cargo. The traffic in El Paso was much thicker and challenging than rush-hour in the DFW area, but it was nimble and could change lanes very easy. The four-wheel drive model is rated to tow up to 6100 lbs. Prior to our road trip to El Paso, I hooked up a 16 foot flatbed and brought several large round bales of hay back for my animals. There wasn’t even a hiccough on the job. The standard power is a V-6 engine that produces 261 horsepower and is matched with a five speed automatic transmission. Instead of a typical belt, Nissan uses a very quiet timing chain that is very durable and saves on maintenance costs over the long run.
Nissan has added a two speed transfer case on the four-wheel drive model and that really gives this little pickup serious off-road capability. There is a rotary dial on the instrument panel that allows the driver to easily switch between 2 and 4 wheel drive. The PRO-4X model includes off-road wheels, off-road tires, and Bilstein off-road shock absorbers. Skid plates have been added under the PRO-4X model that help protect the chassis components as well. This model also includes standard hill descent control and hill-start-assist control.
Our test drive model was a beautiful dark gray Extended Cab model called “Night Amor”. It probably would have been helpful to have a full-size crew cab to carry a lot of our son’s left-behind-at-home stuff to him. After he graduated from the University of Oklahoma, he “forgot” about all of his “stuff” left at home, much like every other 20-something male in his generation. My wife noted that having a lot of his items still left at home means we have to make another trip at another time.
The standard Frontier pickup has a fuel efficiency of about 19 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. The PRO 4X edition is a four-wheel-drive model that averaged about 19-20 mpg on our trip. That is the down side. During the road trip, it was necessary to stop often, or so it seemed. Fuel prices were higher over the holiday period. There were long stretches without availability of services in the western area of Texas. The plus side is that if we had encountered bad weather, snow, or ice, I had the knowledge and feeling of security that this little pickup would help me out during an emergency. Having four-wheel drive during the winter months can certainly be an advantage.
Base MSRP for the standard model Frontier pickup is $26,170. The base price for the PRO-4X four-wheel drive model is $29,060. Options are available such as heated seats, heated mirrors, and a moon-roof. Our test drive model included two 12-volt DC power outlets, which were handy for us to charge our cell phones and use a portable GPS unit. There are numerous pocket and door storage holding areas. The Extended Cab model did not provide very much space for cargo, and is really tight for adults or even large children.
I really liked the new Nissan Frontier PRO-4X. It really is a capable and useful small pickup. I probably would have added a few extra items and increased the gas mileage. (Actually, I would increase the mileage ratings a lot!) It was difficult to adjust the seats and/or foot pedals for the long trip. An adjustable steering wheel or adjustable pedals would have helped tremendously. As it is, it certainly deserves a look-over. If you are in the market for a small pickup, check it out a Nissan dealership. Small pickups are a premium item in today’s market, but Nissan might just have success with this new Frontier.
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