First Test
As the passenger-truck market expands like early Oklahoma "Sooners" racing across the dusty West, Nissan unveils its affordable, new compact pickup with modern upgrades and an adventurous spirit. Replacing the 10-year-old "hard body" truck, the Frontier takes an evolutionary step forward while carrying along basic chassis, powertrain, and some design elements. Enhanced with numerous improvements, the '98 Frontier is a much better daily driver than its forebear.
The fresh sheetmetal rests on a carry-over ladder frame that's been fortified to reduce noise and vibration. Further efforts to isolate the passengers from the outside world were made throughout, with noticeable improvements in sound attenuation. Additionally, the stiffer chassis allows the independent front and solid axle rear suspensions to be tuned to offer a more forgiving ride. The combined results of softer shock and spring tuning produce a much quieter, more compliant driving environment compared to the relatively Conestoga-like predecessor. This is perhaps the biggest overall improvement in the new truck.
The basic instrument panel design has been subtly upgraded by Nissan's stylists for softer contours and modern flair, although its '80s inspiration is readily apparent. Easy-to-read instruments, high-mounted climate controls, and available double-DIN-size stereo head unit earn high marks in the ergonomics category. But our favorite interior elements are the buckets in uplevel SE models, which, unlike those of a number of other trucks, are carefully sculpted to truly accommodate a variety of human shapes. To the rear, the small side-facing King Cab jump seats come in handy for transporting children on short drives, and the limited-use perches fold discreetly away when not in use.
Nissan chose to pass on the third-door trend to minimize costs that would ultimately be reflected in the sticker price. It's a shame the numbers couldn't have been juggled: Such a helpful feature may have lured more cross-shopping consumers into Nissan showrooms.
The most obvious change in this seventh-generation pickup is the aerodynamic exterior styling, lending some curves and creases to the basic boxy design, granting the Frontier a rugged, decidedly American appearance. Standard cabs have increased a substantial 9.7 inches in overall length, and King Cab models tout a royal 6.1-inch additional growth, but both ride on unchanged wheelbases of 104.3 and 116.1 inches, respectively. Strangely, despite the significant stretch, passengers don't benefit from measured space improvements. In fact, almost 2 inches of leg room is sacrificed. King Cab interior cargo volume remains unchanged from the previous iteration at 14.4 cubic feet.
Initially, the Frontier is available only with a 2.4-liter/143-horsepower DOHC four-cylinder engine, which Nissan expects will make up the majority of sales even after the Pathfinder-shared 3.0-liter V-6 is introduced for '99. This peppy inline four is the most powerful base engine offered in a compact pickup (albeit just barely), but keep in mind that most competitors offer at least one V-6 upgrade.
Nissan is awarded bonus points for meeting California's stringent low-emission-vehicle (LEV) standard with its powerplant. That's the good news. The bad news is that the 9-horsepower increase for '98 is offset by weight gained from the various chassis upgrades, sound-deadening material, passenger-side airbag, and larger overall size. At the track, our automatic-equipped King Cab moseyed 0-60 mph in 11.4 seconds. That's pretty weak in this era, and demonstrates that the V-6 option can't come too soon.
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