Nissan Reaches New Frontier

[AZhitman]

By: Scott Wasser

Like first romances and first pets, you never forget your first pickup.

Mine was a 1975 Datsun that had a long cargo box, a short cab, and more holes in its sheet metal than a chunk of Swiss cheese. Its manufacturer, which didn't adopt the Nissan brand name in the U.S. until 1983, was known for making bulletproof trucks but not necessarily rustproof ones.

The Datsun was 7 or 8 years old when I purchased it, and the previous owner must have lived on a beach and used saltwater to wash it. That's assuming he washed it at all, which is debatable given the condition of the paint on sections of the body that still had any. The original blue paint was so faded it would have given auto paint shop magnate Earl Scheib a nervous breakdown.

Yet despite its looks and having well beyond 100,000 miles on its odometer, the truck ran flawlessly. During the two to three years I owned it, the Datsun never failed to start, required no mechanical repairs, and was inexpensive to operate (it averaged around 24 miles per gallon).

Fast forward a quarter-century, I'm thinking about that truck as I drive its descendant, a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The model I'm testing is a top-of-the-line NISMO (NISsan MOtorsports) 4x4 Crew Cab. One of four Frontier trim levels, the NISMO lacks a few features -- such as a roof rack, step rails, and auto day/night rearview mirror with compass -- that are included on LE models. But NISMO 4x4 models get exclusive features designed to make them more off-road-friendly: skid plates, all-terrain tires, Bilstein shocks, and a limited-slip rear differential with electronic locking.

Athough they share the same heritage, the 2006 Nissan is as different from my 1975 Datsun as George Bush is from Ted Kennedy.

For example:

( The bench seat in my 1975 Datsun touched the back of a cramped cab. It would be two model years before Nissan, which introduced America to the compact pickup in 1959, would debut the first extended cab model. By contrast, you can't even buy a Frontier today with less than two doors. The ones on King Cab models are small and hinged at the rear. But Crew Cab models such as the one I tested have full-size, front-hinged doors like a sedan.

( The rear quarters of the Frontier Crew Cab aren't as comfortable as the typical midsize or compact sedan. There is adequate passenger room for a couple of adults and a child, but the seatbacks are too upright and the seat cushions too low for average-size adults to be comfortable for more than an hour or so.

( On the other hand, the Frontier's overall ride comfort is outstanding. Even the NISMO model, with its suspension tuned for rugged off-roading, delivers an extremely compliant ride while rolling around town or cruising the interstate. It's fairly quiet, too, although the optional roof rack introduces a bit of wind noise at highway speeds. Of course it seems as quiet as a church during wedding vows compared to my '75 Datsun, which would make the Frontier's ride comfort seem limo-like by comparison.

( The current model's handling also is light years ahead of my old pickup. If my old truck's steering felt as quick, responsive and precise as the new Nissan's power rack-and-pinion setup, I would have thought I was driving a sports car. And despite the fact that the NISMO model's all-terrain tires sacrifice some asphalt adhesion for off-road durability and traction, the Frontier nevertheless corners like a dream compared to the '75 model.

( Engine performance provides another stark contrast between old and new. Although the four-cylinder power plant in my Datsun was strong enough to haul loads of firewood and anything else I ever carried, it delivered sluggish acceleration. The Frontier, meanwhile, is downright quick -- not only in comparison to its 26-year-old ancestor, but also compared to its contemporary competition. For example, the 7.9-second zero-to-60 time I recorded puts it on a par with many sedans, as does its ability to zip around slower traffic on the interstate.

Most consumers will compare the Frontier to other contemporary midsize pickups, and it is good enough to capture their hearts and their dollars. Some of those buyers for whom the Frontier is a first pickup will, no doubt, look back a quarter-century from now and remember it with fondness similar to mine.