2024 Nissan Frontier SV Crew Cab 4x4 Hardbody Edition Review

All Nissan Frontiers share the same drivetrain combining a V6 engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. The VQ38DD 3.8-liter V6 produces a respectable 310 horsepower and 281 lb-ft of torque on 87 octane making it a very affordable engine to run. The Nissan Frontier 4X4 is rated at 23 mpg on the highway and 18 mpg in the city for a respectable rating of 20 mpg combined.

The VQ series V6 engine has been a Nissan staple since 1994 and has been constantly updated and refined to its current state. The decades of development mean that the Nissan VQ V6 engine is a reliable and predictable engine that’s sure to go the distance. Many of Frontier’s competitors may use more advanced turbocharged engines, however, those engines do not have decades of development to lean on when it comes to long-term ownership. 

The VQ38DD 3.8-liter V6 is mated exclusively to Nissan’s GE9R01A 9-speed automatic transmission. This recently released transmission is also used in the larger Nissan Titan and offers a large spread of gears to help when towing or hauling heavy loads. It makes great use of the V6’s torque and keeps the engine rpm low during normal driving. Nissan’s 9-speed is not the smoothest truck transmission we’ve experienced, but it’s quick to react to driver inputs and works to keep the truck in the engine’s power band.

Traditional Cabin With Tech Where It Counts

The Nissan Frontier’s interior is an honest space that’s built for function with little compromise for design. It’s a simple space that’s intuitive to use with just enough tech to keep passengers happy. You won’t find a massive tablet-style center screen or digital gauge cluster, and instead, you’re greeted with a host of buttons, physical gauges, and an appropriately sized center touch screen. The Nissan Frontier’s interior isn’t built to impress you once but instead is ready to last the long-term demands of truck duty. 

Nissan chose to stick with traditional physical gauges with a color center screen. This setup bucks the new trend of all digital gauge clusters and relies on a time-tested design that should last. The gauge cluster’s center screen gives useful information like speed, off-road data like pitch and roll, and info about all of the truck’s fluid temps. Although the fluid temp information is nice, Nissan chose to use digital gauges instead of giving exact numbers like many other competitors. 

The 8-inch center touch screen is an appropriate size without dominating the interior space of the Frontier. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work perfectly making it a seamless companion to your smartphone. The center screen is only used to control your entertainment media and display the backup camera among other small setting menus. That means important features like HVAC controls, volume knobs, and driving modes are all physical buttons and knobs. This decision makes the Frontier’s interior far more user-friendly than other tech-forward competitors who may sacrifice some useability to cram more features onto a touch screen.

The Frontier’s Truck Capabilities

The Nissan Frontier is a capable truck that’s ready to help you tackle small to medium-sized jobs. It won’t outperform its larger Titan sibling, but the Frontier offers impressive numbers. Our SV Crew Cab trim Nissan Frontier with the 4x4 package can tow 6,350 lbs. and haul 1,310 lbs. The lighter Nissan Frontier King Cab 4x2 offers a little more capacity with the ability to tow up to 6,640 lbs. and haul 1,620 lbs.  

The Frontier offers 9 inches of ground clearance with the rear differential listed as the truck’s low point. Spring for the off-road focused PRO-4X trim Frontier and you can expect 9.8 inches of ground clearance thanks to more aggressive tires and a lifted suspension setup. 

In our test truck, we found the base suspension to be comfortable but controlled during daily driving. It’s not nearly as harsh as some larger trucks, yet remains planted during cornering which gives the Frontier a very engaging driving experience. 

What Is The Hardbody Edition?

Nissan’s trucks have a rich history that began in the 1980s when American truck customers were first introduced to the original Nissan Hardbody. This small but reliable truck quickly made a name for itself as a tough useable truck that was cheaper to run than American competitors. It made up for its smaller size with legendary reliability and quickly gained a cult following among enthusiasts. For this new generation of Frontier, Nissan decided it was time to honor this legendary truck.

The Nissan Frontier Hardbody package is an additional $3,890 and includes a host of unique touches. For starters, there are the unique 17 inch three-star heritage wheels that immediately resonate with anyone familiar with the original Hardbody truck or Nissan Pathfinder. Nissan adds a graphics package with vintage Nissan font, black fender flares, aluminum skid plates, and blacked-out front end. To complete the look, there’s a metal sport bar in the bed of the truck with Frontier cut into the metal, and a set of rock sliders to protect your Frontier during off-roading. 

The entire package gives the Frontier road presence missing from most other mid-sized trucks. It turns this normal truck into a modern-day tribute to the truck that put Japanese trucks on the map in America and made today’s Nissan truck possible.

A Modern-Day Nostalgia Machine

The Nissan Frontier is not the most technologically advanced truck and the market and it’s better for it. As the automotive industry continues to evolve and push both engineering and design to leverage the latest tech, some of the proven methods of building and engaging with a vehicle are lost. Luckily, Nissan’s focus on preserving what makes the Frontier desirable while adding some modernization has created a compelling truck. As vehicles continue to evolve, the Nissan Frontier will become an even more interesting truck for those who want a sure thing. 

Nissan Frontier Image Gallery