2000 Nissan Frontier: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

Introduction of a Crew Cab with independent, front-opening rear doors highlights the 2000 model year for Nissan's compact pickup. Nissan late this summer plans to unveil the 2001 Frontier, which will have revised styling.
The new-for-2000 Crew Cab has front bucket seats and a 3-person rear bench. Its cargo bed is only 4.6-feet long, but an optional tube-frame enclosure extends the bed, allowing longer loads to be carried with the tailgate down. Regular-cab Frontiers have a 6.5-foot bed. King Cabs, which are extended-cab models with no rear doors, have a 6.2-foot bed and two rear jump seats.
Regular cabs come only in XE trim with a 4-cylinder engine and 2-wheel drive. A V6 is standard in Crew Cabs and optional in King Cabs; both offer XE and uplevel SE trim. Automatic transmission is optional. Also new is the Desert Runner, a 2WD V6 King Cab built on the higher-riding 4x4 chassis also used by Crew Cabs.
Frontier's 4WD allows on-the-fly shifts up to 50 mph, but is not for dry pavement. Four-wheel antilock brakes are standard on 4x4s, Desert Runner, and all Crew Cabs; other 2WD Frontiers have rear-only ABS. Among competitors, the Dodge Dakota offers a crew cab, while Ford Ranger/Mazda B-Series offer rear-hinged doors that don't open independently of the front doors.

COMPETITION

Among compact pickups two vehicles really stand out. The Dodge Dakota and the Ford Ranger (and clone Mazda B-Series). Dakota is the only one to offer a V8 engine and near-full-size cargo and towing capacity. Ranger is the most refined and probably the best daily use vehicle.
Among the Recommended choices we really like the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma for their drivability and comfort. General Motors' compacts (the Chevy S-10 and GMC Sonoma) are getting a bit long in the tooth. But they still offer class-leading ride quality and a strong V6 engine.