1998 Nissan Frontier XE review from North America

When I first bought the car it would not shift into 4WD, either sitting in the lot or going down the highway / trail. This was before I signed the final paperwork. Nissan never told me what the problem was, but they fixed it in less than 10 minutes, and I signed for it and left the dealership. While I only put 29K on this truck, it's some of the hardest miles I've ever seen, lifetime. You see, it lived in Fairbanks Alaska.

-40, -50 - this truck never failed to turn right over and start. Granted I had a block heater and battery blanket (necessities in the far north) but this is still a good sign.

As for off road performance, I specifically remember driving past a STUCK military-issue Hummer. I kept going to the end of the trail (OK - so it was a swampy bog, not a trail... details) and managed to get back just fine. Nary a whimper from the truck. I actually managed to drive across part of a small river in it. Make no mistake, folks - this truck can get it done. I've taken this rig rock-hopping, snow-riding, out on lake ice, though thick mud and then some - and never got stuck. Pretty impressive for a compact 4cyl with no winch, no lift and stock tires.

Nissan's new braking system (standard on my truck) works very well. Driving 50mph in 4WD the truck did fantastic on rock / gravel roads, even in the sharper turns. Braking was coordinated and not too harsh - but still quite effective if you had to romp on the pedal.

Bottom line? I was a -fool- to sell this truck and I've been shopping for one ever since.