2014 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X 4.0L V6 from North America

Summary:

A little disappointed in Nissan's initial quality

Faults:

The ignition key sometimes sticks when shutting off the car.

The stereo turns itself on whenever the truck is started (Note: As in the stereo was off when the truck was turned off).

Finally the buttons on the FOB don't always work when trying to lock the truck; I've tried both remotes. Perhaps the batteries need to be replaced, but the truck is only 6 months old.

General Comments:

This truck rides better and is quieter than the Tacoma it replaced. It has more modern features, like heated seats and automatic headlights, than the 2005 Toyota. The truck has great throttle response and simply feels fun to drive. Further utilitarian features like the spray-in bed-liner, that helps hold cargo in place, and those awesome tie down hooks, make it easier to haul stuff in.

Unfortunately, even with the extra creature comforts, the interior feels downright cheap. Some of the plastics scratch extremely easily. Even the more durable pieces look plain and bargain basement. Now don't get me wrong here, my old Tacoma's interior was all hard plastic too, but at least it looked stylish and was somewhat scratch resistant.

The gas mileage is another let down. Frontiers are known to get poor gas mileage, but I'm only averaging 15 MPG at the moment. Even considering the fact this truck shares a platform with the full-sized Titan, that is still really bad. My larger, albeit lighter, Tacoma was averaging 17 MPG after 9+ years of ownership. Perhaps this will improve after the motor gets broken in a little more...

Yet my biggest disappointment with this truck is the problems I'm having with it already. The Frontier was last redesigned in 2005 with a "freshening" in 2010. At this point in the model's life cycle I shouldn't be having quality issues; all the bugs should have been worked out of it.

This was my first Nissan and may just be my last. 6 months into ownership and I'm already considering trading it in on a redesigned Tacoma next year. I was planning on keeping this truck at least until it was paid off, but the issues I'm having already are a concern.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 19th January, 2015