Faults:

Driver's seat is wearing on corner due to entry and exit from vehicle.

General Comments:

As I approached this used 2005 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab NISMO at the dealership I didn't think I could afford it. (Having a wife, 2 kids and a demanding mortgage can do that to you.) It had a price tag of over $26,000 - for a used mid-sized truck. But after 3 hours and absolutely no haggling we drove away in the truck of my dreams for under $18,000.

I absolutely love this truck!

I love everything about this truck!

The exterior styling is stout and aggressive. It came with the "roof bars" and sunroof. I've since added the Nissan powder-coated step rails for my wife and daughter. I especially like the raised hood design. This will definitely offer more room under the hood for later modifications. The chrome bumpers add a nice accent as well.

Rating: 10/10.

The interior is roomy and accomodating. It has the Rockford Fosgate sound system and a 6-Disc CD Changer in the dash. The sound quality is very good, but it could use a little help in the area of bass. All of the controls are readily available and easily within reach. The seats are comfortable and have height and lumbar adjustments. I'd rather that they had some additional padding to reduce lateral movement.

Rating: 9/10.

The engine, while not exactly economical, is as strong as anyone could ask for in a mid-sized truck. I get about 17mpg on average (which isn't terrible, but not great) whether I'm getting to work in a hurry or taking my time on the way to the mother-in-laws. The only problem I've had is in using synthetic motor oil. I've only tried Royal Purple with disasterous affects - my mileage went from 17mpg to 13mpg. It quickly jumped back to 17mpg once I changed the oil 3 weeks later to conventional motor oil. Other than that, no complaints here.

Rating: 10/10.

Faults:

Safety recalls, low tire pressure alarm.

General Comments:

Quite pleased so far, low tire pressure alarm flashed at me for about 30 sec's once after I had rotated tires and shut off when I dropped below 40 mph. fuel mileage 20-22 mpg at 60-65 mph in warm weather, drops off in winter to 18-20 mpg. Complaints- Does not like to shift into 5th gear, like the computer program says to wait until on level with no headwind or going down hill, like its trying to "save" the OD gear from load or something. Have a 2006 KC 2 door, rear jump seats are a joke, always in the way, take up too much room and impractical.

Why not offer a delete option so I can use this space or put in a fold down bench/shelf that is usable. Doors are hard to close from the drivers seat as the door pull is out of reach, needs to be moved inboard (I am 6' tall and this is a problem}, needs grease fittings on front suspension from factory, should not have to wear out ball joints to get a zerk fitting on the replacements.

Faults:

Broken straps on the cargo net under rear seat.

The brakes are just miserable. Very disapointed.

General Comments:

Overall the Frontier has been a very good truck. On my latest trip (1200 miles) I averaged 20.4 miles/gallon. Has plenty of power to pull my 4 place snow machine trailer, and also the Malibu boat.

I guess the two problems I have with the truck are first; A vehicle designed for towing needs to have bigger side mirrors and for $27000 those mirrors should be heated (standard). You shouldn't have to purchase leather heated seats to get that option. Nissan missed the boat on that one.

The second item is the brakes. It is embarrassing how poorly designed these are. They stop you OK, but they feel very mushy and howl way too much. The dealer says it's normal for them to squeak. That's great, but these HOWL!!! Nissan refuses to acknowledge the problem.