Nissan Frontier vs. Toyota Tacoma

[vtsnowedin]

"The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same sized bucket". Very true when it comes to pickup trucks .The Tacoma is sized for someone that is shorter and skinnier then I am. I've had one but that was twenty years and twenty five pounds ago. Even then it had no head room to spare and the leg room was less then perfect but tolerable. The Frontier is better on head room and shoulder room but I could still use another inch of seat travel. But I'm 6' 3"/250 lb. and usually wear heavy work boots with a considerable heel, the average man would never have a problem with any of them. The full sized Chevy work trucks I owned had plenty of room and had a nice ride when the bed wasn't loaded. Very good for a long commute but in four wheel drive versions were gas hogs. I had two,2 wheel drive 4.3 V -6s that got 19-20 mpg with 5 speeds.
Now that I don't commute in the winter I treated myself to a four wheel drive Frontier but being tighter then the bark on an elm tree went with the six speed manual as I expect gas to keep on going up and up.

 

[daugen]

I sold my 2010 V6 Frontier LE automatic for my current Suburban only for more towing capacity.
The Frontier is fun to drive; it does not handle like a full size truck.
Mine only got 16mpg but I had a heavy foot and that V6 is powerful.
Build quality on the Nissan is superb; not one thing went wrong on it for the almost three years I had it.
Thin sheet metal in the hood, you can dent it with your finger if not careful, but otherwise just a well put together truck.

Don't buy a mid size truck for better gas mileage, you'll be disappointed by how little you save. But for easier parking, handling, and
overall enjoyment, a Frontier is simply a great truck. Don't buy the four door; the rear seat is a joke; better to get the bigger bed with the
King Cab.

I got a good trade in on my truck, remarkably good, and it was sold In two days.

 

[RoyJackson]

I'm trying to understand how bigger equates to more comfortable.

Although a truck, regardless of it's size, rides like a truck; larger trucks with longer wheel bases do ride more comfortably. The ride is less choppy and the longer wheelbase helps smooth out the bumps...my opinion anyway...

 

[mjncad]

I'm trying to understand how bigger equates to more comfortable.

As I get older (I'm 56), I find that I appreciate the roomy cab of my 1999 F-250 more...the legroom, headroom, hip and shoulder room compared to a compact/midsize truck like a Tacoma or Frontier. And yes the Tacoma's and Frontier's are significantly larger now than when they first came out here in the states. The bucket seats on my F-250 aren't bad; but they aren't Recaro's with side bolsters to climb over either. I just wish my F-250 got more than 12 - 13 MPG; but when I bought it I expected 10 MPG, so I got a 20% - 30% positive MPG surprise.

 

[srs]

Just curious but how is the ride on the Tacomas? I've heard the Toyota has a bumpy ride compared to the Nissan. Of course I know there are different trim levels on the Tacomas with different shocks, etc. but was wondering which trim level in the Tacomas has the smoothest ride available.

 

[RollingsFarms]

Just curious but how is the ride on the Tacomas? I've heard the Toyota has a bumpy ride compared to the Nissan. Of course I know there are different trim levels on the Tacomas with different shocks, etc. but was wondering which trim level in the Tacomas has the smoothest ride available.

I will say, as an owner of a 2012 Tacoma TRD-off road 4x4 double cab, that the ride isn't really that bad. Sure, it doesn't ride nearly as well as my 2004 & 2011 Z71's did, but they also had a longer wheelbase. The TRD off-road package that I have on mine is going to give you that more "stiff" ride but that's the nature of the beast because it's set-up to be aggressive off-road. I have heard the TRD sport package rides a little better and isn't as "jarring" as my off-road but I can't give you cold hard facts because I haven't driven or ridden in one to compare the two. In the Tacoma's you'll get the best ride in the double cab long bed since it has the longest wheelbase of all Tacoma's. Haven't driven a Frontier but my '95 regular cab Nissan truck I had rode MUCH better then my '95 Toyota regular cab 4x4 did.

 

[PoorPlowboy]

I'm trying to understand how bigger equates to more comfortable. Are the seats in a bigger truck more like a couch? Do I want to sit on a couch and drive my truck? I think I might like a high-quality bucket seat to sit in while manhandling my truck, not a recliner. I'm pretty sure the bigger trucks have the bucket seats but if they are too big, then they don't do their job which is to hold you in position while providing comfort. Have you seen the latest Tacoma's? Do they strike you as seeming small? To me, they seem big and the Chevy's/Fords/Dodge trucks seem too big. The tailgates and sides of the beds on those are way too high, if you ask me. Crap, you can't even see what is in the bed of your truck without using a ladder. Well, I guess you didn't ask me....OK....I'm going......

Wheelbase and weight. The same qualities that we who operate tractors for hours on end judge tractors by, or anything else on wheels.

 

[mjncad]

A few years ago at the Denver Auto Show, a Toyota gal/guy model asked the crowd what TRD stood for. I piped up and said it stood for TuRD. Dodge sells **** level trim in its trucks; Honda has the CRV EX (Cervix) that my wife owns one on wheels and the other in her body; other companies offer SXT (SeXTing) trim levels, and so on.

 

[srs]

I will say, as an owner of a 2012 Tacoma TRD-off road 4x4 double cab, that the ride isn't really that bad.

RollingsFarms, thank you for your input.

 

[TimberXX]

I hated my 06 tacoma, but the ride was great and the truck never needed an alignment.