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Sunday Drive: Tackling a new frontier in the Nissan Frontier PRO-4X

By Craig and Deanne Conover - | Jan 21, 2023
1 / 5
There was plenty of snow over the weekend, allowing us to really put the Frontier to the test in getting around, helping others to dig out of the winter event.
2 / 5
Hauling around a snowblower in the back of the Frontier was easy, and it was fun to experience all that snow in a great four-wheel-drive truck built to tackle just this kind of job.
3 / 5
With more than six decades of proven leadership backing it up, the 2023 Nissan Frontier is the right-sized pickup that’s as convenient for everyday work in the city as it is thrilling for adventures in the great outdoors.
4 / 5
With more than six decades of proven leadership backing it up, the 2023 Nissan Frontier is the right-sized pickup that’s as convenient for everyday work in the city as it is thrilling for adventures in the great outdoors.
5 / 5
With more than six decades of proven leadership backing it up, the 2023 Nissan Frontier is the right-sized pickup that’s as convenient for everyday work in the city as it is thrilling for adventures in the great outdoors.

“Happy New Year from Nissan” would have to be our mantra for our week with all-new in 2022 Frontier PRO-4X mid-sized pickup truck. And what a week it turned out to be with over 18 inches of snow falling in the Springville area between New Year’s Day and Wednesday.

If nothing else, it proved to be the perfect week to have the awesomely equipped four-wheel-drive truck to get around in, as it took city crews more time than usual to get all that snow off of even the main city streets. This was the largest snowfall we had seen in the area since early 2017.

We are not complaining in the least as the West needs the moisture to help offset the lack of precipitation from the past few years. How the Frontier would handle basically plowing through that much snow, slush and ice was yet to be seen.

We did have to keep the truck in four-wheel drive for most of the week, but it went through and over all of the snow we encountered. In fact, we were super happy to have the truck to get around in with the extreme weather we were having.

We had to make a trip out to Costco post-New Year’s for a few items, and with the heavy snow falling the truck went through it like a knife through butter. We would have been at ease taking the new Frontier on any mountain road in the summer and conquering pretty much anything the likes of Moab has to offer.

In the all-new 2022 model of the Frontier, Nissan has taken a giant leap in the design, giving it what we would call a “grown-up look.” In the past, the look had more of a Baja beach-like vibe. Don’t get us wrong, we loved it — in fact, we spent three years with the somewhat similar-looking Xterra from Nissan.

With the 2022 model and its new design, unique look and increased power, Nissan seems to be making the statement that this vehicle is a new force in the mid-sized truck department that is carried through into 2023. What a great time to make these changes, as so many people are looking for something smaller that still has lots of space and the ability to go on adventures that other vehicles cannot handle.

The new engine brought with it a new nine-speed transmission that gave the everyday drive a new dimension. The shifts were so much smoother and nicer than the previous six-speed. It was also very helpful when accelerating onto and around others on the freeway.

The EPA fuel estimate on the Frontier is 17 mpg city and 23 highway. We got an impressive 20.3 mpg during our week, which included about half highway and half city driving, and most of that with the four-wheel drive engaged.

We felt Nissan spent a lot of time thinking about — and innovating — the bed of the Frontier truck. We took the opportunity to clean out some places around the house on New Year’s Eve and use the truck to transport unwanted items to Deseret Industries. During this process, we found that Nissan’s thinking time has really paid off. They have added a factory-applied, spray-on bed liner, and with Nissan’s Utili-track tie-down system that featured cross-section rails mounted in the bed of the truck, it was easy to secure our stuff and get it transported efficiently and safely. There is also a 120-volt plug in the bed that would make for added convenience when using any tool.

Nissan has added a standard locking, detachable tailgate, a tinted front window and rear privacy glass to the PRO-4X that really added to the overall aesthetics of the truck. Our PRO-4X came with a luxury package that added power front seats and a new 9-inch infotainment screen with a navigation package that was very helpful for getting around.

Inside the spacious cabin, the Frontier came loaded with all the right amenities that we have come to love about a Nissan like heated front seats and, most importantly a heated steering wheel that made getting around in the snow just that much better.

It also has front and rear parking sensors, making it easier to get into the garage without worrying about where to stop, allowing for the entire truck to be in before we hit the close button. A new 9-inch display was standard in the PRO-4X that featured wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — again, we have enjoyed not having to have a wire to connect in the truck. A wireless phone charger rounded out the technology.

On the safety side, the new Frontier now comes with all the great Nissan features. With the addition of the technology package, we had adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, rear cross path detection and rear sonar with braking control. All these are great additions for the everyday driver and even for the driver getting into the backcountry.

We loved the new look of the Nissan Frontier. It has definitely come of age and would be a great addition to anyone’s garage. It’s perfect for both the everyday driver and the weekend adventurer.

Base price: $38,720

Destination charge: $1,295

Price as driven: $46,360

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