Owning A 2022 Nissan Frontier Means Being Ready For Anything
Sara Lacey
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Adventure is the name of the game in the 2022 Nissan Frontier.
I have a friend who is always ready for anything. Wanna go for a hike? She is in. Hit the slopes? Absolutely. Camping? Well, she might take some convincing but she’d do it to get outdoors and spend time with her friends. My friend is not unlike the 2022 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X. Except the Nissan Frontier doesn’t need as much convincing to go camping.
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Frontier Cockpit. Photo: Sara Lacey
The 2022 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X is a four-wheel drive, powered by a V6, and is the highest Frontier trim level. Pricing starts at $37,370, but the one I tested cost $44,315. My test truck added a technology package (including lane departure warning, blind spot warning, intelligent cruise control, 9 inch touchscreen, and more), a PRO convenience package (including a spray-in bedliner, tie down cleats, heated outside mirrors, heated steering wheel, and more), and a PRO premium package (including premium audio system, leather front and rear seats, sunroof, and more). But if you want to start at the base, you can get get into one starting at $32,440. That would be the S trim package and it comes with a V6, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, remote keyless entry, 8 inch touchscreen display, and Apple CarPlay. Go up to the SV and you get 17 inch wheels, body-color /lower silver front bumper, body-color rear bumper, and 6-way power driver’s seat but it’ll cost you $35,240. If you want a long bed, you can have it at the SV trim level for $37,140.
The Frontier averages up to 18 miles per gallon in the city and 24 miles per gallon on the highway.
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Now That You Have a Truck, What Are You Going to Do With It?
Life in the Frontier means being ready for adventure, whether or not you actually take advantage of the opportunities. It’s a mid-size pickup so you can own it in the city without much worry about fitting into parking spots and narrow streets. It’s no challenge to own the Frontier in the ‘burbs or any rural environment. When your friend calls and wants to go skiing, you both can throw your skis in the back and be on your way. You can even bring another friend or two and be comfortable, but bear in mind that if you have four people and bags of gear, they’ll need to go in the bed of the truck (the bags, not the people). It’s okay, the gear won’t fly out if you secure them to the tie-downs in the bed. More on those in a minute.
Nissan Frontier Bed. Photo: Sara Lacey
Hauling the Goods in the 2022 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X
Here is your friendly reminder that while pickup trucks are versatile, one thing that is a little tricky with them is grocery shopping. If you gotta put the groceries in the bed, I highly recommend reusable bags with handles you can tie, or ones with zippers on top. Otherwise, plan on using the back seat for that particular haul.
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Frontier Grocery Haul. Photo: Sara Lacey
Speaking of hauls, the bed of the Frontier is great for most typical jobs. But the Frontier is not a full-size truck, so if you’re moving furniture on the regular, or shuttling large pieces of plywood you should carry some rope or look to move to a larger truck. Bikes, kayaks, paddle boards will all fit, though may be aided by the use of those aforementioned tie-downs. Same with tents, coolers, and camping gear belonging to whomever you can convince to go with you. My truck was equipped with Nissan’s Utilitrack tie-down system. This means the truck has tracks with cleats in them that you can adjust to tie down whatever you have in the bed of the truck. Also, you can get a long-bed version of the Frontier, but it’ll cost more as I mentioned earlier.
I loved the green color of my test truck. It was an olive green with just a little metallic in it to make it interesting. It looked ready for anything, and the black wheels also looked rugged and I wouldn’t hesitate to drive through shallow rivers or hit some narrow off-road trails. Sometimes a person might worry about scuffing those up. Not me and my new friend, Frontier.
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Front Diagonal Angle Photo: Sara Lacey
The 2022 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Is Versatile
The interior of the Frontier is simple, but has everything you need. The front seats are comfortable, and there is some storage to be had. Each door has a bottle holder and a cubby. There is a center console that will handle a small handbag. I loved the wireless charging pad, I’ve become addicted to this feature for sure. The only issue is that there is only one, so your friends will need to plug in by more conventional means. There is a USB port in the front and rear seat, and even a USB-C port in the front and rear seat as well. The touchscreen is clear and easy to use, and integration with my phone was seamless.
Nissan Frontier Center Stack. Photo: Sara Lacey
Cupholders, For the Win
I want to also mention that the Frontier came with my favorite kind of cupholder. I call them knuckles. The cupholder has the open space where you put your cup or bottle, and the knuckles on the outside of the interior move in and out to grip your cup. They are adaptive and secure. Yes, Frontier! The two rear cupholders just have the space for the cup and then rubber tabs on the rim to grip your cup. They are functional, and are housed in the fold-down armrest.
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Cupholders With Knuckles. Photo: Sara Lacey
The 2022 Nissan Pathfinder is a Comfortable Ride On or Off Road
The ride in the Frontier is just what you’d expect. It’s trucky. You can hear the engine. You will jostle back and forth over speed bumps, potholes, or rocks on the off-road trail. But it’s the fun kind of jostling. The rear seat is roomy, though the seats backs are pretty straight. That’s not atypical for crew cab seats, though. This is not a posh pickup and that’s okay. Everyone in the Frontier will embrace the sense of adventure you get from riding in a truck. And guess what? You can do some towing, too.
Frontier Rear Seat Legroom. Photo: Sara Lacey
The Frontier is capable and ready to do some off-roading. The PRO-4X package makes it easier for you to get off the beaten path with Bilstein off-road shocks, skid plates, and all-terrain tires. The driver can put the vehicle into 4-wheel drive as the situation demands, simply by turning a knob. Nissan isn’t overthinking its capability.
Forntier Rear Seat. Photo: Sara Lacey
Nissan has included many of their safety and driver assist systems in the Frontier, standard. You’ll get intelligent forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rearview monitor, intelligent driver alertness, and more. The technology package will get you adaptive cruise control, rear sonar system, lane departure warning, blind spot warning and more for $990. One of my favorites is the traffic sign recognition feature, so I always know what the speed limit is.
WHAT WE LOVE
- Color
- Ease of tech
- Room in the back seat
- Just the right amount of amenities
WHO IS THE FRONTIER FOR?
- Singles, couples, smaller families
- Anyone with a sense of adventure
Console and Charging Pad. Photo: Sara Lacey
Let’s be clear, the dream is to not have to be in traffic, especially in a vehicle capable of adventure. But at the same time, having a pickup truck in the driveway makes it easy to decide to do things, even if you don’t actually get around to doing them. Some of the most fun moments in the Frontier were just hanging out with my people, sitting on the tailgate and swinging our feet. No doubt, you and your friends will find the same joy.
Frontier Touchscreen. Photo: Sara Lacey
Disclosure: Nissan provided me with a Frontier to test. All opinions are my own.