After 16 years without a major update, the Frontier finally got a redesign for the 2022 model year. The new version benefits from a strong powertrain and a modern infotainment system, but it still suffers from a rough ride. It scores better than its traditional midsized pickup-truck competitors, such as the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger, and Toyota Tacoma, in part thanks to its excellent powertrain, easy-to-use controls, and short stopping distances. But it’s no match for the more car-like Honda Ridgeline or Hyundai Santa Cruz when it comes to comfort and refinement.
The Frontier’s pairing of a brawny-and-smooth 310-horsepower, 3.8-liter V6 with a slick-shifting nine-speed automatic transmission is the truck’s best aspect. The engine feels meatier and with more readily available power than the Ford Ranger’s turbo four-cylinder, for example. The Frontier scampered from 0 to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds, a competitive showing among most other midsized pickups. Fuel economy of 18 mpg overall for our 4x4 model is a 3-mpg improvement over the outgoing version, but it’s a couple mpg off the class leaders, and even the full-sized Ford F-150 with its 2.7-liter turbocharged V6 does better, at 19 mpg overall.