2022 Nissan Frontier Review

Name: 2022 Nissan Frontier Review
Brand: Nissan
Price: 25499 USD

Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab Pickup Exterior Shown

+99

Packed with significant updates, the latest Frontier is finally a contender in the midsize truck segment. Highpoints include its smooth and powerful V6, comfortable ride and well-appointed interior. But a somewhat cramped back seat, cluttered infotainment system and general middle-of-the-road capabilities keep it from leading the pack.

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Nissan Frontier model years

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Nissan Frontier types

Crew Cab
King Cab

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2022 Nissan Frontier Review

byKurt Niebuhr^{Senior Vehicle Test Editor
Kurt Niebuhr has worked in the automotive industry since 2005. A automotive photographer by trade, Kurt is now one of Edmunds' high-performance test drivers. He's driven and photographed hundreds, if not thousands, of vehicles all over the world, so Kurt's library of automotive experiences would certainly make for a good book. When not dreaming about getting his racing license or trying to buy out-of-date film for his cameras, Kurt can usually be found cursing at his 1966 Mustang.}

Pros

Smooth ride quality
Stable and secure handling
Helpful storage spaces for small items

Cons

Hard to find a comfortable driving position
Odd layout of some controls and on-screen menus
Steering is overly heavy
Less rear seat space than other midsize crew-cab trucks

What's new

Fully redesigned for 2022
Updated interior with bigger touchscreen
Bigger grille and more rugged-looking styling
Kicks off the third Frontier generation for 2022

Overview

Nissan's Frontier finally — finally! — gets a full redesign for 2022. The previous-generation truck debuted all the way back for the 2005 model year. By 2021, the Frontier was way behind other midsize trucks in regards to technology, comfort, and towing and hauling performance. Thankfully, this year's much-improved 2022 Frontier has greater appeal.

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2022 Nissan Frontier S 4dr King Cab 6.1 ft. SB (3.8L 6cyl 9A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.50 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio

$211/mo

$240/mo

Avg. Compact Truck

Calculate my fuel costs

On the outside, the Frontier gets more upright styling for a more rugged look. There's less change under the sheetmetal, as the new Frontier shares a lot of mechanical bits with the previous model, including the 310-horsepower V6 that Nissan introduced a few years ago. The interior gets a major renovation, however. The cabin and center button layout look much more deserving of a modern midsize truck, for instance, and Nissan has added many new technology and advanced driver aid features.

Overall, the 2022 Frontier is a competitive pick among rivals such as the Chevrolet Colorado, Honda Ridgeline, Jeep Gladiator and Toyota Tacoma. Check out our Expert Rating below to get our test team's take on the Frontier's improvements and where it still comes up a little short.

Edmunds Expert Rating

Our Verdict^{The Edmunds Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.}

Average

7.5

out of 10

edmunds TESTED

Rated for you by America's best test team.

Performance

8.0/10

How does the Frontier drive? The Frontier isn't the quickest midsize truck. Our Frontier Pro-4X test truck accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds, which is an average time for the class. But the engine really shines in day-to-day driving. There's ample midrange grunt and the transmission doles out smooth shifts even under full-throttle acceleration. The Frontier's brakes are similarly effortless. They're easy to operate in city traffic as well as powerful enough to stop the truck promptly when you need it.

Confident handling is another bright spot for the Frontier. The truck feels planted around turns, even with the Pro-4X's off-road-oriented tires. But the very heavy steering is a head-scratcher. It requires a considerable amount of effort to maneuver the Nissan through a parking lot or over a trail at low speeds.

The Frontier Pro-4X includes beefy skid plates, off-road oriented tires and special shock absorbers. It also features an impressive 9.8 inches of ground clearance and an electronically locking rear differential for added traction. While it lacks the more extreme off-road software and hardware of the Tacoma TRD Pro and Gladiator Rubicon, the Frontier can take on its fair share of rugged terrain.

Comfort

7.5/10

How comfortable is the Frontier? The highlight here is the Frontier's comfortable ride quality. Big dips and bumps are simply shrugged off at high speeds, and the Frontier remains similarly composed around town. Other aspects of the Frontier aren't as polished. The front seat's padding is a bit too firm and flat, and a lack of seat adjustments means you might find it hard to settle into an optimal seating position.

The climate control system is relatively straightforward to operate and is able to maintain a comfortable temperature on a hot day. But we were disappointed that our Frontier didn't have air vents for rear passengers. We also noticed an excessive amount of wind noise on the highway.

Interior

7.0/10

How’s the interior? Nissan has certainly come a long way with its design of interiors, and the Frontier benefits from many of those advances. The large, easy-to-read infotainment touchscreen dominates the interior and still leaves more than enough room for the climate control and various other buttons. However, some of those buttons aren't logically laid out and can be hard to find at times. The clumsy instrument panel menus and their steering wheel-mounted controls could benefit from a rethink too.

Surprisingly, the Frontier does not offer a telescoping steering wheel, which will make it difficult for some drivers to get a comfortable seating position. Rear passengers won't be too happy either, as the Frontier's rear legroom is definitely on the tight side for adults. Outward visibility is on par for the class. There is an optional surround-view camera system for the Frontier. It can help make parking easier, but the camera views are disappointingly low-resolution and grainy.

Technology

7.5/10

How’s the tech? The Frontier has a standard 8-inch touchscreen or optional 9-inch touchscreen. Those are good sizes, and the displays are bright. Unfortunately, Nissan's native menu interface is amateurish, oftentimes looking like an old website design instead of a modern interface. The workaround is to just use Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration, and both look good on the new touchscreen. Wireless smartphone charging is an option, as is the 10-speaker Fender audio system. The Fender system makes decent sound, but its subwoofer takes up some valuable rear underseat storage.

Standard on all Frontiers are driver assists such as driver attention warning, automatic emergency braking and trailer sway control. Our test truck came with a few packages that added lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic assist, a surround-view camera and adaptive cruise control. We found the systems to work well and they gave no false alerts.

Towing and Storage

7.5/10

How are the towing and storage? The Frontier's maximum payload stands at 1,610 pounds, and max trailering is 6,720 pounds. These figures are slightly below average for the class, but for real-world use they're certainly enough to allow you to pull a small or midsize trailer without too much difficulty. Optional add-ons include adjustable tie-down cleats, a spray-in bedliner, under-rail lighting and a 120-volt power outlet.

There's ample storage inside the cab thanks to a large tray in front of the shifter, cupholders and the space where the optional wireless charging tray sits. As a bonus, the underarm center console is large enough to hold a couple of water bottles. Door pockets are about average for front and rear passengers.

Fuel Economy

7.5/10

How’s the fuel economy? The EPA estimates that a Frontier with four-wheel drive will get 19 mpg combined in city/highway driving, which is average for a 4WD midsize truck with a V6. We had no problem confirming that number on our real-world evaluation route, where our Frontier test truck returned 19.9 mpg.

Value

7.5/10

Is the Frontier a good value? Our Pro-4X test truck was more or less fully equipped and came in around $44,000, which is about the going rate for a well-optioned midsize truck. While the Frontier lacks some of the trick off-road hardware of its competition, it does offer a better-built and higher-quality interior than many in the class. Still, it is hard to overlook the lack of a telescoping steering wheel and a power-sliding rear window at this price.

Nissan's warranty coverage trails most of the class. It offers a three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. At three years/36,000 miles the roadside assistance is a bit shorter than most, and free maintenance is not included.

Wildcard

7.5/10

Thanks to more polish and refinement than the previous-generation Frontier, the new version is far more comfortable and easy to live with. We also like that the truck looks distinctive without going over the top. But it has lost some of the charm and truckiness of the outgoing generation. It was a truck and proud of it to a fault. This new Frontier feels more SUV-ish in places.

Which Frontier does Edmunds recommend?

Get the Frontier in the SV trim. It's equipped similarly to the base S but grants access to a couple of option packages that you can't get on the S. Specifically, look to get the SV Convenience package since it adds desirable features such as a spray-in bedliner, heated seats and a trailer hitch.

2022 Nissan Frontier models

The redesigned 2022 Frontier is a midsize truck that comes in two body styles: an extended cab with two doors (King Cab) and a four-door crew cab. The extended cab comes with a 6-foot cargo bed, while the crew cab has either a 5-foot bed or 6-foot bed. There are three trim levels: S, SV and, for the crew-cab only, Pro-4X.

Powering every Frontier is a 3.8-liter V6 (310 horsepower, 281 lb-ft of torque) and a nine-speed automatic transmission. Rear-wheel drive is standard, and four-wheel drive (with low-range gearing) is optional.

Feature availability can vary slightly depending on the body style, but in general expect these features on the Frontier:

S
Gets you the basics, including:

16-inch wheels
Push-button start
Cloth upholstery
Tilt-only steering wheel
Six-speaker sound system
8-inch touchscreen
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration
Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)

SV
Similar to the S but with:

17-inch wheels
Power-adjustable driver's seat

There are two optional packages for the SV that you can't get on the S.

SV Convenience package

Spray-in bedliner
Adjustable bed tie-down cleats
Bed under-rail lighting
Two household-style power outlets
Heated mirrors
Heated leather-wrapped steering wheel
Heated front seats
Trailer hitch with wiring harness
Proximity keyless entry
Dual-zone automatic climate control

SV Premium package

10-speaker Fender sound system
Simulated leather upholstery
LED headlights
Sunroof

Pro-4X
On top of the SV's features, the Pro-4X has:

Bilstein shock absorbers
Extra skid plates
Locking rear differential (for enhanced traction when off-roading)
Dark-painted wheels with all-terrain tires
LED headlights
10-speaker sound system
9-inch touchscreen

There's a Pro Convenience package for the Pro-4X that's similar to the SV's Convenience package. It has those features plus:

360-degree camera system (gives you a top-down view of the Frontier and its surroundings for tight parking situations)
Wireless smartphone charging pad

Similarly, the Pro Premium package takes the SV Premium package and adds:

Leather upholstery
Upgraded interior trim

All Frontiers are eligible for the safety-oriented Technology package. It includes:

Lane departure warning (alerts you if the vehicle begins to drift out of its lane)
Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse)
Rear automatic braking (brakes if sensors detect an imminent collision with an object behind the vehicle)
Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the Frontier and the car in front)

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

4/5Excellent

#2 out of 8 among Midsize Trucks

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Nissan Frontier from 2008-2022.}

$421/yr

vs. $451/yr
for Average Midsize Truck

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

0.82x/yr

vs. 0.79x/yr
for Average Midsize Truck

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

12.8%

vs. 13.6%
for Average Midsize Truck

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2022 Nissan Frontier.

5 (43%)

4 (31%)

3 (14%)

2 (7%)

1 (5%)

4.0

42 reviews

Write a vehicle review See all 42 reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

Underrated to say the least!

PDX Camper, 07/18/2022

2022 Nissan Frontier SV 4dr Crew Cab 4WD 5.0 ft. SB (3.8L 6cyl 9A)

I test drove and looked at all midsized trucks, and was hated for that by most commissioned sales people. Lol. I narrowed my choices down to the Frontier, Tacoma and Colorado. What took the Tacoma out was the road noise and fuel economy were terrible. The Colorado was missing some of the current technology that the other trucks in the class had and was not as comfortable as the … Nissan. I was not really looking for power or towing, for any of them could tow a standard trailer or average speed boat, but was looking for a reliable, comfortable truck for camping, trips and general hauling. The new look is also very striking. Previous models looked as if they were still in the late 90’s. The Tacoma was my favorite for a long time on the looks department, but the new Frontier gave it a run for its money now. The Frontier had the most comfortable, smooth and quiet ride out of all of them. It also had all of the current and most desired tech available standard or with options. Push button start was standard, where it was an option only on the others. One of our must haves was the adaptive cruise control. We have it on our 2020 Sentra and love how easy that was on long trips or even in the city. You can adjust the driving distance to your comfort ability or situation. The Zero-G seats and back seats are extremely comfortable on long trips and the fold up back seats make it so our Husky does not get hair on the back seat. The turning and acceleration are smooth and responsive. Ok turning radius. The ride still feels like a truck, which I prefer, but some people don’t like that. It also handles really well in the Portland, OR rain and the snow in the Mountains. It also took the costal highway corners like a champ. Some of the cons: The first one is with most trucks out there and not sure why manufacturers don’t make this standard like they do on cars and suvs, Rear Window Defroster. The cloth mats are kind of cheap, so invest in some good all weather mats. New model so accessories are either pretty pricey or not available. Finally the biggest thing was the price for what you get. The Tacoma and Colorado were $5-6000 more for the same or less features. (Colorado did not have the adaptive cruise control available). The Tacoma was $46200 for the same features and the Colorado with less features was $45000. We got our Frontier for $39,900 and had more colors available without having to special order the truck. We did not want a monochromatic color that the others only seem to only send to dealerships, black, white or grey. We got cherry red. Remember to drop all favoritism and biases to your trucks and to test drive all of them. You might surprise yourself as I did. The Frontier was not even on my radar and sure glad I made the choice I did!

Crew Cab SV really nice

Luke, 01/21/2022

2022 Nissan Frontier SV 4dr Crew Cab 5.0 ft. SB (3.8L 6cyl 9A)

Very nice compact pickup has great handling for the winding roads of Appalachia, intuitive entertainment system with all the knobs and steering wheel controls, good comfort for the front driver and passenger, the rear seating feels like you're in an extended cab truck so I'm neutral on that, feels like your planted on the road even going 80mph, overall a good truck for the working man …

9000 Mile Review

Frontier Exploring, 04/15/2022

2022 Nissan Frontier SV 4dr Crew Cab 4WD 5.0 ft. SB (3.8L 6cyl 9A)

Purchased 2022 Crew Cab SV, with technology and convenience package in November 2021, almost 9000 miles. Perfect blend of everyday driver and off road ability. In rain and snowy twisting country roads no problem. Driving comfort and steering that turns the vehicle as you turn the wheel. Zero gravity seat is very comfortable on long drives, I've gone 8 hours straight in them. Best …

Refined for what it is, and underrated!

AJ, 01/17/2022

2022 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X 4dr Crew Cab 4WD 5.0 ft. SB (3.8L 6cyl 9A)

It took me a while to find a PRO-4X being sold without a markup, but I eventually did, and I’m really happy I did! PROS: This is surprisingly quiet and smooth, for what it is. The Nissan seats are really comfortable, I love sitting in them on my way home from work. The adaptive cruise control works really well for highway traffic. It doesn’t leave a lot of unnecessary space between you …

See all 42 reviews of the Nissan Frontier

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2022 Nissan Frontier videos

2021 Midsize Truck Comparison: Tacoma vs. Ranger vs. Frontier vs. Colorado & Canyon

Midsize trucks can do it all. Quickly becoming the right size for many shoppers, midsize trucks are capable of towing, hauling and heading off-road. In this video, Ryan ZumMallen from Edmunds compares four of the top pickup trucks you can buy to see which is the best midsize truck for…

2021 Midsize Truck Comparison: Tacoma vs. Ranger vs. Frontie...

2022 Nissan Frontier First Impression | Nissan's Fully Redes...

2022 Frontier Highlights

Type:

Crew Cab

Trim:

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$29,990
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	20 MPG
Cost to Drive	$211/month
Seating	5 seats
Drivetrain	rear wheel drive
Max Towing Capacity	6,570 lbs.
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

Our experts like the Frontier models:

Intelligent Cruise Control: Maintains a driver-set distance between the Frontier and the vehicle in front.
Intelligent Forward Collision Warning: Alerts you of a possible collision with the vehicle in front.
Intelligent Around-View Monitor: Gives you a top-down view of the Frontier and its surroundings for tight parking situations.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
DriverNot Rated
PassengerNot Rated
Side Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Side Barrier Rating
OverallNot Rated
DriverNot Rated
PassengerNot Rated
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front SeatNot Rated
Back SeatNot Rated
Rollover
Rollover3 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover20.4%

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2022 Nissan Frontier Review

2022 Nissan Frontier Review

Pros

Cons

What's new

Overview

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2022 Nissan Frontier S 4dr King Cab 6.1 ft. SB (3.8L 6cyl 9A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.50 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.

Edmunds Expert Rating

Performance

Comfort

Interior

Technology

Towing and Storage

Fuel Economy

Value

Wildcard

Which Frontier does Edmunds recommend?

2022 Nissan Frontier models

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Most helpful consumer reviews

Underrated to say the least!

Crew Cab SV really nice

9000 Mile Review

Refined for what it is, and underrated!

2022 Nissan Frontier videos

2021 Midsize Truck Comparison: Tacoma vs. Ranger vs. Frontier vs. Colorado & Canyon

2022 Frontier Highlights

Safety

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Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2022 Nissan Frontier S 4dr King Cab 6.1 ft. SB (3.8L 6cyl 9A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.50 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}