Used 2017 Nissan Frontier Desert Runner King Cab Review

The midsize pickup segment was effectively in stasis for about a decade, with its handful of trucks coasting along year after year with only minimal updates. Even if a particular truck grew stale, so did its competitors. That changed when General Motors completely redesigned its midsize trucks in 2015 and Toyota followed suit for 2016. As a result, Nissan is at a distinct disadvantage with its unaltered 2017 Frontier.

Its age is especially evident inside the Frontier. Controls are antiquated, materials lackluster and cabin noise levels excessive. Together these characteristics give a bare-bones look and feel that those competing models have risen above. Still its ride quality is surprisingly good, and in Pro-4X trim, it performs off-road with confidence. And it gets all of the practical details right, such as cargo tie-downs, a spray-in bedliner and a sliding bed extender. If you're just looking for these basics, the Frontier still holds its own in this class.

The 2017 Nissan Frontier is a midsize truck offered in numerous configurations, depending upon your preference. It offers an extended-cab (King) or crew-cab body style and 5-foot or 6.1-foot bed length. The engine options are a 2.5-liter four-cylinder (152 horsepower, 171 pound-feet of torque) or a 4.0-liter six-cylinder (261-hp, 281 lb-ft), and both can be hooked up to either a six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission. There are five trim levels: S is the base model; the SV, with an upgraded interior; the Desert Runner, which adds off-road-oriented features but with two-wheel drive; the four-wheel-drive-only Pro-4X; and the top-tier SL, which is the best-optioned overall.

Your first step into the Frontier is in base S trim, with two-wheel drive, extended cab, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual transmission. It has 15-inch steel wheels, rear privacy glass and four-way manual-adjusting cloth bucket seats up front. Select the automatic transmission to get air-conditioning, cruise control, steering-wheel audio controls, Bluetooth phone connectivity, and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack. These items can be added to the manual version via the S Preferred package. Meanwhile, crew cabs with the S trim add the V6 engine, 16-inch steel wheels, a sliding rear window and a six-speaker audio system as standard.

In SV form, you get the above (though the V6 engine is optional for SV extended-cab models), along with 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, power windows, locks and mirrors, a tilt-only steering wheel, upgraded cloth upholstery, a sliding rear window, a 5-inch NissanConnect touchscreen interface with Bluetooth audio connectivity and smartphone-integrated apps, a USB port, a media player interface, satellite radio and an additional 12-volt power outlet. Options include a sunroof on the crew cab, and for the V6-powered SV, a Value Truck package that adds foglights, rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, a sliding bed extender, a spray-in bedliner, adjustable cargo tie-downs, a Class IV trailer hitch, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and two extra speakers on extended cabs.

The Desert Runner is a two-wheel-drive V6 only, in either cab configuration, and it builds on the base SV equipment list. It adds special styling details, foglights, high-performance shock absorbers, off-road tires and an eight-way manually adjustable driver seat. The SV Value package equipment isn't available with this trim.

For serious off-roaders, there is the four-wheel-drive-only Pro-4X. This trim features knobby off-road tires, specially tuned shocks, a locking rear differential, skid plates, automatic headlights, a 5.8-inch NissanConnect touchscreen with navigation, satellite radio and voice controls, the eight-way-adjustable driver seat, heated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a first aid kit. It includes everything in the SV Value Truck package except the trailer hitch and bed extender, which are optional. Crew cabs also get a 10-speaker Rockford Fosgate audio system. The Pro-4X Luxury package, only available on automatic-equipped crew cabs, adds a sunroof, a roof rack with crossbars, heated mirrors, leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats and a rear-seat center armrest.

The top-level SL is only available as a crew cab with the automatic transmission. It loses the Pro-4X's off-road-oriented equipment but retains most of the items in the Pro-4X Luxury package, including a sunroof for long-bed SLs (the sunroof is a stand-alone option for short-bed SLs). Additional standard features include 18-inch alloy wheels and side steps that ease access to the cab. The trailer hitch and bed extender remain optional on the Frontier SL.