Little Big Truck: 2021 Nissan Frontier Spied

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

As Nissan flings an old truck with a shiny new powertrain at midsize truck buyers, a top-down replacement waits in the wings.

To say a successor for the Frontier has been a long time coming would be the ultimate understatement. The current body has soldiered on since late 2004, when the second-generation truck appeared as a 2005 model. You author has gone through six cars since that long-ago year.

But the wait’s nearly over. And there’s even something to look at.

Motor Authority posted spy photos of the 2021 Frontier on Thursday, revealing a not-so-little truck that mimics the big boys. Whereas the current Frontier, despite its new 3.8-liter V6 and nine-speed automatic, feels like a lightweight throwback, the upcoming replacement looks like it’s hiding a GMC badge somewhere.

It’s a pickup with all the tall, blunt front-end action you’d expect from a full-sizer, and something tells me this will turn on many a buyer. Somehow managing to display an innate “Nissan-ness” through all of its camo, the spied truck sports a crew cab bodystyle and a short bed — by far the most popular configuration in the class. It remains to be seen whether Nissan, eager to reduce build configurations amid a cost-cutting spree, will return with a shorter King Cab cabin, or if the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder powerplant that disappeared for 2020 will stage a return.

Despite its cash-strapped nature, Nissan will be under pressure to live up to its value-oriented heritage and undercut the likes of Ford, General Motors, and Toyota at every turn.

Viewed from the side, the upcoming Frontier gives off echoes of both the Toyota Tacoma and the final-generation Dodge Dakota, though what a writer “sees” in a vehicle’s styling is entirely subjective and pointless. Still, those aren’t bad muses for a midsize truck.

There’s no official word from Nissan as to the new Frontier’s debut or on-sale date, but late this year seems an obvious guess. It isn’t known just how much the pandemic lockdown impacted the model’s timeline.

[Images: Nissan]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Dukeisduke Dukeisduke on Jul 09, 2020

    Doesn't look as aerodynamic as the Tacoma or the Ranger, and if that's their full four-door cab, it looks like the back doors may be as short, and the backseat as cramped, as the current Frontier.

  • Jeff S Jeff S on Jul 10, 2020

    What made the Frontier desirable for me no longer exists. The cheap Frontier with a 4 cylinder and manual transmission has now been replaced with a more expensive V-6 with a Jatco automatic. The Jatco automatic transmission (yes I realize the CVT is the worst but all Jatco automatics have had issues) alone is enough to prevent me from buying any Nissan. I will not buy a Nissan or FCA product and I am getting to the point of never buying another GM or Ford product. I am willing to pay a little more to get a reliable vehicle.

  • 1995 SC At least you can still get one. There isn't much for Ford folks to be happy about nowadays, but the existence of the Mustang and the fact that the lessons from back in the 90s when Ford tried to kill it and replace it with the then flavor of the day seem to have been learned (the only lessons they seem to remember) are a win not only for Ford folks but for car people in general. One day my Super Coupe will pop its headgaskets (I know it will...I read it on the Internet). I hope I will still be physically up to dropping the supercharged Terminator Cobra motor into it. in all seriousness, The Mustang is a.win for car guys.
  • Lorenzo Heh. The major powers, military or economic, set up these regulators for the smaller countries - the big guys do what they want, and always have. Are the Chinese that unaware?
  • Lorenzo The original 4-Runner, by its very name, promised something different in the future. What happened?
  • Lorenzo At my age, excitement is dangerous. one thing to note: the older models being displayed are more stylish than their current versions, and the old Subaru Forester looks more utilitarian than the current version. I thought the annual model change was dead.
  • Lorenzo Well, it was never an off-roader, much less a military vehicle, so let the people with too much money play make believe.
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