AMA - 2014 Nissan Frontier King Cab 4X4

"Moves-Like-Senna" (moves-like-senna) 02/18/2015 at 16:59 • Filed to: trucks

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Over the summer I had the chance to drive a 2014 Nissan Frontier King Cab 4X4 "fully loaded" for just over a week. Growing up around full size trucks and SUV's this was my first time living with a small/midsize truck and managed to put a couple thousand miles on it.

the angle it's parked on is significantly steeper than appears... I lost my morning coffee

M any of the miles were highway but since I was in a rural part of Canada I got to throw it into 4LO from time to time, a little rock crawling and did haul on the highway.

I usually drive a different car every week or two for 24 hours to a week so I started an AMA for those interested. Last time I featured a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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So let's start, ask me anything about the 2014 Nissan Frontier

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Moves-Like-Senna 02/18/2015 at 17:33

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How civilized was it to drive on a daily basis, and what kind of gas mileage did you get? How capable was it off road? Of course not for anything particularly technical or insane - just for some tomfoolery once or twice a year or getting through some muddy terrain every now and then.

I've been noticing a few newly registered Pathfinders around....I'm imagining there might be deals on these to make room for the new model? Might be a good bargain to be had, especially as one of the last few true 4x4s before the Pathfinder goes all crossover on us too - at least if it gets somewhat decent mileage and is comfortable enough for real world boring regular use.

Edit - not sure what year I thought we were in...the "new" pathfinder has been out for a while I guess....still, the old model might be a good bargain for jalops who find value in its ruggedness as opposed to "civilized driving characteristics" of the newer model?

Second edit - dammit, i'm confusing the Pathfinder with the Xterra now...and looks like it still exists as a 2015 model....so again - i'm guessing they share a platform? I guess my only point now is that those things look cool and look like they could be fun, lol.

Moves-Like-Senna > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/18/2015 at 17:50

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I say do it! I'm a big fan of the "true 4x4"s and do believe the Xterra and Frontier are the last of the Japanese true 4X4. I agree that they look awesome and the ride is a truck but it makes me think of a light truck with a lot more feel.

Off roading and even driving it daily, I could feel what the truck was doing a lot more than most that I've driven and the ride can be a bit bumpy and stiff but again it's a truck. The interior is outdated but what's great? It can be cleaned up and wiped down so easily.

So for day to day I'd say it was pretty good. I certainly enjoyed it and being 6ft 3 I often don't fit too great but I was surprisingly comfortable. The gas milage I got is a bit difficult to gauge as I was going at a higher than average rate of speed on the highway, had stuff loaded in the back and did go off roading. I ended up with an average of just over 15MPG.

Off roading it can more than handle more than a little tomfoolery, I had it up on two wheels a lot, pushing through some deep mud, water and even climbing some rocks. It's a lot more capable than I expected and I credit this again to the feedback the truck gives. I knew exactly what was doing what, it gave great feedback.

I have to say that this was not the most expensive or fastest car I drove in 2014 but it put a huge smile on my face.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Moves-Like-Senna 02/18/2015 at 18:11

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Certainly wouldn't be a brand new purchase, or even a primary car - but I could see myself buying a late model Pro-4X with a manual transmission sometime down the road. I think there are enough of them around to the point where prices should still come down in the used market, and not enough demand since most regular people won't appreciate it's "truck" roots and will actually prefer a comfortable and more fuel efficient crossover.

Would make for a great fun/weekend/apocalypse vehicle in a couple of years time, I think!

Loping Camshaft > Moves-Like-Senna 02/18/2015 at 21:31

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(The one pictured above is a Crew Cab. Stupid names, I know)

My two cents as a '12 4x4 SV King Cab owner:

The truck feels very sold. No creaks, squeaks, wobbles, or jiggles in 20k miles. Panel gaps are small and weather/wind seals are good. When detailing, less water "hides" in gaps and crevices than most other cars I've done.

The engine feels strong. I never feel wanting for power/passing speed. The auto 5-spd trans is not offensive.

It towed our boat like a champ (~4k lbs with trailer). Including pulling it out on a sandy beach with no slip in 4WD Lo.

The cargo tie-down system can be tricky to use, but is pretty useful once you get the hang of it.

Pretty comfortable for longer trips. Only on a few terrible stretches of Interstate with uneven slabs did the rid become annoying.

It's the "right size" inside and out. Plenty of room inside for two big bros and some inside cargo room behind the seats. The fold up jump seats in the rear can fit smaller people or kids in a pinch, but they really aren't fit for anybody to sit in on a longer trip from a comfort or safety standpoint. Any of the full-size half-tons were an inch or two too tall to fit in our garage, which makes me think that there might be some issues in low parking garages with the big trucks.

We picked the Fronty over the Taco because I took offense to some design choices on the Toyota. Namely the C-Channel frame under the bed and the bed itself being made of composite. It comes off as a cost-cutting measure. The Nissan is fully boxed and has a normal steel bed. The Nissan also typically sells for less than the equivalent Tacoma.

I only have a minor few gripes.

the biggest being the slow, heavy steering. This is thing is a pain in the ass to park. A lot of effort and a lot of turning for a still wide turning radius.

I'm 6' tall and the center console arm rest is a bit too low. I believe a guy on ClubFrontier made a riser of some sort.

The standard radio only allows Bluetooth voice, not music from your phone. That's my fault for not looking into it, but it's still a pain to have to use the Aux jack.

The traction control system does work well, in snow for instance, but it's not fully defeatable. This is only an issue you want to do some snow hooning without wearing out the brakes prematurely. On the other hand, you have to try to get it sideways, even in 2WD on a snowy road.

MPG is not great, maybe 15 in town and up to 21 hwy. The Taco might get a few better, but it's also 400lbs lighter.

Overall, we're very happy with it. No issues, just regular maintenance in 20k miles.