Nissan Frontier vs Toyota Tacoma -- what differences?

[Thirties]

What are the major differences between the Nissan Frontier and the Toyota Tacoma in the 4wd versions?

Are the Toyotas worth the extra money? Is the Nissan a durable vehicle?

[R.W.Dale]

Both are very high quality trucks that'll give you years of service The nissan V6 engine has a good deal more HP than the tacoma 261 vs 236

 Just go for the better deal or shop for the most comfortable. Me I never liked Toyota's seating in their trucks, they sit like a car.

[Thirties]

Thanks for the reply. I have a 2000 Frontier v-6 4wd king cab which serves me very well.

I asked my question because I've never known any Toyota drivers to ever have a Nissan. So I was looking for comparisons from any other source. I get the impression Toyota owners are fiercely loyal to their chosen vehicles in an "Apple Macintosh", almost religious way. Whereas Nissan owners are not so fanatical about their choices. Sometimes the car writers even bring that "Toyotas are unequaled" attitude into their magazine articles.

Certainly not looking to change my truck -- it is dependable, and always up to the task.

[R.W.Dale]

I have a 2000 Frontier v-6 4wd king cab which serves me very well.

 I had the exact truck in 4x2 with the v6 and a stick. My only complaint about it was that it got the same fuel mileage that it's replacement a 94 Extended cab Chevy with a 350 AUTO got.

[Thirties]

My Frontier 4x4 is also a 5-speed manual. I get 19-20 mpg 89 octane, but this is not my travel vehicle. A 4-cyl Nissan Frontier would have given my more economy fuel-wise, but I like that v6 when I carry full loads up hills, etc.

For traveling, I drive a 2006 Subaru Outback wagon 4-cyl non turbo 5 speed manual. That yields 26-28 mpg 87 octane. Once you drive over 60mph (freeway speeds), the mpg drops to the 26 range. At 50-55 mph I get 28mpg. In town, I get 26mpg.

The Nissan is used as a carry vehicle -- a truck. The Subaru is our family car.

miles driven: Nissan 42,000 over 7 years;  Subaru 22,000 over one year

[R.W.Dale]

Get this I own a 2002 Nissan Maxima with a 6 speed manual and the 255hp 3.5 v6. Round town we get 26mpg on the hwy at 75mph we get 32MPG of course this is with 91 octane fuel. But when running a lower grade the mpg drops enough to offset the higher cost of 91

 This with a car that is also insanely fast.

[Thirties]

My Frontier v6 is the 3.0 liter engine. Needless to say, this truck ain't insanely fast, not is it insanely anything else but practical. My only complaint is the fresh air intake grabs air from the the engine compartment, so in hot weather, you have to use the a/c otherwise the "fresh" air coming in the vents is very hot. Wintertime, it's the opposite -- a benefit.

[R.W.Dale]

My Frontier v6 is the 3.0 liter engine.

IIRC Our 2000 Frontier had the 3.3L V6

[shooter]

Guys ,
     i had a yellow 2004 Frontier v6 crew cab and loved its looks but the little 185hp v6 was under powered.I owned that truck for 3 months and traded it on a new 2005 V5 LE crew cab which at that time they told us was 265hp.Not only is my 2005 longer ,wider ,has a larger bed ,more backseat room and has the sprayin liner with built in rails etc but it gets better gas mileage ! I've got the 5speed auto version.My 04 never got above 20 mpg.My 05 will ave 21.5 mpg on my way to work ,which is mixed 50/50 stop and go and highway type driving.I've got as good as 23 mpg on the freeway.I love this truck ,its fast off the line and fast from 40 to 70 mph for passing.The only problem i see with it is my model doesnt have limited slip rear end like my 04 had.My 05 will spin the tires anytime ,especially if its wet.BTW ,ditch the factory tires and pick up something like the Revo ATV.
Shooter

[shooter]

Correction ,those tires were Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo's .Got a great deal at tirerack.com last year.They saved me hundreds of dollars because of their great pricing and Bridgestone had a rebate to go along with it.
Shooter

[Thirties]

Let's not get carried away, Frontier owners. This is a thread about the differences between the Frontier and the Tacoma.

[H666]

My experience is that the Toyota is extremely dependable, even more so than the Nissan.  Of course I have only driven it with a 2.4l diesel, but I have driven a Nissan with a 2.8l, a 3.2 and a 4 liter engine, all diesels.  I agree that the Nissan runs smoother and has bigger engines, and sits better.

[goodwrench6710]

Toyota's hold their value longer! Higher resale value.

[shooter]

Well ,im no expert on Toyota but lets counts some differances.
Nissan has a larger engine and (v6 4.0L)  ,weighs more and still the differance in MPG is too close to measure.Nissan has a big advantage in how much more it can tow.Nissan is slighlty less expensive for comparable options.Nissans interior isnt as car like as the toyota's and some of us like that.My Nissan dealer treats me better ,Toyota dealer wouldnt talk price.The number one difference to me is ,Nissan has a deal with the company i work for called VPP.This week im trading in my 2005 frontier crew cab LE for a 2007 (same make/model) and that means i only pay $100 over dealer invoice ( a $2650 savings) and i still get the $2000 year end rebate.So the differance is more truck for less money and i wont be buying a Toyota any time soon.This is my 3rd Nissan Frontier Crew cab with V6.
Also ,IMO the Nissan utility track rail system along with the clamps etc for the Bed is the best bed hardware out there-very versitle.
Shooter