Nissan Frontier review

It’s fair to say that the interior is the element that’s benefitted the most from the Frontier’s recent glow-up. From a design and tech standpoint, the cabin is much more stylish and modern-appearing, particularly when festooned with the magma-hot accents throughout, not to mention the updated touchscreen display. On the whole, it’s roomy enough, though your milage may vary.

What’s that supposed to mean?

In terms of passenger volume, it’s functional. 85.6cu ft (2,424 litres) if you want to put a number to it. At 100.1 cu ft (2,835 litres), the larger crew cab is comparable to the Ford Ranger and diminutive Maverick.

There’s another sort of nebulous factor that we struggle to put our finger on. Though we had the larger of the two on hand, the Frontier’s interior felt slightly disproportionate to, er, us. If you’ll curb any impulse to body-shame, it was perfectly functional, we just felt ergonomically misaligned, regardless of how many seat, wheel and mirror adjustments we made. As a kid, did you ever cram your He-Man action figures into your G.I. Joe tanks? It’s not that extreme, but that’s the vibe. And yes, we’re all built like steroid-fed barbarians here at TG.

Regardless, the Nissan fits four riders without issue, and depending on your Frontier’s configuration, you’ll have 49.6 cu ft (1,405 litres) of cargo volume in the long, six-foot bed, or 40.1 cu ft (2,236 litres) in the shorter five-foot bed.

How about the tech?

As mentioned, one of the biggest improvements to the interior is a more modern touchscreen, which will either be the standard eight-inch unit or the fancy 12.3-inch screen. What does this a disservice is the apparently ancient backup camera that has the resolution of an early 2000s webcam. Fun for the truck’s whole retro vibe, less so for actual maneuvering.

What keeps it grounded in the modern timeline is its Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, Wi-Fi hotspot capability and a suite of safety systems that are standard across the board, including cross-traffic alert and automatic rear braking.