There’s no question about the dominance of full-size pickups in the United States. It has continuously been one of the biggest moneymakers for various automakers, especially for the Detroit manufacturers through the years. However, this is not to say that the compact pickups have no place in the US market. Light duty pickups still fill the niche for consumers who need a car for the daily office commute, but need the utility that trucks can give them on weekends. The light duty truck segment offers much more versatility and is typically more inexpensive too. Its smaller size allows easier maneuverability than its full size counterparts while offering the capability to carry or pull heavy loads. The 2009 Nissan Frontier is one of the industry’s highest rated compact- or mid-size-pickups, second only to the Toyota Tacoma.
Overview
You can get the 2009 Nissan Frontier King Cab and Crew Cab in 2-wheel and 4-wheel drives in various configurations depending on what you need. The King Cab comes in 4 trims: XE, SE, PRO-4X and LE, while the Crew Cab comes in 3 trims: SE, PRO-4X and LE. Both these body styles have 4 doors. The King Cab offers more storage space with a standard 6-foot bed and jump seats meant only for occasional use. On the other hand, the Crew Cab has a standard 5-foot bed, but you can upgrade to a 6-foot bed if you prefer.
The PRO-4X trim is made specifically for off-roaders. It’s got the 16-inch alloy wheels with rugged tires, locking rear differential, splash guards, underside skid plates and Bilstein off-road shocks, along with fog lights, spray-on bedliner, Utili-track cargo management system, keyless entry, white-faced gauges, leather-wrapped steering wheel, full power accessories and a lot more. Several upgrades are also available for each trim.
Exterior and Interior
The 2009 Nissan Frontier pretty much looks exactly like the Nissan Titan, but only about 2/3 its size. That being said, a lot of people actually like its rugged appearance. It’s the interiors that people are sort of on the edge. While the cabin is well-designed and the seats are pretty comfortable, the materials come off as cheap-looking.
Performance
As far as performance is concerned, it offers best-in-class power, towing and payload capacity. You can choose between a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine or a 4.0 liter V6 engine producing 152 horsepower and 171 foot-pounds of torque and 261 horsepower and 281 foot-pounds of torque respectively. It’s a capable truck alright, especially with the Hill Descent Control and part-time shift on the fly 4WD on some trims. It also gives you easy acceleration, as well as solid handling and comfortable ride, even better than some sedans.
If it’s the towing and payload you want, the 2009 Nissan Frontier King Cab V6 4×2 offers an impressive 6,500 lbs towing capacity and 1547 lbs maximum payload.
Safety
The 2009 Nissan Frontier earned 4 stars for frontal driver protection and 5 stars for side impact protection in government crash tests. The King Cab earned 5 stars and the Crew Cab earned 4 stars. Interestingly, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Nissan Frontier “good” for frontal impact protection, which is the best possible rating and only “marginal” for side impact crash protection.
The 2009 Nissan Frontier starts at $17,460 and is backed with a 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile drive train warranty.