Opinions wanted between 2007 Nissan Frontier and 2007 Toyota Tacoma.

[WDR65]

I will be moving soon and I have been looking for a new truck. I am trying to decided between the Nissan Frontier crew cab 4wd and the Toyota Tacoma crew cab 4wd. I'm moving down from a full size as I will have a full size at work and don't foresee needing one in the short term. I will be using this primarily as weekend driver.....heading back to North Carolina to see my family and girlfriend, it will also be used for getting out into muddy fields and paths as well as the beach. I'd just like to know what people think of the two and if anybody has some experience with the Frontier especially.

 

[Monolith]

I strongly suggest talking to your insurance agent. Last time I owned a Nissan pickup, they wanted a premium for it over the comparable Toyota.

 

[ryball]

I've had relatives with both in the past 5 years. I've also driven both on week plus vacations in the past couple of years. My vote is the Toyota. Period. It's just a better truck. The Nissan seems like it takes a football field to turn.

Relatively recent article:

http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=104774/pageNumber=1?synpartner=edmunds&pageurl=www.edmunds.com/reviews/comparison/articles/104774/article.html

Actually, get this...:devil:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=120423?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.*#22

 

[Datasaurusrex]

My vote is the Toyota. Period. It's just a better truck.

I've owned both Toyota and Nissan trucks and I agree with the above statement.

 

[peachfuzz163]

I looked at the 2005 Nissan and Toyota. One feature which was not available on the Toyota was multi-way adjustable drivers seat. My wife is short and without being able to raise the seat she was not comfortable driving the Toyota. I bought a 2005 NISMO Frontier (2wd). The NISMO does have an electronically locking diff. Alot of the value of 4wd without the additional costs.
The V6 in the Nissan is great but the fuel economy is only OK. I get about 15mpg in town.

 

[Robocop]

I had this same decision just a few short months past and I chose the Nissan after several weeks of reading reviews and test drives by myself.

I actually switched brand loyalty as I had driven a 1999 Tacoma for several years and that was my first choice when I began looking for a new truck. As much as I hated to admit it the Nissan is simply a better truck.....it took alot to convince me however I now feel that this year Nissan just came out on top.

The biggest issue for me at first was styling....The interior of the Toyota is beautiful however the exterior is nothing special in my opinion and the Nissan just caught my eye at first glance.

The second factor was options.....the Toyota does not offer a sunroof nor 4 wheel disc brakes and lacks several other smaller options that the Nissan has available.

The third issue was cost and the sales people at several different dealers. I found that Toyota dealers were generally more arrogant and simply would not negotiate feeling their product would sale itself. I had 2 salespeople actually tell me they did not have to come off of the sticker price because it was a Toyota and they did not have to do that as someone would come along and buy it anyway.

The Nissan dealer actually let me drive several different trucks overnight and came off of their prices each time I began to negotiate.....they really did seem to be more of a professional group of people and I was really suprised as I so loved my old Toyota.....on a side note I kept the 99 Tacoma as it is simply a great Truck and I could not part with it even though I chose the Nissan.

The best way I can describe both trucks (I have a 2006 model) is that the Toyota is a great truck but it never lets you forget you are in a truck. The Nissan will often fool you into thinking you are driving a luxury car as it just feels more refined.

The power is where the Nissan really shines....with 260 HP behind a 6 speed tranny the Nissan will really move. I have the 4x4 king cab version and I will say it has suprised many on the road as it is just flat out a fast truck. The Toyota is also very fast but it just did not feel the same to me both in torque and ride quality.

The only downside I can find is gas mileage....I did not drive the Toyota enough to see how well it did but my Nissan is horrible. Of course this may be due to the fact I tend to drive fast everywhere however I have taken long distant trips in the truck at normal speeds and it still drinks gas badly.

Honestly with either truck you will be amazed as trucks of this type have came a long way in recent years and the Toyota has a great reputation for a reason....yes they are damn near bullet proof and deserve their high praise however Nissan is just as well made I believe.

Drive both and decide from your own personal tastes....I really think you will like the Nissan if you spend any time behind the wheel.

 

[nerdgineer]

...I found that Toyota dealers were generally more arrogant and simply would not negotiate feeling their product would sale itself...

Me too. It's why my parents drive a Honda...

 

[TOOCOOL]

Hey this is CPF just buy both

 

[scott.cr]

This a street-only truck or are you going off-road? The Nissans can be had for a lot less money than Toyota. Speaking from a design standpoint, the Toyota has quite a bit more front suspension travel than the Nissan for the 4WD models... can't comment on the 2WD though. The different in suspension travel is about two inches in favor of the Toyota.

Nissan's V6 engine is an overall better performer than Toyota's V6; flatter torque curve and has better brake-specific fuel consumption ("BSFC"), which means it consumes less fuel per HP per hour. (Translation: Better fuel efficiency.) The Nissan makes more power than the Toyota and gets 1 mpg better economy... arguably statistically insignificant, but you still get ~35 more horsepower and ~10 more ft-lbs of torque in the Nissan.

As to the insurance thing... there are obviously unseen factors in the rates, because a few months ago I was truck shopping and either of these trucks would be about a third the insurance cost of the vehicle I drive now, an Audi A4 Quattro. The Honda Ridgeline, however, was a wallet-buster!

 

[Ras_Thavas]

I owned a 1992 4-Runner until 2003 when I bought a 2004 Frontier 4wd P/U. I'll be the first to admit that the Toyota was a top notch truck. The only area it was lacking in was power. It had no acceleration.

I had considered buying a Tacoma. In the end I bought the Nissan with the supercharged engine. It has plenty of power.

I have not had any major problems with my Nissan. I will say the fit and finish is not as nice as my 4-runner was.

 

[WDR65]

Lots of interesting stuff here guys, thanks. This is my first venture into a foreign made vehicle and also my first vehicle purchase. My parents both own Toyotas now and my dad drives a basic 4 wheel drive Tacoma with a manual. I like it just fine, but it is only an extended cab and it really doesn't have enough room for me. The Nissan just impressed me with its power although I have to agree with the fact that its turning radius is not quite as good as I expected, much like a S10 ZR2 Chevrolet that a lot of my friends have.

As for offroading, I live in a very wet area here in NC and where I hunt and on my family's nursery the roads often aren't the best in the winter. All of our four wheel drives have just been limited slip and although I would like to try one with a rear locker I haven't been able to find a Nissan Nismo in my area and just getting one in will cost me around $500 extra. So I'm basically deciding between the Frontier SE 4x4 and the Tacoma SR5 4x4. I'm leaning pretty heavy toward the Frontier at this point, its price is more attractive and it has more room and feels more like a full size to me. I haven't quite discounted the Toyota just yet though and might go take another test drive this afternoon to see what I think feels better.

 

[Danbo]

I've got 40,000 miles on my 2005 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner. LOVE it! I briefly considered the Nissan, but the Nissans get notoriously worse gas mileage than just about any other truck in the class(I think Dodge is the worse, though). Plus, I just flat out don't like the look of the Nissan. If you drive the Tacoma, you'll buy it; that's about all I can say.

Mine has the V6 with 245 hp(the Nissan has more hp), and I have more than enough power to do anything I need to do, and then some. The Nissan does have more power, but at the cost of gas mileage. My Tacoma has yet to get less than 18 mpg and has gotten 24 on the highway. The Nissan isn't going to get close to those numbers.

My Tacoma Prerunner is 2wd, but has the ground clearance of a 4wd. It rides like a car, more than a truck. Different tires and it would ride even more like a car.

Plus, the Toyotas retain their value longer than the Nissans, from what I understand.

 

[TheMechanic]

I don't own either, and have no experience with them. However, a friend of mine is currently faced with this same choice; I introduced him to another friend, who is a factory certified Toyota mechanic (as well as Saab and Land Rover. He knows his stuff.)

The Toyota mechanic's recommendation? Nissan. I asked him why, and he cited numerous transfer case and front differential failures on the Tacoma.

As I said, I have no dog in this fight - just passing on what I've heard from what I consider to be a credible source.

-=[ Grant ]=-

 

[Argent60]

The third issue was cost and the sales people at several different dealers. I found that Toyota dealers were generally more arrogant and simply would not negotiate feeling their product would sale itself. I had 2 salespeople actually tell me they did not have to come off of the sticker price because it was a Toyota and they did not have to do that as someone would come along and buy it anyway.

I had the very same experience when I got my 2005 Nismo. I had owned a Toyota 4Runner before and it was a wonderful truck. Made me want another Toyota. I was in the market for a P/U, but got the Nismo for $1500 less than the Taco when comparably equiped. I couldn't pass that up. It's been a great truck so far.

Argent60

 

[tradderran]

I have had a Toyota land cruiser since 1988 over 450000 on her
and still going strong
Get the Toy

 

[vtunderground]

I have a 2005 Tacoma regular cab 4x4, with the 2.7L 4-cyl motor & 5-speed manual transmission.

What I don't like: There's a fair amount of noise from the bed, rattling and the like. The interoir plastics scratch too easily - they seem less durable that what Nissan uses. The regular cab was only available with an open rear differential (boooo!!!!).

What I do like: The 2TR-FE is the best 4-cyl motor I have ever driven. Not once in 35,000 miles have I wished I bought the V6. The transmission is solid, and the 4wd system (automatic differential disconnect) works great. Even with the open rear end, 4L is so low that I've crawled this truck up obstacles that my old Bronco couldn't dream of. I've averaged 25 mpg, which is as good as the last family sedan I owned. Also, I paid less than $18,000 for this truck, which was a deal no other manufacturer could match.

edit: Oh yeah, I haven't had a single mechanical problem with this truck... I expect it to keep running for at least 265,000 more miles

 

[Robocop]

There is no doubt in my mind both trucks have their good points and I am a fan of Toyota as mine never let me down.....not once and that truck was driven hard. I was so ready to buy the new model sight unseen due to my past good experiences however many factors changed my mind.

The single largest factor was the way every Toyota dealer I visited was plain out rude at times. I know they make a great truck however got the impression that they just forgot about customer service. Several years back I paid cash for my 1999 Tacoma brand new so I did not have to haggle over cost nor financing options. With this purchase I was forced to finance thus attempted to find the best deal and service after the sale....Nissan hands down impressed me very much even before I drove one of their vehicles. They even allowed me to bring one of the Toyotas I was testing on to their lot and compare them side by side.

I was very shocked at the cost of both vehicles when loaded out with the 4X4 package and extra cab. Neither vehicle was cheap however I was able to get a better equipped Nissan (better radio, 4 wheel disc, locking differential, more power...etc for about 2 thousand less than the Tacoma. Even with me not liking the looks of the Tacomas newer version I will say that the tricked out sport version with hood scoop and TRD package did look very sharp.....problem is that to get this you are honestly looking at 30k for a truck and that for me was not an option at all.

I am not sure to exact cost however I believe I paid 20,100.00 for my Nissan and it has the power package (windows and locks) big V6 and 6 speed tranny with the King cab and bedliner attatchments and even those cool looking window rain shields and hood bug shields.

I still have my 1999 Tacoma and honestly for the time feel it is one of the best trucks made. I admit I can not say as to long term usage of the new Toyotas however do feel they are just as good now as they were then. My choice was based on a few creature comforts and also the negative attitude from the dealerships.

My most current problem is tires and gas mileage. I know I drive it hard and fast but it only has 20k miles and needs new tires badly. The tread has worn nice and even so I know it is not a problem with the truck and do feel it is simply I was not used to that kind of power from a truck. On each trip I take I find myself zipping along at 90 mph and it must just wear tires out faster. My old Tacoma was the 2.7 Liter 4 cyl. and had little power to eat up tires. I also feel the much larger motor just suprised me as my Nissan simply is the most horrible vehicle I have ever owned on fuel mileage.....I guess this is the price I have to pay for a 6 cyl that makes 265 hp and nearly 300 ft pounds of torque.

Mine cuts out electronically at 110 mph and that is with plenty of RPMs still available. I can say as an old school street racer I was very suprised at what this truck can do. It is simply a very fast truck and I have had it off road several times with the same results......it just pulls and pulls. I believe the V6 is the same motor used in the Infinity G35 as well as the 350-Z with the exceptions of a few small changes for better torque. 20K on the clock now and I have zero regrets with this truck.

I am such a huge Toyota fan I will try them again when I decide to purchase another truck however I do hope they will make a few changes before that time. If they have the same platform and options as well as horrible dealers I would not hesitate to buy Nissan again.