How Much Does It Cost to Beef Up the Suspension of a 2014 Nissan Frontier

Posted by Mark Williams | Baronial seven, 2018

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The mid-size Nissan Frontier is the only pickup truck sold in the U.South. that can exist had for less than $20,000, and for that reason it deserves attention. At a time when some pickup truck prices are climbing into the stratosphere, it'southward dainty that there'southward a pickup for buyers who just want a no-nonsense, functional cargo hauler that doesn't swallow a bank account whole. We even did a video well-nigh all things we like nearly it. However, we would be remiss if we didn't also betoken out the trade-offs of purchasing a truck like the Nissan Frontier.

We recently spent fourth dimension with a 2018 Nissan Frontier S Male monarch Cab with a half dozen-foot bed and a 4x2 drivetrain. Aside from the $150 floormats, the price of this base-trim Borderland was $19,965 including destination. This truck was powered by a ii.5-liter inline iv-cylinder engine (making 171 pounds-anxiety of torque) and a 5-speed manual transmission. It came with transmission sideview mirrors, manual door locks and manual window cranks.

The biggest weakness of this economic pickup? It's intermission. Non merely does the Nissan Frontier provide a express payload capacity — a paltry 827 pounds, meaning around 635 pounds if I'm driving — but it too has some of the near punishing front and rear suspension jitters we've felt in a long time. On the plus side, the Borderland is probably the single all-time example of how far today'due south pickup trucks have come. That's because the Frontier is substantially unchanged since 2004 and is in desperate need of an upgrade. Thankfully, nosotros know the all-new 2019 Nissan Borderland (based off the impressive global Nissan Navara) will be showing upwardly next yr.

Below are the top five things we hope will be fixed in the 2018 Nissan Borderland.

Suspension

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The front curl and rear leaf springs are fine, only nosotros found ourselves making sure we never let the gas tank go too depression because the extra weight dramatically improved the ride quality. We're guessing loading a few hundred more pounds in the bed would have done even more. Nowadays all trucks should deliver a skillful ride when empty and loaded — and do information technology with a much higher payload rating. With two smaller adults in the Nissan Frontier, we'd barely exist able to legally carry 500 pounds of payload, which is roughly the same chapters as a compact crossover.

Rear Hinges

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We know many people still like the extended-cab selection (chosen Male monarch Cab for Nissan) whether full-size or mid-size, but non if the rear doors open to only 90 degrees. Such an opening makes it near impossible to access the rear in-cab storage or seating expanse in a tight parking lot. Larger double-jointed hinges provide more than convenience and minimize the cruddy gaps that outcome from Nissan's old-school strategy.

Steering

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Whether the problem is in the joints, the rods or the full steering mechanism, the shudder and vibration transmitted through the steering column and wheel is, at times, a bit unnerving — specially with and so many improvements by the Nissan Frontier'due south competitors. And it'south hard to observe some other 4x2 mid-size pickup with the same amount of steering wander and numbness as the Frontier's. Whatever the issue, the Nissan Borderland'south steering needs an upgrade.

Better Bed Tech

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Today's pickups do double duty, often serving equally family hauler and piece of work truck. No single area of the vehicle better defines how well it will tackle those tasks than the bed. With only four standard tie-down points, the Nissan Frontier'southward bed makes information technology difficult to safely strap down large or small cargo boxes. Likewise, the bed'south tailgate is heavy and lacks any kind of elevator or drop assist. To brand the bed more than useful, more than tie-down hooks and tailgate assistance should be available for all trim levels, not simply some trim levels.

Interior Upgrades

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The interior of the current Nissan Frontier is seriously dated, and this is where information technology's easiest for Nissan to make improvements and close the gap with competitors. Ameliorate material choices and improved multimedia technology will help but providing more standard features will help a great deal besides. Become rid of the manual mirrors, locks and window cranks, and allow customers know you desire to give them as much as possible for a reasonable cost. They'll appreciate it.

Cars.com photos by Mark Williams