What can we expect from the next generation of the Nissan Frontier pickup truck? Will it be a 2018 or a 2019 model? Will it have a turbo-diesel engine? Will the American version of truck look just like the European Navara you see above? These are all great questions and, much like the upcoming 2019 Ford Ranger, the official details are sparse.
The U.S.-market release timeline for the next Frontier has not been announced yet. The company has repeatedly said – we plan to roll out all of the variants of the new Nissan Titan, before we will focus on the Frontier replacement. The only Titan variant left to reveal is the one with the updated V6 engine. Will this new V6 find its way under the hood of the 2018 Frontier, as well? We will have to wait and see. The question about the 2018 vs. 2019 model year for the new truck is still outstanding.
Nissan has been working with Cummins, Inc for several years. The new Titan XD uses the 5.0L Cummins turbo-diesel V8, and Nissan has shown a Frontier with a 2.8L inline-4 diesel before. Roman took a prototype truck for a drive.
Will the next Frontier have a 2.8L turbo-diesel option? Both Cummins and Nissan are hush-hush about this for now, but I am optimistic on this possibility.
As for the rest of the truck, Nissan is likely to refine the current Frontier without taking any drastic steps. The current model is a well-rounded truck in the midsize segment. It may not lead in many categories, but it does everything well. We performed every kind of test on the current Frontier (Ike Gauntlet towing, off-road, and other tests). The truck simply hunkers down and delivers solid results.
A redesigned interior and improved fuel economy will go a long way to make the next Frontier highly competitive.
Here is a current Nissan Frontier crew cab PRO-4X going up against the competition in an off-road challenge? Does it win the vote?