Seriously, one of these trucks is really basic.
With even midsize trucks crossing the $40K mark to start and running north of $60K, there’s absolutely no question about where we are. New trucks are eye-wateringly expensive, no matter which way you look. Even more frustrating than that, though, are the folks who don’t want all the extra technology and engineering you get when you spend what used to be considered a ludicrous amount of money for any truck. So what do you do? Well, you have a couple different paths, and those are what Roman and Andre explore in the video below.
Specifically, we’re looking at what is ostensibly the most “basic” truck in today’s midsize segment. That would be the 2026 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X, which is still rocking a naturally aspirated V6, a whack of buttons to control virtually everything, and…that’s about it. You get an infotainment screen, sure, but you don’t get 50,000 drive modes, trick suspension or mega turbocharged power. The Frontier, much like its larger Titan sibling that’s now (sadly) discontinued, it’s just…a truck.
And in several ways, it’s all the better for it, mainly because it’s available for around $40,000. You can hike that price a bit if you go for the extra packages, but at the end of the day, it’s several thousand dollars less expensive than other flagship midsize models in their respective lineups.
The old Land Rover Defender has power…nothing. But that means nothing to break, right?
Then there’s something like TFL’s latest fleet purchase: a French-imported 1996 Land Rover Defender 130 pickup. You want four wheels, some doors, a bed and a steering wheel? That’s what we got here, for about $33,500. And there aren’t many frills to speak of. You get manual windows, manual door locks, a manual transmission and manual transfer case lever.
This 300TDi model packs a Land Rover-built 2.5-liter turbo-diesel engine, which is a veritable powerhouse at 111 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. It’s no speed machine, obviously, but that’s never been the point. It’s basic and it’s honest. Being a longer-wheelbase 130, it’s also a crew cab, which helps in the practicality department.
So, which one would you guys have? Let us know your thoughts, and check out more on the Defender in the comparison video as well as our dedicated purchase video below:
