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2005 Nissan Frontier Quick Spin
Convenience

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TO THE POINT What’s New? The 2005 Nissan Frontier is redesigned with an all-new chassis, styling, and powertrain.
Selling Points: Tough looks, a potent V6, a good warranty, and a comfortable interior
Deal Breakers: Poor fuel mileage, lack of a long bed Crew Cab model
Our Advice: Nissan builds a fantastic midsize truck, possibly the best. Make sure to put the Frontier and Toyota Tacoma on your short list, and then decide between the two.

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Click to enlarge. 2005 Nissan Frontier Convenience In Crew Cab form, all 2005 Nissan Frontier passengers are granted comfortable seats, though the rear seats are lacking in legroom. The interior includes too much hard plastic, but padding is added to the appropriate places and storage is plentiful.

In developing the redesigned 2005 Frontier, Nissan has created an aggressive, powerful, and more accommodating truck. That’s most evident inside where the driver and front passenger will find wide seats with decent bolsters and ample headrests. Those buckets are a little soft, but they’re comfortable over the long haul, and upper level models get a tilting seat bottom. SE, LE and NISMO Frontiers also get a tilt steering wheel, allowing the driver to easily slide in and out. Between the front seats is a padded armrest with plenty of storage, though shorter drivers might find it placed too far back to be 100 percent useful. Door armrests are padded and comfortable, but window sills are hard plastic and not elbow-friendly.

Rear seat passengers are afforded a split bench seat with ample cushioning, soft front seatbacks that are easy on the knees, adjustable headrests, and a padded fold-down center armrest. As is typical with small and midsize crew cab trucks, the seatback is too upright and legroom is limited, though there’s plenty of headroom. The rear doors are smaller than the front and the hip point is a little high, so getting in and out is an issue, something addressed by grab handles mounted overhead and on the B-pillars.

Inside, amidst an abundance of hard but durable plastics, are a number of handy storage provisions. Each door features an integrated pocket and a cupholder, with four additional beverage holders throughout the cabin. The driver’s seat features a rear pocket, a cargo tray is placed under the rear seat, and small cubbies have been incorporated into the dash. Outside, our NISMO tester featured a locking tailgate, Nissan’s UtiliTrack system, and a standard spray-in bedliner. Interestingly, Nissan was the first company to introduce a compact crew cab truck with an optional full-length bed; however, the 2005 Frontier Crew Cab comes with one bed measuring 59.5 inches whereas the redesigned Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab can be fitted with either a 60.3-inch or 73.5-inch box. Nissan likely dropped this option due to poor sales; regardless, buyers looking for a midsize crew cab truck with a long bed will need to forego the Frontier and head directly to their Toyota dealer.


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