2012 Nissan Frontier Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Nissan Frontier overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Frontier, and includes Nissan Frontier safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The 2012 Nissan Frontier is a rear- or four-wheel-drive midsize pickup truck available in four-passenger King Cab and five-passenger Crew Cab styles. Available trims range from basic work truck to off-road ready to borderline luxurious. Power comes from a four-cylinder engine or an available V6. Competitors include the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Suzuki Equator, and Toyota Tacoma.

Seven years have passed since the current-generation Nissan Frontier debuted, but efforts have been made over the years to maintain this popular midsize pickup’s freshness. For 2012, Nissan introduces a Sport Appearance Package for the Frontier, which tricks the truck out with 18-inch alloys, sport seats, unique exterior accents, and Bluetooth connectivity. Other changes buyers may appreciate include the addition of standard Vehicle Dynamic Control, as well as three new color options: Brilliant Silver, Metallic Blue, Lava Red.

For those on the hunt for a relatively basic work truck, Nissan offers the 2012 Frontier S, available as a rear-drive King Cab model powered by a four-cylinder engine, or a six-cylinder Crew Cab variant available with rear- or four-wheel-drive capability. The King Cab features two regular doors and two rear access doors, as well as a pair of rear fold-down jump seats, which provides four-passenger seating suitable for short distances only. Crew Cab Frontiers, by contrast, are five-passenger rigs equipped with two front buckets and a rear 60/40 split bench seat.

The different body styles also vary in terms of features. For example, the King Cab rides on 15-inch steel wheels and is delivered without a radio or an air conditioning system (they’re optional), whereas every Frontier Crew Cab S is fitted with manual A/C, a six-speaker stereo with a single-disc CD player, and 16-inch steel wheels. All S models sport a chrome rear bumper and grille, a black front bumper, cloth upholstery, and, well, not much else.

As a result, Frontier shoppers who fancy a few extra amenities will need to direct their attention to one of the better-equipped offerings, such as the SV model. Though far from fully loaded, the Frontier SV does come to the table with 16-inch wheels (steel on rear-drive versions, alloy on four-wheel-drive models), upgraded cloth upholstery, cruise control, and common convenience features like power windows and door locks, power mirrors, and keyless entry. By golly, there’s even a chrome front bumper and a tow hook.

If you, like us, prefer a truck that’s a bit more gussied up, take a minute to consider the SV’s options. First is the Sport Appearance Package, which includes Bluetooth connectivity, an upgraded audio system with a six-disc CD changer and steering wheel-mounted controls, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, two-tone cloth seats, color-keyed exterior trim, and 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich all-terrain tires. The second option, dubbed the SV Premium Utility Package, adds the upgraded audio system as well as a durable spray-in bedliner, Nissan’s Utili-Track tie-down feature for the bed, a security system, and XM satellite radio.

Next up is the 2012 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X, available as a King Cab or Crew Cab model, but only with a V6 engine and four-wheel-drive capability. Other bits of equipment found on this rugged truck include a locking rear differential, Bilstein shocks, skid plates, the aforementioned spray-on bedliner and Utili-Track feature, and a two-tone interior. Designers have also tricked out this truck with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, white-faced gauges, and a Rockford Fosgate audio system. An optional luxury package fits the Crew Cab PRO-4X with leather upholstery, power-adjustable and heated front seats, heated mirrors, a moonroof, and a roof rack with crossbars.

Finally, we arrive at the top of the Frontier lineup, where the SL resides. Offered in Crew Cab guise only, the Frontier SL hits the streets sporting many of the items found in the PRO-4X’s luxury package. These include leather upholstery, heated mirrors and front seats, the Rockford Fosgate audio upgrade, and the roof rack. The SL also hosts a set of running boards, a universal garage door opener, automatic headlights, and an optional power moonroof.

Two engines power the 2012 Nissan Frontier lineup, the lesser of which is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder pumping out 152 horsepower and 171 pound-feet of torque. Available only on rear-wheel-drive King Cab models, this hard working little mill can be mated to a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission and is expected to travel up to 19 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway with the manual gearbox or 17-city/22-highway with the automatic.

The second option is a 4.0-liter V6 rated at 261 horsepower and 281 pound-feet of torque. Again, the five-speed automatic is available, but, in this case, the manual gearbox features six gears. This engine is available on the Frontier King Cab and is standard on four-wheel-drive variants, as well as all regular and long bed Crew Cab models. Depending on configuration, EPA estimates range from 14 mpg in the city to 20 mpg on the highway.

The 2012 Frontier’s maximum towing capacity is 6,500 pounds.

There once was a day when pickups were little more than bare-bones workhorses, offering little in terms of comfort or convenience, let alone safety. The 2012 Nissan Frontier is a good example of how far trucks have come, as evidenced by standard features that include stability control, four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, six airbags, and limited-slip differentials (rear or front and rear, depending on drivetrain).

As of this writing, crash-test scores haven’t been conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with the exception of rollover resistance ratings. Those results included 4 out of 5 Stars for four-wheel-drive Frontiers, but only 3 Stars for rear-wheel-drive models.

In tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the identical 2011 Frontier acquitted itself well, missing a Top Safety Pick rating by the thinnest of margins. In the rear impact injury prevention test, the Frontier received an Acceptable rating rather than a Good rating.

From a reliability perspective, the Nissan Frontier holds its own, though shows room for improvement. Consumer Reports predicts average dependability, yet feels confident enough to list this truck among its Recommended vehicles. J.D. Power and Associates had not published its findings at the time this article was originally written. Last year, J.D. Power believed the Frontier would provide average dependability over time.

Like its primary competitor, the Toyota Tacoma, the 2012 Nissan Frontier’s Crew Cab variant can be equipped with a long bed option. However, unlike the Tacoma and models from Chevrolet and Ford, the Frontier is not available in a Regular Cab configuration.

The same holds true for the Suzuki Equator, which is essentially a Frontier with different badges, a few styling tweaks and unique content packages. Interestingly, the most significant difference is evidenced by Suzuki’s seven-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. Nissan covers the Frontier’s powertrain for just five years or 60,000 miles.

The Nissan Frontier delivers a true pickup truck driving experience, from its heavy and lifeless steering to its mediocre handling and bouncy ride. Where the Frontier shines is in terms of its available 4.0-liter V6 engine, a powerful and torquey engine that might not be terribly fuel-efficient but sure does deliver uncharacteristically good power. Better yet, the five-speed automatic shifts promptly and flawlessly. As a result, we had no trouble merging onto freeways or scrambling up hillside trails in a 2012 Frontier Crew Cab with four-wheel drive.

All that powertrain goodness comes at a price, though. We averaged 15.2 mpg during a weeklong test drive, a figure on par with full-size trucks with V8 engines and greater towing and payload capacities. And that, friends and neighbors, is why the compact pickup truck market continues its slide into obscurity.

Still, some people need a vehicle with smaller dimensions, and the Frontier delivers. It is appreciably more compact than the class sales leader, the Toyota Tacoma, inside and out. Nevertheless, we find the Frontier’s front seats to be more comfortable, the Frontier’s cabin more agreeable, and the Frontier’s styling more appealing than the Toyota.

Admittedly, we didn’t haul or tow anything with the Frontier, aside from a full cargo bed of big-box store goodies and a couple of kids in the cramped back seat. That said, we have no trouble believing Nissan’s 6,500-pound towing and 1,524-lb. payload capacity claims. Not only is the V6 engine powerful, the chassis feels about as strong as Fort Knox.

Small and midsize pickups were once viewed as efficient alternatives to relatively thirsty full-size trucks, but with models like the Ford F-150 and its new 22-mpg-rated EcoBoost V6 option, the argument for downsizing has lost much of its punch. Still, not everyone needs or wants something quite as large as an F-150, Chevy Silverado, or Toyota Tundra.

That leads us to smaller models like the 2012 Nissan Frontier, a pickup that trails its direct competitors in terms of efficiency, yet rules the roost in the areas of V6 power and maximum towing capacity. Those are the types of accomplishments that characterize a truck that can work as hard as it plays, and the Frontier belongs on every small-truck shopper’s test-drive list.

By Thom Blackett and Christian Wardlaw