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Pickups Toyota Tacoma Toyota Tacoma vs Nissan Frontier
1428 messages, Last post on Jul 02, 2008 at 6:58 PM
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I have a 2006 Toyota Tacoma Dbl Cab 4x2 Long bed, TRD Sport with a 4.0 liter V6 and Auto trans. I've read a few comparisons posted by Frontier owners, and although I can't dispute how well the Fronties are built, I went with the Tacoma for various reasons. First of all I used to own a 1998 Frontier King Cab with auto trans and 4 cyl. 98 was the first year Nissan built the Frontier, and being a die hard Nissan fan I bought one. The Frontier was a great truck, however I always felt like I was being cheated when I would line up next to a Tacoma at a red light. Somehow, the Nissan always looked cheaper in build quality to me. Maybe that explains why you can get more bells and whistles to come with a Frontier, because Nissan dealers are always willing to give more incentives than a Toyota dealer. When I began shopping for a new truck, I noticed that The Frontier did'nt come with a composite bed, or a long bed for that matter. These features were important to me because I own a pool service business. When chlorine gets on spray on bed liners, it fades and leaves white spots on the bed which eventually cracks. I also heard that spray on bed liners bubble up when exposed to extreme heat. I coul'nt handle this cause I live in Las Vegas. My composite bed does'nt have this problem, and the extra bed length allows me to carry more epuipment when I have to. The Frontier interior left alot to be desired when compared to the tacoma. The dash looked dated and cheaper, with much more plastic utilized than Toyota. The seats in the Tacoma are more like sports car seats which is great for comfort during cross country trips. The rear seatbacks in my double cab felt more relaxed and angled than the upright seatbacks in the Frontier. (Although the Frontier I believe has about an inch more leg room). Finally, I don't like driving a vehicle that shares the same platform as other models in their lineup. For example, the Frontier uses a shortened version of the Titan chasis. The front end of the Frontier is also identical to that of the Pathfinder. When Toyota designed the Tacoma, they redesigned the truck from groud up with no substituion except for the 4.0 liter engine shared with the Fj Cruiser. By the way, that Toyota 4.0 liter engine with 236 hp also holds a faster track time than the Frontier with 245 hp. The only grief I have with my Tacoma is the fact that Toyota went with rear drum setup over discs. When it all comes to the bottom line, I guess you have to ask yourself if paying more for a Tacoma makes more sense than paying less for a Frontier and getting more bells and whistles. I know one thing, you know that sunroof you got on your Frontier that is'nt offered on the Tacoma? It will eventually haunt you with all that extra wind noise and leaks after a couple of years. Don't say I did'nt warn ya. 
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Replying to: kentaco (Feb 23, 2007 7:45 pm) By the way, the V-6 pumps out 261 ponies, and I'll still take the sun roof.
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Replying to: driver56 (Feb 23, 2007 8:20 pm)
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Replying to: kentaco (Feb 23, 2007 7:45 pm) I have a 2k6 Frontier NISMO 4X4 6sp and I'll take a full box frame with v6 that is build around a world class v6 any day. I looked at the Tacom before I bought my Frontier and I can not understand why Toyota would cheapen a truck by not going with full box frame. The composite bed is nice but the rear end of a pickup is light enough without making it lighter by using a composite bed. |
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Replying to: kentaco (Feb 24, 2007 12:00 am) Cheers!
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Replying to: kentaco (Feb 23, 2007 7:45 pm) Well, I have not had a leak or wind noise problem with a sunroof since my 1979 Mercury Capri RS (and reliablity has improved since then, thankfully!) and I've owned plenty of vehicles with sunroofs. Then again, I have not kept one of them past 10 year and 250,000 miles, so maybe they only break if you keep them longer. Maybe Toyota does not offer a sunroof on the Tacoma since they do not offer sunroofs on trucks? Nope, Toyota used to offer a sunroof on the Tacoma and they still offer one on the Tundra. So I do not know why they do not offer a sunroof. Well, I enjoy the sunroof on my Frontier and I have no problems and no worries about it. |
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Replying to: kentaco (Feb 24, 2007 12:00 am)  I'm not sure I follow your "extra gadgets" theory. Nissan offers more choices in options than Toyota does, however, there really is not much that I would call a gadget in either truck. Be specific instead of vague. If you are implying that Nissan offer gadgets such as sunroof or stereo as gadgets as an incentive to buy then let me explain that the options are not exactly cheap and they are certainly not standard. |
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Replying to: kentaco (Feb 24, 2007 12:00 am) Ken, I've owned a 1998 Frontier and it was no match for the Toyota in the power department and I would have to say that the Frontier was overall not as good as a Toyota. Up until the 2005 Frontier and Tacoma I'll concede that I would give Toyota the nod for best compact truck. With the 2005's I feel that Nissan made the better truck. I owned a 2003 Tacoma V6 4WD SR5 XCab that I really enjoyed except for the lousy seats. It was a great truck and even had a factory sunroof. I planned to keep if forever until some idiot collided with it. I had a great deal of skepticism when I checked out the Frontier and I was amazed at how Nissan improved the Frontier in all areas. The VQ series engine is amazing. The seats (at least the ones in the NISMO) are best in class. I really appreciate the durable cloth material of the seats. The mouse fur material of the seats in my 03 Taco and the lack of comfort of the 03 Taco were the major complaint I had with it. The Frontier interior is a truck interior and I prefer it to the Camry-like interior in the Tacoma. Maybe I'm just used the plastics and don't mind them in the Frontier since my 03 Taco used similar amount of plastics. I'm happy with my Frontier. Tacoma obtains a bit more mileage and the switchgear has a bit higher quality feel IMO, other than that, the Frontier is great. |
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It never ceases to amaze me how this bashing goes on and on between two fine trucks. The Toyota costs more, but the resale is higher so that is really a wash. Some people don't like the Tacoma light bed and tailgate, I would love to have that light weight tailgate. I am going on 70 years old and weigh a little over 120 pounds. Light sounds good to me and yes I haul a lot of things in my truck. To me it really comes down to which truck appeals to you more and which one best fits your needs. I think if everyone on here would be honest with themselves they could be happy driving either truck. I ended up buying an '05 Frontier because of the price up front, may not live to see the resale recoup of the cost. I drove both trucks and I could be happy with either one. There are some things I like better about the Frontier and some things I like better about the Tacoma. There is not one person on this thread that is going to have their mind changed by someone bashing the truck they purchased and love. So why don't we acceept the fact that people's tastes differ and that does not make them wrong and you right. My wife drives a Toyota Solara and it is one of the nicest cars I have ever owned. When we replace it in a few years I will definitely consider another one. I shall also consider Nissan, Acura, and Avalon. What I shall end up with will be the one that best fits my needs at that time. I have owned 3 Toyotas and 8 Datsun/Nissans in the past. Both are good products and do not deserve all of this bashing that is going on here. OkieScot Live and let live
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Replying to: 2005lekc (Feb 26, 2007 3:41 pm) |
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