Motor News

Toyota’s SmartPath is meant to let shoppers buy online and have their vehicle delivered from their local dealership without ever needing to go there in person. Or, they can start shopping online, then go in and haggle.
Only around 50 Toyota dealers use SmartPath today, but that number will double this spring.
Lexus is involved in this, too, with a similar program called Monogram. Only a few dealers use Monogram, but Lexus will “aggressively accelerate availability through 2021.”
Toyota customers like smart things. Lexus drivers prefer to have their things monogrammed. That’s one way to look at an upgraded online car-shopping service the two brands are offering to U.S. Lexus and Toyota shoppers. The online tool is functionally similar no matter if you’re looking for a new IS or a fresh Prius, but Lexus calls its service Monogram while Toyota’s is called SmartPath.

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The idea behind the year-and-a-half-old comprehensive retail program was to make buying a new Toyota or Lexus as easy as possible but, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the mostly contact-free aspect has been a selling point as well. Toyota says a Cox Automotive digital shopping study from last April showed that two-thirds of shoppers are more likely to want to purchase a vehicle 100 percent online. Toyota first introduced SmartPath in September 2019 as a way to connect a car buyer’s experience across a number of Toyota shopping sites, including Toyota.com, buyatoyota.com, and local dealership sites.
So far, out of the company’s 1200-plus dealerships in the U.S., only around 50 currently have their inventory synced in SmartPath. Another 50 dealerships will get added later this spring. Only a small number of Lexus dealers are currently using Monogram in a pilot test in select markets, but Lexus says it plans to “aggressively accelerate availability through 2021.”

Toyota

One of the big changes Toyota is making to SmartPath and Monogram this month is the ability to complete the entire purchase without ever visiting a dealership. The only non-digital part of the transaction is the handwritten signature that is required in some states, but even that can be done when the vehicle is dropped off at your home, according to Automotive News.
Toyota said it made changes to SmartPath and Monogram by working hand in hand with Toyota Financial Services as well as dealers across the United States, and there’s one obvious way the system prioritizes dealerships over customers. When browsing, shoppers can only check out one dealer’s inventory at a time, instead of seeing all of the vehicles available regionally or nationally, or even by comparing prices at two dealerships.
Once a shopper has started selecting a vehicle and options in SmartPath or Monogram, they can visit the dealer to see the car or to haggle over the price. Everything they’ve entered into the site gets added to what Toyota calls a “digital garage,” and this information then becomes available to the salesperson, which can save time during the visit. Dealers are not being forced to use SmartPath or Monogram and pay Toyota an undisclosed fee if they want to be included in the system, Automotive News reports.

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For decades the Super Bowl has come down to three things: the actual game, the halftime show, and the ads. Companies spend millions every year to produce and air a spot (or series of spots) hoping to make a big enough impression on viewers to make their ad enter into the zeitgeist (like Apple’s iconic 1984 commercial) and maybe sell some of their wares.

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It’s no surprise that automakers are keen to get in on this cash-burning attempt to lure us into parting with our hard-earned dollars. Sure, there are the typical ads showing cars driving down a winding back road while a famous actor spouts off about freedom and horsepower, but there are also some amazing pieces of advertising that have come out of the car world over the years. So while you’re waiting for the kickoff, take a rubber-melting trip with us down memory lane and check out our favorite Super Bowl ads.
Ford’s The One – 2004
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Sometimes you just want to see a fast car go fast, and that’s exactly what Ford gave us with the 2004 commercial for the Ford GT. A car, a track, and a lot of squealing tire action. It’s pure bliss.
VW’s The Force – 2011
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Nothing grabs us like Star Wars nostalgia. Even as adults, we remember what it was like to pretend we had the powers of a Jedi. Volkswagen took that premise and made a commercial that lets a young boy live out his Darth Vader dreams. Sure, it requires believing this child is on the Dark Side, but cute is cute and it made the not-that-exacting 2012 Passat a little bit cooler.
Chrysler’s Imported from Detroit – 2011

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The Chrysler 200 is long gone, but the emotions stirred up by this ad for a sedan featuring the Motor City remains. Aired during the 2011 Super Bowl, it reminded the rest of the United States that Detroit is tough enough to tackle anything. Starring Detroit native Eminem, the ad is less about a car and more about portraying the city as ready to battle its way back into the consciousness of the country, and more than a shadow of its former self.
Nissan’s Dream – 1990
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Nissan hired director Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Legend) to make this commercial about a man dreaming he’s being chased by a motorcycle, a sports car, and eventually, a jet, but none could catch him because of his Nissan 300ZX Turbo. Does it make sense? No. But Scott directed some of the best science-fiction movies ever, so we’ll let him have this one.
Nissan’s Pigeons – 1997
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The Kenny Loggins song Danger Zone is more associated with the movie Top Gun than with this commercial. Still, we all know the frustration of washing our vehicle only to have a squadron of birds (in this case animatronic pigeons) ruin our efforts with a few well-placed “bombs.” The commercial is relatable, and while we only get fleeting shots of the Nissan Maxima, we know that it’s quick enough to outrun some rats with wings.
BMW’s Newfangled Idea – 2015
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Way back in 1994, Today Show hosts Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel famously tried to understand what the Internet was while on the air. It was a bit embarrassing for the hosts because they clearly had no idea what they were talking about. That interaction is the basis for a 2015 BMW i3 ad in which Couric and Gumbel try to parse what an electric vehicle is and how it’s built in a wind-powered factory. It’s meta and to be honest, we’re still having these EV conversations with friends.
Toyota’s The Longest Chase – 2016
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Toyota’s Prius isn’t known for its speed or agility, or really for being all that cool. Initially, the idea of using the hybrid as a bank-job getaway vehicle seems like a recipe for incarceration. But the vehicle’s ability to keep going while a fleet of cop cars have to stop for gas makes for an enjoyable series of ads that ran during the 2016 Super Bowl. Of course, the good guys win in the end by fighting fire with fire using a cop-car Prius.
Volkswagen’s Tree – 2001
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This commercial featuring the VW Golf GTI requires some patience, but it’s worth it. The single piece of dialogue—”Next time, let the clutch out easier”—is one of the best payoffs in automotive ad history.
Plymouth’s Road Runner – 1969
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Way back in 1969 during Super Bowl III, Plymouth aired this ad for the Plymouth Road Runner featuring Looney Tunes’cartoon characters Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. It might be a little too literal, using the animated critters to sell the car, but it was the ’60s, and any ad with a Plymouth Road Runner should be celebrated.
Jeep’s Snow – 1995
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You never see the Jeep, but you know what’s going on.
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A Connecticut dealer just sold a brand-new Lotus Evora S coupe after having it in stock for seven years.
We’re calling this the oldest new car sold in the U.S. Prove us wrong! The 2014 model now has an expired warranty, and it was sold for $20,000 under sticker.
Don’t worry, dealer Steve Plona’s got other Lotus cars for sale, including the next-oldest: a 2018 Evora 400.
Steve Plona just sold a new Lotus Evora—and it took him only seven years to do it.
Omitting the last Lexus LFA that’s presumably still out there, this 2014 Evora S 2+2 was unofficially the oldest new car for sale in America until a few days ago. How on earth could a $90,000 sports car sit unsold in Connecticut, a state brimming with wealthy sports-car owners, under three U.S. presidents? Forget a moment that it’s a new Lotus—an obscurity that doesn’t quite age like a good French champagne—and instead picture this white-on-black coupe as one man’s quiet dissent.
“It was a protest to some schemes of the pricing people had,” said Plona, general manager for Secor Lotus in New London. “I think it’s an undervalued brand.”

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The buyer was an Elise owner from Long Island, New York, who claimed the car for about $70,000, he said. The factory warranty is expired. The tires, engine oil, and battery are original. But that sounds worse than it is. Plona said he plugged in a trickle charger, overfilled the tires to avoid rot, and changed all fluids except for the synthetic oil, which he kept for the new owner to change out at the 1000-mile engine break-in. Every so often, Plona would take the Evora out from climate-controlled storage to let it run. The odometer clocked less than 100 miles.

Secor Lotus

“There were a lot of dealers that were deeply discounting those cars,” he said. “I thought that was hurting the brand.”

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2020 Lotus Evora GT

Plona’s discount, seven years on, is roughly what many Lotus dealers were doling out in 2014. Steep depreciation and a near-invisible presence have made modern life hard for Lotus dealers. Yet the U.S. is the company’s number-two market behind Germany, and North America is the number-one region. Lotus sales were great in 2020—a couple hundred, according to Plona—and so were his dealership sales: seven, both new and used.

Secor Lotus

It’s not like Lotus the company has been in a hurry. The Evora’s door card shows a December 2013 build date, noting the airbag exemption that would expire shortly after. Lotus didn’t install a passenger airbag with a child sensor in time, so it stopped importing cars into the U.S. for an entire year. In 2014, we asked then CEO Jean-Marc Gales about this little problem, who “insisted there is enough inventory of ’14-spec Evoras to meet demand until the new model arrives.” Lord, was Gales right.
When the Evora debuted in 2010, Lotus was on top of the world supplying Tesla with Elise bodies. The British automaker soon promised a five-car lineup and made music producer Swizz Beatz a vice-president. Then the world fell. The company’s board fired the CEO and went without one for nearly two years. Its two prime cars, the Elise and Exige, failed to meet U.S. emissions and safety rules. They left the U.S. in 2011 and only returned five years later as track-only specials. Chinese automaker Geely bought Lotus from a Malaysian investment group in 2017 and now promises a 2000-hp electric hypercar.
“People in the know, they know what the brand is and its storied past,” Plona said. But there aren’t many, which means Plona will happily valet cars for service—one customer lives more than 100 miles away in Massachusetts—and keep those people from buying a Porsche.
Plona’s devotion to customers and refusal to underprice might make him this country’s staunchest Lotus advocate, or maybe he’s just the rare car salesman who exercises patience. He loves the Evora. He’s got seven new GT models in stock, and already he’s on to the next long game: a 2018 Evora 400 in custom Red Velvet paint. Perhaps it might be yours in another few years.

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As of the exact moment we’re writing this, COVID-19 hasn’t forced any Tampa Bay or Kansas City players out of Sunday’s Super Bowl. That could change in an instant. Just ask Kansas City’s barber.
The unpredictability and unknowns of pandemic life have, however, impacted the Super Bowl’s most reliable players: its advertisers. “In a normal year, Super Bowl advertising resembles a multiple-car pileup,” AdAge wrote this week.
Fiat Chrysler alone aired five Super Bowl ads in 2018. In the past five years, Audi has aired four spots, Kia five, Hyundai six—not including two from Genesis. Fiat Chrysler aired nine to tout four of its nameplates, and Toyota aired eight, plus two more from Lexus.

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This year is going to look different. Audi, Kia, Hyundai, Genesis, and Porsche are all going to be on the sidelines. No Volkswagen (so no adorable Darth Vader). No BMW or Mercedes-Benz or Lexus. By Ad Age’s count, in 2018, 11 automotive brands advertised during the Super Bowl. This year that number is three or four, depending on how you want to count GM and Cadillac. They’ll be joined Sunday by Jeep and Toyota. Volvo won’t have an ad, but it will give away $2 million worth of cars if there’s a safety in the game.
It isn’t just auto manufacturers wrestling with how to manage TV’s biggest ad stage in the midst of a pandemic (and ad budgets when spots cost in the neighborhood of $5.5 million for 30 seconds of time). Even Budweiser, the king of Super Bowl advertising with 37 straight years in the game, is sitting 2021 out. Budweiser’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, is running its first ad, but that one is focused on togetherness.
Ford’s 60-second spot, “Finish Strong,” is a call to stay focused—and together— as we continue to work to move past the coronavirus. Coming after a year when Ford launched three of the most important new models in its lineup, the ad eschews Ford vehicles or even a Ford logo, and the link at the end leads viewers to the philanthropic Ford Motor Company Fund.
Toyota’s 60-second spot, “Upstream,” goes with the same flow, celebrating Toyota-sponsored athlete and Paralympian Jessica Long and hyping the “hope and strength in all of us.”

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GM is the lone product-focused holdout. Cadillac is returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2012, pushing its upcoming Lyriq EV. The ad—teased earlier this week—suggests inspiration from the 1990 Tim Burton film Edward Scissorhands. Consistent with a strategy that’s promised a whole bunch of EVs in the coming years, GM’s other ad takes aim at: Norway.
The Scandinavian country is the world leader in EV purchases per capita, and Will Ferrell—GM’s trial-by-combat champion—won’t stand for it. Ferrell lures Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina into battle riding a Cadillac Lyriq and the coming GMC Hummer EV, the trio avoiding bloodshed thanks to being severely geographically challenged. Which is strange considering these EVs will come with the latest navigation systems splayed out on gigundous screens.

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Because we live in a connected world and there’s no reason miss a marketing opportunity, Audi Norway snagged Norwegian Game of Thrones actor Kristofer Hivju for a series of digital spots responding to GM. (Ford also had something to say.) After turning to another Game of Thrones actor last year, Audi isn’t planning an ad during this year’s Super Bowl.
The automotive presence expands slightly if we broaden our definition a touch. Online car shopping service Vroom and floor mat maker WeatherTech are each doing 30-second spots.
Vroom goes to the dark side in imagining what some shoppers feel like when buying a car at a dealer. The scenario might be far-fetched, but we’re sure that for many people, the anxiety isn’t. Still, it’s another wild sign of our times when Vroom felt the need to include “Fictionalization. Do Not Attempt” in small print over a man tied to a chair.
WeatherTech is the only auto industry player to keep its Super Bowl run going, having aired at least one spot for the past five years. Its seventh commercial sticks to the template, selling the floor mats by way of selling the merits of the company and our country.
Finally, there’s Jeep, its parent company now known as Stellantis, and the possibility they have secured an American icon for a spot scheduled for the second half. What to make of the rumors that Bruce Springsteen might finally be up for a little marketing of something other than a record or a show?
An Automotive News report pieced together digital clues that Bruce Springsteen was in Nebraska for a shoot. The rumor is it’s for Jeep—perhaps the new Grand Cherokee? Stellantis ad chief Oliver François loves making big plays. Last year it was actor Bill Murray in a reprise of his Groundhog Day role. In 2011, it was rapper Eminem in an ad titled, “Imported from Detroit.”
Has François secured an artist who’s declined to use his music and his person in ads for more than 40 years? If so, that could be the play of the game, having turned a Hail Mary into a Hail Bruce.
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Ford announced a $29 billion investment in EVs and autonomous vehicles through 2025.
In the future, the majority of Ford vehicles will be electric, while traditional gasoline powertrains will be augmented with hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
Ford is joining GM and others in heavily investing in electric and autonomous vehicles to compete with Tesla.
Ford announced during its fourth-quarter earnings report that it will invest $22 billion in electric vehicles and $7 billion in autonomous vehicles through 2025. The electric-vehicle stake is an increase over the $10 billion already pledged to help Ford compete in the race to bring electric vehicles into the mainstream.

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In part, Ford may be throwing the money down to compete with GM’s bigelectrification goals, but it stopped short of announcing exactly when, or if, it will transition to an all-electric passenger-vehicle fleet as General Motors has pledged to do. What it has announced is that a majority of its vehicles will be EVs, with some of its offerings having hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.

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GM announced last week that it will aspire to eliminate all gas and diesel light-duty vehicles by 2035. GM said it plans to invest $27 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025. GM, Ford, and others that have made similar investments and pledges to electrify their fleets are competing with Tesla which has a huge head start in the EV world. The EV-only automaker boasts the top-selling electric vehicles with ranges that still dwarf offerings from any traditional OEM.
While Ford is working on its own vehicles, it has also invested $500 million in EV startup Rivian. In 2019, the two companies announced a plan to build a Ford vehicle using the startup’s platform. However, in 2020, a planned electric Lincoln built with Rivian technology was canceled, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During its announcement, Ford also reminded us that the electric version of its cash cow, the F-150, is slated to go into production in mid-2022.
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This week, we revealed the results of our annual Lightning Lap track event, which puts the hottest new vehicles of the day through the stress test that is Virginia International Raceway (VIR). This got the Window Shop crew thinking: For $35K, which used car would get us around VIR the quickest today? Ideally, we’d want to find something that could turn a lap in under 3:04.0, the current Lightning Lap record for sub-$35,000 vehicles, set by a 2016 Camaro V-6 1LE.
Contributor John Pearley Huffman, who was a little under the weather this week and not his shouty self, selected a 464-hp hellion: a primo Cadillac ATS-V sedan. Pearley actually found two ATS-Vs, but the second one looks like someone applied Rhino Lining to its exterior. We tried to convince him that this isn’t show worthy, but you’ll get to see it anyway.
Testing director Dave VanderWerp, who hasn’t been on the show in months, put forth a high-mileage 2014 Camaro Z/28 that sent our jaws to the floor. Two of us picked Chevrolet Corvettes because when you want to go fast on a track on a budget, the answer is pretty much always Corvette.
The sole non-GM choice came from contributor Jonathon Ramsey. His 2013 BMW M6 features a 560-hp twin-turbo V-8, and depreciation that has brought the once six-figure price down to $35,000.
If you’ve watched before, you’ll know that we regularly spend a lot of time obsessing over random details, such as what kind of tires the owner put on the car. This week is no different. Expect a lot of tire talk. So much tire talk. You’ve been warned.
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DS, a premium brand from PSA that is now part of Stellantis along with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ brands, has just launched an attractive new compact hatchback called the DS 4.
The car will be out later in 2021 in Europe and China, but we’d love to see it here.
DS will be developing premium models jointly with Alfa Romeo and Lancia, with the first models coming by 2024, Automotive News reported this week. And maybe we’ll have more luck getting those.
Everywhere outside of France, driving a French car is a clear sign of individualism, an appreciation of the unusual and of elevated aesthetics. And since DS has been spun off Citroën as a premium brand, in much the way Genesis was derived from Hyundai or Polestar from Volvo, the brand has offered a plethora of interesting, challenging, and beautiful cars. The latest is the DS 4, unveiled this week and slated for a launch in Europe and China later this year. It redefines its segment’s boundaries in several ways.

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DS

Its dimensions—173.2 inches long, 72.0 inches wide, and 57.9 inches tall—mean the DS 4 fits neatly into Europe’s compact segment, similar to the Audi A3 and the Mercedes-Benz A-class. But the DS 4 features a rear hatch. With sharply drawn lines, slim headlights and taillights, the DS 4 looks very modern, sporty and geometric. The roofline is coupelike, and there are three different model lines: a discreetly elegant base model, a sporty Performance Line, and a model called Cross that plays with color contrasts but is not actually an SUV, in much the way that the Performance Line is cosmetic only.

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This does not sound spectacular, but if you take a closer look at the car, you will notice an aggressive boldness that cannot be found in most U.S.-market models that have had their character blown away in endless “car clinics.” The drag coefficient is a satisfactory 0.30, and there is a special wheel/tire combination designed specifically to minimize tire and air resistance.

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DS

The interior is characterized by modern shapes and a stunning opulence that has become the signature of the DS models. Crisp lines, crystal and glass elements, and sophisticated materials make for an appearance that is simply unmatched in this class. Only the Mercedes-Benz models offer similarly rich materials, albeit in a far more conservative application. The French love for detail can be found in every corner of the DS 4. For example, the Performance Line is fitted with with decor made of forged carbon fiber, while the more luxurious models use ash wood. When the DS 4 launches, there will even be a version with surfaces inspired by fish skin.

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DS

On the center console, there is a touch-sensitive surface to enter data; there is an advanced voice recognition system, and the Focal-branded stereo system has an output of 690 watts. The electronic comfort and assistance systems altogether go far beyond class standards: Customers can order a night vision system that can recognize pedestrians at a distance of over 200 yards, and the new head-up display appears to project information right onto the street. The matrix light system offers luxury class functionality, and the daytime running lights are created by full 98 light-emitting diodes, creating a stunning light signature. And the suspension can adjust to information provided by a camera scanning the road surface; this technology has heretofore been the hallmark of luxury cars.

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Under the hood, there are three gasoline engines with 130, 180, and 225 horsepower. Other choices are a torquey 130-hp turbo-diesel and a plug-in hybrid called E-Tense with total system output of 225 horsepower. All models are fitted with an eight-speed automatic transmission, controlled by what DS calls E-Toggle.

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DS

Within the context of the Stellantis Group, DS is well positioned to hold its own against the offers from Citroën, Peugeot, Opel, Alfa Romeo, and Lancia, not to mention the U.S. brands. However, any aspirations to compete in the U.S. market will now have to take a back seat. DS chief designer Thierry Métroz tells us that a U.S. launch of the brand, something he hinted at earlier, is not a priority and not a consideration for the DS 4.
And that’s a pity. Because with its futuristic design, bespoke materials and attention to detail, it is a triumph of individualism in a sea of increasingly bland competitors.
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The first new Nissan Frontier in 16 years still rides on the outgoing model’s frame but gains all-new bodywork and a vastly improved interior.
Powering the 2022 Nissan Frontier is a 310-hp 3.8-liter V-6 mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The 2022 Nissan Frontier will go on sale this summer and will likely start in the low $30,000s.
After languishing in the marketplace for the better part of two decades, the Nissan Frontier compact pickup finally receives an overhaul for the 2022 model year. Although the third-generation truck is not entirely fresh—it still rides on a frame that dates back to the outgoing model’s 2005 debut—the new Frontier enters the modern age with all-new bodywork, a significantly updated interior, and a greater helping of technology.

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Nissan

Nissan is still fuzzy on a number of details, including pricing, option packaging, and some final measurements. But we do know that the new Frontier will offer both extended King Cab and crew-cab layouts with either rear- or four-wheel drive, plus five- and six-foot cargo box lengths. Trim levels include base S, SV, and top-spec Pro-4X, as well as a new Pro-X trim that’s essentially a Pro-4X minus four-wheel drive and some off-road hardware.

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Time Capsule: 2017 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X Tested

In terms of configurations, crew cabs can be had with either cargo box, depending on the model, while King Cabs get only the longer bed. Dimensionally, the new Frontier’s wheelbases are about the same as before, spanning 126.0 inches for most models and 139.8 inches for long-box crew cabs. Overall lengths are up several inches to 210.2 and 224.1, while width increases a hair to 73.0 inches. Maximum height is down 1.5 inches to 72.3.

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Nissan

Despite some minor revisions over the years, the previous Frontier’s fully boxed steel ladder-type frame carries over to the new truck. Suspension enhancements include revised spring and damper tuning, new urethane jounce bump stops, and the addition of a rear anti-roll bar to go with a stiffer front unit. New hydraulic body mounts are said to better isolate the truck’s cab from the road. Pro-4X and Pro-X models add standard Bilstein off-road-oriented dampers, but only the former gets skid plates under its front end, transfer case, and fuel tank. The Pro-4X also features an electronically locking rear differential and an off-road driving mode. The new Frontier’s vintage roots are most evident in its steering system, which features a quicker ratio than before, yet assistance is still by old-timey hydraulics rather than an electric motor. The optional part-time four-wheel-drive system also goes largely unchanged, bringing conventional 4HI and 4LO settings but no full-time all-wheel-drive mode.
We previewed the latest Frontier’s sole powertrain—a 3.8-liter V-6 (310 horsepower and 281 pound-feet of torque) mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission—in our most recent test of a 2020 crew-cab model. In that test, the new setup exhibited better refinement than that of the Frontier’s old 261-hp 4.0-liter V-6 and five-speed automatic, but it failed to produce any measurable uptick in straight-line performance or fuel efficiency versus a 2017 Pro-4X model we evaluated. This was despite the 2020 version having 49 additional ponies under its hood and a 2-mpg-greater EPA combined estimate (to 19 mpg for crew-cab four-wheel-drive models). EPA ratings are not yet available for the 2022 Frontier, but Nissan says they should hew closely to those of the outgoing truck’s, as should the new truck’s curb weights.

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Nissan

We’ve only seen photos of the 2022 Frontier’s crew-cab-only Pro-4X model, but it looks appropriately butch with chunky proportions, blistered fenders, and darkened trim. Nissan says the new trucks’ design was inspired by its “Hardbody” compact pickups from the late 1980s and ’90s. LED lights are standard at the rear and optional up front. Pro-4X and Pro-X models roll on 17-inch wheels fitted with 265/70R-17 all-terrain tires. Along with taller bedsides, the Frontier’s cargo boxes gain improved functionality from a standard spray-in bedliner, a dampened tailgate, and more optional LED lighting. A revised cargo management system and an in-bed 110-volt power outlet also are available. Maximum payload capacity increases slightly to 1610 pounds, but max towing (6720 pounds) remains below the 7000-plus pounds that many new body-on-frame compact pickups can tug. Electronic trailer-sway control is now standard on all models.
If the latest Frontier’s exterior design is a bold step forward, its new interior is a revelation. The overall design looks attractive and materials appear to be vastly improved over the previous model’s Tupperware-grade trappings. All versions gain laminated front side windows and additional sound-deadening material, as well as Nissan’s Zero Gravity front seats and larger storage cubbies throughout. The Pro-4X and Pro-X can be had with fetching red accents and contrast stitching. Drivers view a standard 7.0-inch information display flanked by analog gauges. An 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen lives in the center stack but can be upgraded to a 9.0-inch unit, with both setups featuring standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, albeit of the wired variety.

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Nissan

Other optional cabin highlights include a heated steering wheel and front seats, a Wi-Fi hotspot, a nine-speaker Fender audio system, a wireless charging pad, and Nissan’s latest 360-degree camera system with a front-facing off-road mode. Automatic forward collision warning is standard, with available active-safety aids encompassing forward emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear emergency braking, blind-spot and lane-departure warnings, a driver-attention monitor, and adaptive cruise control.
Nissan also plans to offer a range of NISMO accessories for its new Frontier, including off-road step rails with removable steps, an upgraded suspension kit, auxiliary lighting systems, and ladder racks and tents for the cargo bed. Pricing has yet to be revealed for those and the truck itself. The outgoing Frontier tempered its antiquity with value, with 2021 models starting at $29,065 and topping out at about $40K for a well-equipped Pro-4X. Given the updates and added content of the latest versions, a slight price increase will not be a surprise. We’ll find out closer to when the 2022 Frontier goes on sale this summer.
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