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Are you waiting for the right pickup to help you get your cargo and materials around the Doral, Kendall, Miami, and Hialeah area? There are a few options out there, but if you don’t need something heavy duty, why not go for a truck like the Toyota Tacoma or the Nissan Frontier? Both trucks are spacious and agile, but if it were up to you, which one would you pick?
If you need some assistance, you’re in luck—our team at Doral Toyota is here to help you decide by taking a closer look at these trucks to see how they differ. By comparing the Toyota Tacoma vs. Nissan Frontier, you’ll be able to see what they offer, what they lack, and which one would be a better option for you. Are you ready to see how these trucks differ?
Toyota Tacoma vs Nissan Frontier: Power and PerformanceOne of the major deciding factors when choosing the right pickup truck is the engine and the vehicle’s performance specs. These trucks are similar in size, meaning that performance comes close, too. However, we see one pushing the envelope just a bit more.
In the base trim of the Toyota Tacoma, you can add in a 3.5L V6 engine that’s paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. With this available engine, you can generate as much as 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque, blowing past any smaller cars out on the road.
The Nissan Frontier unfortunately does not offer a V6 engine in its base trim. To get additional power, you’d have to upgrade to a higher trim level.
Instead, what you get in the Frontier base outfit is a 2.5L 4-cylinder, which only produces 152 horsepower and 171 lb-ft of torque.
The Frontier also comes standard with a 5-speed manual transmission—not quite as smooth of a shifter as the automatic that you have standard in the competitor. If you’ve never driven manual before, the learning curve attached to the transmission may be somewhat off-putting.
Even if you’re looking for a smaller pickup truck, you’ll want to be sure that it can help you when it’s time to carry some hefty cargo. The Toyota Tacoma and its formidable V6 certainly have a slight advantage in this category with its ability to tow 6,800 pounds maximum. The Nissan Frontier comes close to this but falls short with a max of 6,720 pounds.
Both of these towing capacities are apt for hauling personal equipment trailers or small boats. However, the Tacoma musters just a bit more muscle.
Of course, even with a nice towing capacity, your truck will need some added features to help it stay safely on track. In this respect, the Tacoma seems to add a bit more in the way of haul-focused features.
With the V6 outfit, you’ll have access to Trailer-Sway Control. This helps to reduce the swaying of your trailer (and ultimately the whole pickup) so that you don’t lose control at any point. Also made standard in the V6 Tacoma are:
These additional features may make towing with the Tacoma a little easier than it would be with the Frontier.
Entertainment & Technology FeaturesIf you’re taking your truck on the sunny streets around the city, you’ll certainly want to complement the trip with some fun music. The Toyota Tacoma features a 6.1-inch touchscreen that can play audio through a 6-speaker sound system. You could also use this screen’s advanced voice recognition to keep your hands on the wheel while you select your favorite apps and features.
The Nissan Frontier, on the other hand, doesn’t offer voice recognition until its later trims. In fact, most of the entertainment features in this truck are options. While you may have Bluetooth® streaming and a text-messaging assistant, this still falls short of the Tacoma.
With available Entune® Premium JBL® Audio with Integrated Navigation, you can enjoy a premium speaker system and HD Radio™ for music. This suite also offers the unique Predictive Traffic and Doppler Weather overlay, a feature that ought to make planning your road trip itinerary even easier (particularly since you’ll be able to tell when roads are going to be at their roughest).
The general perception of trucks is that they’re made for power, to handle the really dicey roads. Drivers don’t typically view the pickup truck class as one that prioritizes safety. However, the Toyota Tacoma defies this outdated perception with a standard suite of driver assisting safety features.
In every trim of the Tacoma, you’ll have Toyota Safety Sense™ P. This suite includes features such as Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, a Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Automatic High Beams, and more. Using sensors, these features can monitor the road for hazards, alerting you when they sense one. In some cases, they can even act autonomously to prevent an accident, say by hitting the brakes.
Features like these can’t be found at all in the Nissan Frontier. Its safety capabilities peak at Vehicle Dynamic Control and the Traction Control System—features that can also be found in the Toyota Star Safety System™.
If it’s superior safety you’re looking for in a truck, you’ll have to stick with the Toyota offering.
Being so similar in size, as well as offering some fairly similar design elements really does make these two trucks seem quite bit alike. However, when you break down their specs and available features, it becomes apparent that the Toyota option offers up a more robust package.
Was this Toyota Tacoma vs. Nissan Frontier comparison helpful? At Doral Toyota, we had a great time comparing these two pickups. We understand if you need more information on the Toyota Tacoma, but why not get hands-on experience with it by taking it out for a spin?
Doral, Hialeah, Kendall, and Miami drivers should contact us online or over the phone to schedule a test drive today.
