Ranger has fresh competition...

[dtech]

waiting to see if they offer a chrome package, plus if it isn't going to available for a while maybe the white coat gearheads at Nissan can figure out how to put a blower on that 3.8 and bring it to life along with some war paint striping on the body.

Turbo engines are ideal for relatively inexpensive bang for the buck performance modifications. Nissan spent a lot of money developing their variable displacement turbo 4 and it's largely failed to impress.

During the oil embargo way back in the 70s I picked up a Datsun 510 and that was a fun little car to drive, I managed to overheat the engine and it stretched the timing chain and it had a loud distinctive rattle but drove it for many miles and it never died.

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[rang19ca]

I think it will do ok because it is different enough for some buyers. I personally am not thrilled by it.

 

[db_tanker]

For a 3.8 liter (or litre depending) I'd expect more towing...I think its an issue with the chassis and ancillaries like brakes and diff. They are noted as using the old chassis with a few improvements to keep some cost down and I get that. I honestly think it will have a huge first year but will fall off a little.

As others have said...I am all in with another good truck in the market so that it keeps everyone on their toes.

 

[Hounddog409]

For a 3.8 liter (or litre depending) I'd expect more towing...I think its an issue with the chassis and ancillaries like brakes and diff. They are noted as using the old chassis with a few improvements to keep some cost down and I get that. I honestly think it will have a huge first year but will fall off a little.

As others have said...I am all in with another good truck in the market so that it keeps everyone on their toes.

Hard to get more towing with the same tired NI V6.
Surprised they didn't replace it with something from the last decade.

 

[Motorpsychology]

IIRC there is still a stiff 25% tariff imposed on trucks that are not built in N America, making it cost prohibitive not to build in NA plants.

10-4. Trucks built in Mexico & Canada get a bye

 

[that408guy]

Those wheel wells give that side profile a ehhhhhh at most.

 

[DHH]

Gotta say, I'm disappointed in it overall. I've been waiting for the reveal, because I'm waiting for a mid-size that isn't dumbed-down in regards to options. I don't mind the exterior. Don't love it, but I'm pretty sure it'll look better to me over time. It's the interior and engine that knocks it off my list.
The engine,(which I knew last year was going to be a negative), is too low on hp/tq and mpg in this day and age. Despite it being Nissan's "new" motor, it's already 10yrs behind the competition.
I also don't mind the general look/layout of the interior. It's not great, but not bad either. The real problem I have with it, is it appears to have the same expansive use of hard plastic as the previous version, which makes it look low-end. If they had more soft-touch panels, it'd be worlds better.
Basically, it looks to me that Nissan has done a remake in order to just barely, and maybe not completely, put it on the same playing field as it's competition. The trouble with that though, is Ford is bringing out a new Ranger, and Chev/GMC will be redoing theirs in a couple years. As I see it, Nissan will be completely outdated (again) in only a couple years.

The FX2 equivalent in the new Nissan PRO X has no locking diff I heard. Just the PRO 4X look about it.

I don't understand this one. Another Nissan head scratcher. Why remove the locking diff on a truck that is suppose to be a pre-runner?

 

[P. A. Schilke]

HI Folks,

To Nissan....Bring it on! We will see where sales land....

Built Ford Tough means something. 2023 is fast approaching...Nissan...are you read?

Ford has dropped the gloves in my opinion as it is time to not play paddy cakes!

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[JimG_AZ]

This new redesign seems to be a refreshing change for Nissan – a company that seems to be lost these days. Back when the mini-truck market initially took off, in the 80’s & 90’s, they were a legitimate player. They sold a ton of Hardbodies, and they were great trucks back then. They were very competitively priced, looked good, and ran good. Then the Frontier came along and they seemed to become lass and less competitive. Al least with this new redesign, it looks like they are getting more serious. I agree that they need to do some work on the old school motor though. Lets see if Nissan has something up their sleeves. I expect they will have some sort of powertrain upgrade for when Ford, GM and Toyota all launch their redesigned trucks. Still Nissan is first to the market with their upgrade, so that is probably worth something.

Also, there is nothing positive for any of the other midsized truck manufactures with this new Frontier coming out. They will take sales from all of them. They question should be how many?

 

[JimG_AZ]

HI Folks,

To Nissan....Bring it on! We will see where sales land....

Built Ford Tough means something. 2023 is fast approaching...Nissan...are you read?

Ford has dropped the gloves in my opinion as it is time to not play paddy cakes!

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Oh, I agree. I think the real battle will be between Ford and Toyota.

 

[Ranger54]

Hard to get more towing with the same tired NI V6.
Surprised they didn't replace it with something from the last decade.

This engine is brand new as of 2020. The 2020-2021 frontier have the DI 3.8 V6 with a 9 speed auto. I took a 2020 PRO-4X on an extended test drive and I was very unimpressed by the torque of the 3.8. The 9 speed did feel great though. I think the old 4.0 was the better engine. The 3.8 screams up top, but it’s super noisy and feels very Honda Vtec like. Just not an ideal engine for a truck.

 

[Canadian Ranger]

I certainly needed a refresh. When I was looking at which mid size truck I might want I passed the Nissan, because it was quite dated.

Personally, I like "dated".
Currently driving an 07 Ranger, I'll likely buy a 2021 Frontier when my Ranger finally caves. All this tech in new vehicles I don't want or want to pay for.

 

[2.7EcoBoost]

I don't mind the looks. I almost bought a 2019 Pro4x because of price and I knew they were pretty bullet proof, but I found a great deal on the Ranger and thought it was so much more truck for similar money. They should not have did the fake fender vents in the lower front. Looks too Silverado-ish. Otherwise the front looks very modern. I really like the exterior minus those vents. I don't see much Toyota in it at all, just the color. The tailgate stamping that was reintroduced in 2008 Superduty, that Toyota fans try to claim everyone copied them on, is very common these days. The interior is on par as is the engine transmission which are carried over from the 2020/21 model. As far as sales, it won't do much to take from anybody IMHO. It's competitive on paper, but it does nothing to change the class. In 2005 when the truck was much more ahead of it's time, it managed to sell 72,838. With a relatively small dealer network and no way to undercut many fresh new competitors pricing, I think 60k-75k annually is as good as it will get.

 

[2.7EcoBoost]

This engine is brand new as of 2020. The 2020-2021 frontier have the DI 3.8 V6 with a 9 speed auto. I took a 2020 PRO-4X on an extended test drive and I was very unimpressed by the torque of the 3.8. The 9 speed did feel great though. I think the old 4.0 was the better engine. The 3.8 screams up top, but it’s super noisy and feels very Honda Vtec like. Just not an ideal engine for a truck.

I saw a review somewhere that was very unimpressed by the 3.8 also. Kinda disappointing. I think Nissan claimed this was an almost entirely new/revised for the Frontier?? Found this from Motor Trend:
"Powered by a 3.8-liter naturally aspirated V-6, the 2020 Frontier produces 310 hp and 281 lb-ft of torque. This is the only engine available in the Frontier, which means the four-cylinder mill has finally been retired. Nissan says the new V-6 was developed with the U.S. market in mind and is composed of 93 percent new or redesigned parts. With those numbers, the 2020 Frontier is slightly more powerful than the Chevrolet Colorado, Jeep Gladiator, and Toyota Tacoma with their six-cylinder mills. And that showed during our testing." "Unlike so many in the midsize truck segment that make do with repurposed car engines, the Frontier's new engine is torque-rich in the middle of its powerband rather than the northern reaches of the tach," . "As good as the engine is, we weren't as pleased with its nine-speed transmission. The gearbox is programmed to upshift too early, and it took its time to downshift."----MT

 

[HenryMac]

But I've always known how good a turbo engine is compared to a similar output non-turbo motor.

Depends on what qualifies as "good" to you. And in that regard opinions vary wildly.

I'll bet for those truck buyers that place longevity, simplicity and lowest cost to operate as main features, the non-turbo V-6 will be much better than the turbo 4 banger.

Think we can get 17 years and 175,000 trouble free zero maintenance miles (just oil changes and other fluids) from our 2.3 turbo's?

That's what my '02 Tacoma SR5 V-6 TRD 4x4 had on it when we traded it in on our 2019 Ranger. So that's the goal we're shooting for.

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