Proving once again that you’ve got to change up your lineup from time to time, the all-new 2022 Nissan Frontier just beat the Chevy Colorado in sales for Q1 2022. The midsize Frontier moved ahead of the Colorado, primarily because of its fresh features. Chevy’s Colorado, on the other hand, has been around since 2015. But that should change soon.

How many Nissan Frontiers sold?

Chevy is finalizing the next-generation Colorado for 2023. But for now, the Toyota Tacoma is still way ahead in first place, the Frontier is now in second, with the Colorado lagging in third place. Through March, the Tacoma sold 53,182 trucks, Nissan’s Frontier hit 22,405 sold with a 108 percent spike, and Colorado dropped 10 percent, to 21,693. 

What is maybe the most surprising is that the much-anticipated Jeep Gladiator only sold 17,912 for Q1. It was only released in mid-2019, so it has been the freshest of the midsize bunch. The Ford Ranger trails them all in last place selling 17,639 trucks. That aligns with us saying you need new to increase sales. The Ranger came to the U.S. in 2017 but has been available elsewhere since 2011. But that doesn’t explain the Gladiator’s tepid sales. 

The Nissan Frontier outsold Ford’s Maverick and Ranger

Another interesting development is that Ford’s Maverick sold more trucks than the Ranger. In fact, it sold more than twice the number of trucks as its closest rival, the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Ford sold 19,245 Mavericks in Q1, while the Santa Cruz hit only 8,400. The nearest competitor to either of those two models is the Honda Ridgeline, which saw 9,189 sales. 

Is Ford squeezing the Ranger by offering a base version of the F-150, and the Maverick? The base price for an F-150 is right at $30,000. A loaded Maverick MSRP is $27,000 for the Lariat trim. But that number can get close to the F-150’s base price with options like the FX4 package which adds $800. With the mid-range Ranger XLT, prices start at $29,335. 

These types of model overlaps have existed for decades, so this is nothing new. Still, we wonder if there is a sweet spot between features and price that zeroes out the Ranger to some? This could also be due to the Ranger’s age as well.

There are a lot of new midsize trucks on the horizon

But salvation is also coming for the Ranger, with a new version ready to hit the market very soon. So by this time next year, we’ll have a brand-new Ranger, Maverick, Colorado, Frontier, and even a new Tacoma. Yes, the venerable Tacoma is also getting a completely new platform, and everything else, too. 

As for now, the Frontier is still pulling in tall numbers. Ford has stopped taking orders for the Maverick until August or September for the 2023 model. Demand will be strong for the rest of the 2023 bunch. The Santa Cruz is expected to get an N performance version in 2023. As for the Ridgeline, it got a facelift in 2021, so the 2023 model should be similar. Beyond that, there are the full-size electric trucks coming in 2023 and 2024. So there is a lot of new coming soon.