Americans can’t get enough of their trucks. But in this mad dash to buy the best, new pickup trucks, the prices for these trucks keep rising as more features and amenities get added on. The Nissan Frontier is the other way around though, and its affordable price tag is thanks to the fact that it’s the anti-luxury pickup truck.

A 15-year-old truck

While the newest pickup trucks can start in the $30,000 range, adding a few options and features can easily double that price tag. The Frontier is able to avoid that by not being the newest truck on the market. In fact, it’s one of the older trucks available on the market, as it’s been largely the same since its 2004 design. 

This 15 year old truck is still selling well however, according to Off-Road. That’s largely because of the affordable price tag that it has due to its age and the limited number of features that it offers. Off-Road mentioned that the most basic Frontier starts at $20,000 brand-new, which makes it one of the cheapest pickup trucks available. 

But it’s not all too bad. And it’s not that old, either. Nissan did give it a minor update in 2008, but asides from that, the Frontier is still a relatively well-equipped mid-sized pickup truck. And, like Off-Road mentioned, it’s a true mid-sized pickup truck in the sense that unlike its more modern competitors, it’s actually not a massive truck. 

Not bare bones

Some of the features and creature comforts that the Frontier has include a standard dual-zone climate control system. This is in particular notable since other new mid-sized pickup trucks don’t have that feature as standard. In order to get dual-zone climate control in a brand-new model year of the Toyota Tacoma, for example, you’d have to check a box for it and that’d raise the price tag of the truck. 

On top of that, Nissan also gave the Frontier the backup cameras that are legally required on new cars. And while it doesn’t have a modern infotainment system or support for smartphones, it does have Bluetooth support. The seats on the Frontier are also heated, which are a great creature comfort feature to have on a truck. 

With that said, because it’s a 15 year old truck, it doesn’t have a lot of smart safety tech. If you don’t care about any of those gadgets and gizmos, then that’s perfectly fine by you. But safety is something that a lot of people will care about so this is a weak spot for the Frontier. 

Still a good truck

While the Frontier may be cheaper and less luxurious than other trucks, it’s still a good truck. And like Off-Road said, in some areas, it’s even better than modern truck designs. For example, in terms of towing capacity, the Frontier can tow over 6,000 lb, according to Off-Road. Meanwhile, even the latest model year of the Honda Ridgeline can only tow a max of 5,000 lb. The Tacoma can tow a bit more than the Frontier can, but not by much. 

In terms of payload capacity, the Frontier is also still competitive. Off-Road said that the Frontier it tested could hold almost 1,500 lb in its truck bed. A Ford F-150, which is a much larger pickup truck, can carry a nearly 2,000 lb payload. While the much larger F-150 clearly wins in this category, the Frontier didn’t lose it by a large margin considering the fact that it’s a 15 year old truck. 

And the biggest reason why people love the Frontier is its off-roading capability. In short, like Off-Road said, it’s still a great truck for off-roading.