2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X Review: Pickup Problems

The Nissan Frontier has been around for a long time, despite essentially only two generations of truck. There's the early-2000s variant that showed that Nissan was capable of designing a great looking truck with utilitarian flair. The second generation, continuing on for almost two decades, was the epitome of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The current latest and greatest Nissan Frontier is Nissan's attempt at reviving a comparatively ancient truck for the modern age. I'm not sure Nissan succeeded.

The 2025 Nissan Frontier attempts to cover a wide swathe of the market, ranging from bargain basement contractor-spec, to something you would expect to see bouncing up and down across the dunes at a rally halfway across the world. The specific example on my driveway fit firmly into the latter category, a 2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X. If the "Afterburn Orange" paint didn't clue you in that it was meant to be a goofy off-road truck, the decals and huge "FRONTIER" script on the dashboard will.

The 2025 Frontier Pro-4X is a deeply confusing vehicle. On paper, everything about it sounds excellent. It has plenty of power: 310 horsepower from a 3.8-liter V6. It has an electronic locking rear differential, for when you need some extra granularity when rock crawling. It has a two-speed transfer case like any 4x4 should have. It even has Bilstein shocks, and tow hooks and tie-downs everywhere. It sounds and looks great. Nissan has always nailed how to make a paint scheme look fantastic. 

But words and looks can be deceiving, because when put all together, the Frontier is a bit of a mess.

Alex Hevesy/SlashGear

Let's start with the positives. Nissan made a good looking truck, mean and ready to tackle whatever off-road oriented task you have for it. The interior is also well appointed, like a lot of other current Nissans. There are leather accents, a heated steering wheel, a 10-speaker sound system furnished by Fender, and even a sunroof. I can't recall the last time I saw a proper sunroof on a mid-size truck. It also has all of the safety and assist gadgets you would expect, like rear cross traffic alerts, a 360 degree camera system, and adaptive cruise control. It's not a Cadillac or Mercedes by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not a hateful place to be (if you can get over the road noise and the 18 miles per gallon thirst).

Actually driving the Frontier is where it all starts to fall apart. Having driven a lot of agricultural equipment, I feel qualified to say it drives more like a tractor than a truck. It's very torque-y on the low end of the gearing range, but it never feels like it progresses beyond that, despite the howling protests of the engine. The 9-speed automatic transmission really isn't doing it any favors in the acceleration department. I did an unintentional burnout at nearly every stop light with everything beyond even the slightest touch of the pedal, only for it to take relative ages to reach the speed limit.

I genuinely thought I had accidentally locked the rear differential causing it to drive in a wonky matter. You might be thinking "well, at least it should be able to tow a lot, and I'm sure the torque numbers are great." You will then be disappointed upon learning that the Pro-4X 4x4 can only tow up to 6,310 pounds (a Ford Ranger 4x4 can tow 7,500 pounds). 

The engine only makes 281 lb-ft of torque, which really isn't much. It's all bark and no bite. The extra-aggressive looking off-road tires let refinement down in the daily-driver department, too.

As with any review, there are some caveats. I didn't test the Frontier in the sand. I was mostly confined to the icy parking lots and roadways of southern Pennsylvania. I didn't do any real off-roading other that what pictures show, and I didn't hop any dunes. I just drove it around like any other car. If I went off-roading with it, I may have a more nuanced view of its rock-crawling chops. As a normal daily-driver, though, I found it lacking.

All that said, how much does the 2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X intimidate you bank account? The Pro-4X model, which gets you off-road goodies like skid plates and meaty tires, starts at $41,770 (as opposed to the $33,540 base model Frontier). The Frontier you see here was equipped with the $2,190 Pro Convenience Package which includes a spray-on bedliner, 120-volt outlets in the bed and interior, heated mirrors, steering wheel, and seats, LED bed lighting, remote start, and a wireless charger. 

The additional $3,080 Pro Premium Package includes the aforementioned Fender sound system, sunroof, and leather seats all around. The Afterburn Orange paint color adds $425. Pro-4X-branded floor mats and door protectors will set you back $280. Lastly $990 for the–admittedly excellently-styled–wheels and a $1,510 destination fee get you to the final price of $50,245.

Compared to six-figure luxo-trucks, that's not bad. Plus, it's right in line with the Trail Boss variant of the Chevy Colorado, and much less than a TRD Pro Toyota Tacoma. However, it pales in comparison to trucks like the Ford Ranger I reviewed late last year, and it's not even in the same contest as the full-size Ram 1500 Warlock when it comes to livability and capability. The Nissan will give you a better interior than the Ford, but is it worth the sacrifice for a truck that's worse in most other departments? I don't think so.

The 2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X 4x4 in all of its hyphenated off-road glory is not a terrible truck. Yet, it falls short of greatness by a significant margin. Excellent looks and a (mostly) well-populated options list do not translate to pickup truck stardom in the same way as something like a Tacoma or Ranger. The Frontier just doesn't have what it takes where it really counts.