2018 Nissan Frontier Gets a Little More Expensive, Still the Cheapest Truck in the US

Matthew Guy / October 3, 2017

Like a loyal warrior fighting the good fight, Nissan’s mid-sized Frontier pickup soldiers on into 2018 mechanically unchanged, though new standard equipment is coming to its base model.

At the cheap end of the price structure, customers will find the Frontier S in King Cab form, powering its rear wheels with an inline-four and a manual transmission, priced at an appealing $18,990. Topping the range at nearly double the base-model price is an SL Crew Cab 4×4, powered by a V6 and priced at $36,150. All prices listed here do not include destination. Full pricing for all trims and powertrains is listed at the bottom of this post.

That leaves the Frontier at a starting price about $2,000 less than the 2018 Chevy Colorado’s base price of $20,995, also without destination charges included.

Thanks to Nissan’s glacier-like design cycle, next year’s Frontier looks pretty much the same. Inside, however, enhancements for the 2018 model year include the addition of standard RearView Monitor across all models and updated base grade content. New gear includes standard air conditioning, cruise control, a Bluetooth system, and a 5.0-inch color audio display. Given that last year’s base Frontier didn’t even have a radio, this is large news.

All that equipment arrives for a premium of just $600 over base 2017 Frontier, which sold for $18,390.

Later in the model year, a Midnight Edition will become available which will feature all-black everything including a gloss-black grille, black mirrors and door handles, and 18-inch gloss-black rims. The front and rear bumpers will be body-color. For the Midnight Edition, Nissan will dip the badges in black paint, too. This edition will be offered in Crew Cab SV 4×2 and 4×4 models with the automatic transmission and in a choice of Magnetic Black, Gun Metallic and Glacier White.

In between the two extremes of the base S King Cab 4×2 and top-tier SL Crew Cab 4×4 are the familiar trim levels we’ve come to expect from Nissan, including the bread-n-butter SV, macho PRO-4X, and 4×2-only Desert Runner.

Frontier 4×4 models are available with 4-wheel limited-slip system, which helps transfer power to the drive wheels with more grip on low traction surfaces. The available Hill Descent Control feature allows slow hill descent without the constant application of the brake pedal. Like last year’s model, all key underbody hardware is tucked up to the frame rails for a minimum 8.9 inches (4×4) or 8.6 inches (4×2) of running ground clearance on V6-equipped S, SV, SL and PRO-4X models.

Engines remain a choice of two powerplants: a 4.0-liter DOHC V6 engine rated at 261hp and 281 lb-ft of torque or a 152hp/171 lb.ft torque 2.5-liter four-banger engine. The four angry squirrels are only available in King Cab trucks. Its maximum towing capacity (when properly equipped) is a not unreasonable 6,690lbs.

The 2018 Nissan Frontier is on sale now at Nissan dealers nationwide.