2005 Tough Truck Shootout

Halfway through the trip, we rolled the hellishly dirty NISMO Frontier into Beatty's only tire repair shop with a tree branch stuck in one of its sidewalls. The local seated behind what looked to be a desk made of tire scraps jumped up laughing.

"Looks like you've been having a little too much fun in that thing." A pretty astute assessment for a guy who looked like he had been having too much fun since the late '80s.

He was right; the NISMO Frontier was a ton of fun in the dirt. In fact, both Nissans were sturdy and easy to handle. They picked their way through the mountain trails just as easily as they ripped down the faster fire roads. They were never twitchy or skittish, making them perfect for running hard.

They didn't exactly attack the sand dunes, but they didn't embarrass themselves either. When it was time to do some towing, the NISMO never flinched and stayed cool. And on the way back to civilization, both Frontiers provided comfortable cabins and a smooth, quiet ride which earned them the win.

Power Where It Counts
Previous Frontiers had big V6s, but they never had big power. The new 4.0-liter V6 in the '05 Frontier finally delivers. Rated to produce 265 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 284 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, it beats the Tacoma on paper by 20 hp and a couple of pound-feet of torque.

We say on paper because in reality the Frontier accelerates slower than the Toyota. We tested the trucks before we headed to the desert and the Frontier needed 8.3 seconds to get from zero to 60 in LE trim and 8.4 seconds for the NISMO version. Both Tacomas did it in 8.1 seconds.

With the 5,000-pound trailer hooked up, the Sport Tacoma ran from zero to 60 mph in 17.6 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 21.1 seconds. It sounds unimpressive, but both times are two-tenths of a second better than the NISMO Frontier could manage.

There's a simple explanation for the Nissan's slower times: the Frontier is fat. Both versions weigh 400 pounds more than the Tacomas. The extra pounds cost the Nissans at the track, but didn't make much of a difference when we were pulling the same 5,000-pound trailer up Townes Pass in Death Valley.

It's nearly 20 miles from the sea level start to the 5,000-foot peak, and the NISMO Frontier didn't have trouble with any part of it. It maxed out at roughly the same speed as the Tacoma Sport on the long straights and kicked down quickly when it needed a little extra juice. It wasn't as noisy as the Tacoma at full throttle either and the noise it did make wasn't raspy like the Toyotas. As we neared the summit the Frontiers' temperature gauge had barely budged.

On the way down the hill the Frontiers' brakes felt about the same as the Tacomas'. Drive like an idiot with your foot on the pedal the whole time and both trucks heat up and go soft. Use the brake pedal correctly and there's more than enough stopping power to handle a 5,000-pound trailer.

Bad for Baywatch
The Nissan's heftiness didn't hamper its towing ability, but it did drag it down a bit in the dunes.

Driving in sand is pretty straightforward. You go easy out of the gate and then keep your foot down to maintain momentum. The Nissans required a bit more finesse than the Toyotas to get them going, even with their tires aired down to give them a bigger footprint.

Once it got up to speed, the V6's fat power band made it easy to keep either Frontier moving. Their transmission was quicker to shift than the Tacomas', responding with a surge of power that kept the Nissans going when they would have otherwise bogged down.

The dunes were one area where the street tires on the Frontier LE were a problem. Their smooth highway tread didn't paddle much sand, often leaving it stranded before it even got started.

Back Where It Belonged
When it came time to slow it down a little and tackle some narrow, winding trails, the Frontiers were back on their game. Their suspensions isolated bumps better than the Tacomas and a slower steering ratio gave them a less jumpy feel as we banged through the rocks.

The Frontier's seating position is better, too. There's less dashboard to contend with, and you can see better over what is there.

Ground clearance for both the street and off-road versions of the Frontier is a healthy 10.1 inches, half an inch more than the Tacoma. The street tires on the LE that were so worthless in the sand didn't slow that Frontier through the rocks. If you plan on tackling nothing more than low-speed trails, the NISMO package isn't necessary.

High-Speed Stability
It was out on the fast sections where the Frontiers were the most fun. When you're going hard, the extra weight of the Nissans keeps them stable and less bouncy over washboard. They rarely bottomed out and were easier to throw into big, tail-out slides around turns.

The NISMO Frontier was soft enough to stay comfortable without feeling completely numb. The retuned springs and shocks maintain good control over bigger ruts and bumps while the big BFG tires isolated the smaller stuff. The Frontier LE withstood the same punishment, it just didn't feel as comfortable or controllable along the way.

Slower steering than the Tacomas made the Nissans feel lazy at first, but after a few hours of hard running we eventually liked them better. They require fewer small adjustments so you're not constantly sawing back and forth to keep the truck headed in the right direction.

Another surprise was the Frontier's VDC system. Stability control is usually the first thing we shut off when we're trying to have some fun. In the Frontiers, we ended up leaving it on most of the time. It doesn't constantly cut in like some systems, so you can keep a good speed even when you're slaloming through the brush. Pitch it just a little too far, however, and the brakes cut in just enough to save it without shutting you down completely.

The Ride Home
It was on the five-hour drive home to L.A. that the Nissans made up a few minds. Unlike the Tacoma that never lets you forget you're driving a pickup, the Frontier is as comfortable as your average SUV on the highway.

It's quieter inside than the Tacoma, has more comfortable seats and better-placed cupholders. The optional Rockford Fosgate stereo thumps a little louder than the Tacoma's top-of-the-line JBL system and its steering wheel stereo controls are easier to use. "I could go cross-country in this thing easy," said one editor about the Frontier.

Conclusion
After spending four straight days in these trucks, that little extra level of comfort on the ride home goes a long way. Had the Nissans lagged behind the Toyotas throughout the trip it wouldn't have been enough to make a difference, but they were right there with the Tacomas the entire time.

Driving these trucks to their limits proved that they're as tough as they come. It also proved that you can have a tough truck that doesn't always feel that way. That wasn't what we were looking for, but that was what we found in the Nissan Frontier.

Toyota knows who buys the Tacoma. They're mostly young and mostly male, and taking good care of their truck means leaving it dirty so it looks cool.

We kept that in mind as we pounded our pair of Tacomas through the desert. We barreled through mud holes, whipped donuts in the sand and otherwise drove them as if they didn't need to last any longer than the weekend.

When both trucks survived without so much as a new rattle we weren't surprised. The Tacoma feels like a traditional pickup truck — stiff and bouncy on the street, indestructible in the dirt and always a little rough around the edges.

For some buyers, that's what makes the Tacoma great. For us, it was the reason the Tacoma finished second to the Frontier. Having a truck that feels like a truck is fine — getting one that's every bit as capable without the rough edges is even better.

Awkward Behind the Wheel
The Tacoma's most noticeable problem is the seating position. You sit high on a flat seat with the steering wheel practically in your lap. You can make adjustments all you want but it never feels natural.

With less front hip-, leg- and shoulder room, the Tacoma is also more cramped inside than the Frontier. There's more rear-seat room in the Frontier, too, but when you fold the Toyota's rear seats you do get a nice flat-load floor.

There were few complaints during our five-hour drive to the desert. All the controls are well placed, there's plenty of storage and the wind noise isn't bad on the highway. And the TRD Sport does live up to its promise with slightly better road manners and less tire noise than the Tacoma with the TRD Off-Road package.

What Trailer?
By the time we hit Death Valley for the towing test, neither the Frontier nor the Tacoma had a clear advantage. And after a few runs up the pass, our opinions didn't change much.

Like the NISMO Frontier, the Tacoma Sport charged up the hill without breaking a sweat. It ran about the same speed in the straights and never stopped accelerating as long as we kept its pedal down. The temperature gauge barely moved.

The Tacoma has the same drivetrain setup as the Frontier, a 4.0-liter V6 hooked to a five-speed automatic transmission. The 2005 specs were 245 horsepower and 283 pound-feet of torque, but a new ratings system for 2006 knocks the same engine down to 236 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque.

Doesn't matter. The Tacoma is faster than the Frontier no matter what the spec sheet says. Its 400-pound weight advantage makes all the difference. It feels quicker off the line and our track testing proved it. Both Tacomas ran from zero to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds, two-tenths of a second quicker than the Frontier LT and three-tenths quicker than the NISMO.

We only tested the Sport Tacoma against the NISMO Frontier with the 5,000-pound trailer in tow, but the results were similar as the Tacoma still beat the Frontier by two-tenths with a 0-to-60 time of 17.6 seconds.

Less weight helps the Tacoma stop shorter, too. The Sport version took 123 feet to stop from 60 mph while the Off-Road version did it in 120 feet. The Nissans' took 131 and 128 feet, respectively. Despite that performance advantage, the Tacomas' brakes didn't feel any better than the Nissans' heading down the pass with the trailer hooked up. Go easy and the Tacomas' pedals felt fine. Ride the brakes and they'll cook in a matter of minutes.

Another Day at the Beach
Out on the sand, the Tacomas' lighter weight delivered mixed results. They had less trouble getting started from a stop and kept their momentum better than the Frontiers. Their transmission didn't shift as quickly as the Nissans', but there was usually enough power to keep them going.

Contrary to what you might think, running in the dunes can be rough if you're on anything but untracked patches of sand. With their stiffer suspension and lighter chassis, the Tacomas didn't track as well as the Frontiers over the rough spots. The Nissans were a snap to place and even slide, while the Tacomas could get off track if you hit a few ripples.

With its bigger tires, shorter wheelbase and softer setup, the TRD Off-Road Tacoma had a slight advantage over the Sport version. It got up to speed easier and changed directions quicker. Unlike the Frontier LE, the Sport Tacoma did fine in the sand thanks to its all-terrain tires.

Trail Running
The Tacoma has always been an excellent trail machine and not much has changed. Its quick throttle response makes it easy to pop over obstacles and although it has less clearance than the Frontier we never had a problem getting over rocks.

Drive them back-to-back with the Nissans, however, and the Tacomas feel jumpy. Their quicker steering and stiffer suspension transmit more jolts and noise through the cabin. Over slow sections it's an advantage as you get a better feel for the trail, but at anything more than walking speed it means constant steering corrections.

Both Tacomas turned in similar speeds during slalom testing with less than a 1-mile-per-hour difference between the Sport (58.8) and the Off-Road (59.2). We expected the Sport to run faster but its extra length made it harder to snake through the cones. Neither Tacoma could keep up with the Frontier LE as it posted the fastest slalom run of all the trucks at 59.9 mph.

Road Running
At higher speeds, the Tacoma's twitchiness is less pronounced. Go fast enough and both versions floated over the small stuff just like the Frontiers. The Tacomas react quicker to steering inputs than the Nissans, however, so they require a steadier hand to keep them headed in the right direction.

With Bilstein shocks and identical tires it wasn't a surprise that the TRD Off-Road truck drove similar to the NISMO Frontier over washboard ruts. There was very little fade from the Bilsteins and plenty of traction. The Tacoma's lighter weight was obvious as the Off-Road Tacoma bounced off bumps that the NISMO Nissan just rolled over. Again, it's a matter of feel and after a couple days of nonstop off-roading more often than not we preferred driving one of the Nissans.

The Verdict
The Tacoma does everything you would expect regardless of trim. It has power to spare, can take anything you can dish out and will probably last longer than you want to drive it. It's a serious truck and it drives like one.

Up until now that's what we expected, but the Nissan Frontier proves you can have a tough truck without the tough ride.