The Nissan Frontier was one of the OG midsize trucks, first hitting the scene back in 1997. With 2025 approaching fast, the Japanese company is getting ready to take its bestselling pickup to a whole new level. With its bigger brother, the full-size Titan, biting the dust in 2024, it’s up to the Frontier to carry the legacy of the Nissan pickup truck forward.
This is why 2025 is shaping up to be its most important model year yet. Keep watching until the end to see all the advantages the 2025 Nissan Frontier holds over the competition and find out how it turns heads all across the automotive world.
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New exterior Upgrades
while the Frontier had its last major refresh back in 2022, it has started to show its age among the latest crop of midsize pickup trucks that have had their designs overhauled during the past couple of years.
But things are set to change in 2025 with two test mules of the upcoming Frontier having been spotted sporting revised front fascias. Although we don’t expect anything major, the spy photos show the early signs of a slightly revised front grill, which will make the upcoming Frontier stand apart from the previous three model years.
In addition to the new front grill, the test mules were also seen riding on some brand-new alloy wheel designs, which haven’t been offered on any other model year yet.
The rear of these two test mules was also heavily camouflaged, hinting that the tail lights might have also had their long overdue revision.
The rest of the body panels seem to have been largely carried over from the outgoing 2024 model. Considering that was already one of the most handsome midsize trucks on sale, you won’t hear us complaining one bit.
Speaking of the Frontier’s aesthetics, it would be a crime not to talk about the lineup’s crown jewel, the Hardbody Edition, which will continue to be offered in 2025.
The Hardbody Edition is a retro-inspired throwback to the original Nissan Hardbody of the 80s and 90s and has been one of the bestselling Frontier trim levels since its introduction. It takes the Nissan Frontier SV crew cab 4×4 and adds a dashing red paint scheme on top, similar to what they showed off at the 2022 Chicago Motor Show with the Project Hardbody concept.
This is one of the few instances where the production model looks exactly like what the concept set out to be. In 2025, opting for the Hardbody Edition will add 17-inch aluminum alloy heritage wheels wrapped in Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure tires, black trim pieces and fender flares, a blacked-out exhaust tip, and a blacked-out sports bar with off-road rails.
This special edition also gets special decals, letting everyone around you know that you’ve got the latest and greatest Frontier around.
Tried and tested powertrain
from the Ranger to the Tacoma, turbocharged engines dominate the midsize pickup truck segment. Stepping into 2025, the Frontier will be one of the lone survivors carrying the legacy of the naturally aspirated engine to the next generation as it will retain the 3.8L direct injection V6 engine that we’ve all come to know and love.
In its current form, this engine puts out an impressive 310 horsepower and 281 lb-ft of torque, more than adequate to hang with the new kids on the block. The transmission choices will also be similar to what was on offer during the previous model years, with a 9-speed automatic transmission sending power to all four wheels or only to the rear, depending on your choosing.
The 0 to 60 sprint will take below 8 seconds, which is not rapid in any sense of the word but more than adequate to get you where you need to be. With the powertrain not undergoing any major changes, we also expect fuel economy to remain similar to the 2024 model, which stood at an impressive 18 MPG in the city and 24 MPG on the highway.
Although the tough-as-nails V6 engine will continue to be the flagship of the lineup, don’t be surprised if Nissan throws a curveball at us and brings a plug-in hybrid version of the Frontier to the United States come 2025.
Ford was the first to hop on the PHEV bandwagon with their Ranger plug-in hybrid, which will go on sale in 2025, so what’s stopping Nissan from doing the same? The 2.0L inline-4 engine from the Infiniti QX50 is the most likely candidate to be paired with an electric component in the Frontier PHEV, which could hand it around 40 miles of range in pure EV mode, a 12-mile increase over what the Ranger can manage. Fuel efficiency and performance will also see some dramatic upturns, so keep your fingers crossed if you are excited about the Frontier’s plug-in future.
New technology
Test mules of upcoming models wearing camouflage is nothing out of the ordinary, but we couldn’t help but notice that the recently spotted 2025 Nissan Frontier mules were wearing some extra camo on the interior, especially in the dashboard area.
So, what are they hiding underneath? We think all that camouflage is hiding a revised infotainment and digital dash combo, which will be a welcome addition given that the Frontier’s infotainment system is finally starting to show its age.
The current generation comes with an analog gauge cluster with a minuscule 7.0-inch unit displaying the bare minimum, which will be thrown out in 2025 in favor of an all-digital unit. That won’t be the only new screen joining the Frontier lineup in 2025, however, as the main infotainment display, which currently measures in at 9.0 inches, will also be replaced by a much larger unit, which we’ve already seen on some recently refreshed Nissan models.
It will have all the bells and whistles out of the gate. We are talking Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite navigation, and the rest, while the banging Fender audio system will also make the jump to the new generation.
Worried about running out of juice on your smartphone while on a day-long road trip? Don’t sweat it. The 2025 Frontier will have both wired and wireless charging pads placed conveniently throughout the interior, and you can relax on your heated and ventilated power-adjustable front seats while your devices get topped up.
Safety features
the Nissan Frontier will get some long-awaited safety features stepping into 2025. The previously optional $1,000 technology package will be offered as standard in the upcoming model year, with even a base model benefiting from automatic headlamps, traffic light recognition, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert.
The impressive Nissan Safety Shield 360 package will also be available on the 2025 Frontier, which will give you an unprecedented view of your surroundings no matter where you are.
And even if you somehow manage to get into a crash, you can bank on the Frontier to keep you safe as it has proven time and time again, going on to obtain a four-star overall safety rating in tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Off-roading capability
the outgoing Frontier is no slouch when it comes to off-roading, and the upcoming 2025 version will be no different. It will have nearly 10 inches of ground clearance, living up to the claims of this Nissan being a true go-anywhere vehicle.
With the engine and transmission choices remaining the same as in 2024, the upcoming model will also get the two-speed transfer case that lets you switch between two and four-wheel drive modes at the flick of a switch.
If the regular Frontier isn’t rugged enough for you, Nissan has got you covered with the Pro-X and Pro-4X trim levels, built from the ground up to be the best at tackling off-road terrain.
The Pro-X and Pro-4X are Nissan’s answers to titans like the Ford Raptor and the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro. Nissan has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the game in the production of the Pro-X and Pro-4X, with the biggest name being Bilstein, with their heavy-duty shock absorbers making sure these off-road-focused Frontiers are ready for the challenges no matter where you decide to take them.
Electronic locking differentials come as standard on the more expensive Pro-4X, as does a set of underbody skid plates to protect your shiny new toy from the rigors of Mother Nature. On the inside, the Frontier Pro-X and Pro-4X separate themselves from the rest of the lineup with a special gauge cluster that puts the roll and pitch front and center.
But the biggest party trick of these two models is the Intelligent Around View Mirror. This technology takes the 360-degree camera we’ve grown accustomed to and gives it an off-road twist, adding a handy top-down angle that lets you navigate even the tightest terrain without breaking a sweat.
Release Date & Price
the 2025 mid-cycle refresh of the Nissan Frontier is set to break cover in the November of 2024, with the company having plans to keep it in production until 2029.
We don’t expect a drastic change price-wise either, so expect the base 2025 Frontier to cost right around the $30,000 mark, with higher trim levels like the Pro-4X breaking the $40,000 mark.
The 2025 Frontier is shaping up to be a head-turner in the midsize pickup segment, but has Nissan done enough to keep up with the competition? We’ll have to wait until the all-new Frontier hits dealership floors to find out.
