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http://www.reverendbiker.com/frontier.htm
I've test driven two SE CCs and experienced no choppiness. I guess if someone compares a truck to a car, there will be an obvious difference because most trucks have a leaf spring suspension in back.
I'm to lazy to check YTD 2005 sales, but May 2005 sales were like this:
Tacoma 14,363
Colorado/Canyon 13,976
Dakota 11,840
Ranger 11,098
Frontier 5,104
Ridgeline 3,297
If you're after better MPG, take a look at the Colorado/Canyon with the 175 HP I-4. It's a great looking truck (IMHO) and is priced to sell, but it's taken more than its fair share of demerits by the motor press. I've looked in depth at all of them and my order will go to Nissan this fall. The purchasing research is fun; test drive and enjoy the process.
I have a 05 CC SE 4x4. I also have the rattle although it is WAY quieter now that warm weather is in the NE. I am getting 16.5 in town and 18.5 highway. I just got a Tonneau cover so I expect the mileage to get better. I love this vehicle. Plenty of power, good aggressive looks. It has a good ride(even the wife likes it now that she has been in it. She wasn't too keen on me getting a truck but she really likes it now.) I also have the moonroof and if you tilt or open it the noise goes away. That noise is caused by air pressure in the cab going in and out the windows. W/ the roof opened the air comes in the windows and out the top. Test drive it again. There are other forums to look at also. (frontiertalk)
vuch
Short list was Tacoma, Frontier, and Ridgeline. Colorado looks good but I agree with the press that it is nowhere near the competition. Dakota was impressive but lacks ground clearance, and power output from Dakota V8’s is less than Toyota, Nissan, and Honda V6’s.
Tacoma was cut because it uses premium vs. regular, back seat folding is not as flexible as Honda and Nissan, real-world back seat room is less than Honda and Nissan, and lowest point on the undercarriage is the central exhaust crossmember, so despite having the highest body clearance, the exhaust will be damaged when off-roading. Toyota owner’s forums report a lot of quality problems with the 05 Tacoma. If I were looking at Tacoma, I would consider an 04 before an 05.
Honda and Nissan were my final two. I am biased towards Honda because of previous good experience with an 02 Odyssey, 04 Accord, and 05 Odyssey. Went to the Ridgeline press introduction in January; before they chased me out I learned the undercarriage of the Ridgeline is virtually identical to the MDX and Pilot: this vehicle is not made for real off-roading. The exhaust is the lowest point from front to rear, and the brake lines run along the bottom of the frame rails. If you “ride the rails” off road like I do, you will do serious damage and disable the vehicle. In addition, the AWD system has serious limitations for true off-roading. The Ridgeline had trouble hill climbing at Honda’s own press introduction, and I believe Edmunds abandoned the off-road portion of their Ridgeline test. Off-roading aside, Ridgeline owner’s are reporting some initial quality problems (check vtec.net), but nowhere near the problems Tacoma owners are having. If I were not interested in off-roading, I would have had a hard time choosing between the Ridgeline and the Frontier. Ridgeline is wider, has more back seat room, a better center console, and the in-bed trunk is quite useful. Frontier is a “true” truck with incredible off-road hardware, amazing power on regular gas, great bed-features with util-track, and more availability of aftermarket parts.
I’ve had my 05 NISMO CC 4x4 since late January. About 9000 miles now. EPA 15-20, actual 16-18. I can get the mileage as low as 13 when off-roading, or as high as 19-20 when cruising under 70. Most of my in-town tanks are 16-17; freeway at 75-85 comes in at 17-18. The built in mileage computer is VERY accurate, always within a couple tenths of what I measure manually.
The engine rattle was minor and I probably wouldn’t have squawked about it if I wasn’t aware of the TSB from reading this forum. I sit with the seat all the way back and have a bit of a blind spot when changing lanes to the left as compared to my Silverado. I’m still waiting for someone to make an aftermarket lift-kit to go with the new 05 suspension design; the off-road capability of the stock hardware exceeds the available ground clearance.
Overall, this is an awesome truck that is one of the best kept secrets out there. MT picked the Tacoma for dubious reasons, which has helped Tacoma sales. Everyone else has picked either the Ridgeline or Frontier. Off-roading leaves the Ridgeline out, but otherwise I would look closely at both the Honda and Nissan to see which you like better. The 05 Frontier is my first Nissan in 23 years, and I like it better everyday.
I just purchased an '05 LE KC and like you I wanted the compass/temperature gauge so
as part of the purchase I had the dealer install a Gentex unit. It is very nice, but I have
since learned that Gentex has one with compass/thermometer/homelink. I wish I had
known that as I would have had the homelink one installed. Just a thought.
Gerald
http://www.reverendbiker.com/frontier/mirror.htm
jack <><
Was looking at Tacoma until I read about horrible paint chipping problems, so I've ruled it out now.
Happy motoring!
-viento1602 :shades:
Coverking Custom Seat Covers
www.truckxcessory.com
I am surprised that the Nismo tire is taller than the LE tire. I realize that the Nismo has
75 series tires and the LE only has 65 series tires, but the LE has 17" wheels and the Nismo has 16" wheels. I would have thought the wheel size difference would come very
close to making up the difference in tire size.
My tires measure 30" in diameter, I have never measured a Nismo tire. My tires only
have 1275 miles on them so they should be almost the same diameter as a new tire.
Gerald
Has anyone bought the Nissan soft tonneau and Nissan bed extender? Are they compatible? Nissan salespeople seem clueless on this.
There's a 3/4" clearance between the top of the bed extender knob and the bottom of the UtiliTrak rail, so a soft tonneau and unmodifiedbed extender could easily be compatible if the tonneau frame attachment brackets are engineered properly. I'm mystified as to why this is such a challenge for manufacturers. Thanks! :confuse:
Sorry about the dealer-borne scratches on your LE; I'd be livid too. I know of owners who explicitly tell service departments NOT to wash their truck. You might try a nice application of Carnuba wax. It's buttery soft and goes on very easily. Asa
It did not completely remove the scratches, but it did make a bad situation much bet-
ter. It is for light scratches and swirls so it may not work for you.
It removed several light scratches completely. I purchased it at Walmart for about $8
if I remember correctly.
I know what you are going through as I just purchased a white LE KC and had the dealer paint the lower valance and the outside mirrors white to match the truck. I told
them to remove the items to paint them.
They painted them on the truck and had overspray every where. They fianally got the
overspray off, but their painter did not do as good a job as I wanted.
I have installed chrome door handles already and have chrome mirrors on order to
replace the painted mirrors. That will fix up most of their poor paint work. The mud
guards aren't perfect, but they look far better than when they were black.
Good luck.
Gerald
For all of you who recommended a solution to my swirls and minor scratches issue thanks - I will definitely try them.
I've not heard anything about factory fog lights on the SE nor adding 8-way *manual* seats like NISMO gets. I think it's pretty rediculous that Nissan provides only basic seats in SE. I mean what can Nissan be saving here? $10 ?
It's this kind of confusion, uncertainty and oddities that are keeping me out of an '05.
Asa
I saw the fog lights listed as stand. equip. on their website - after you 'build your frontier', view printable summary, look under Exterior Equipment. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for a SE CC w/keyless entry to make to my area - Springfield, IL.
Asa
* You can buy Nissan parts to add Fog Lights to the SE and the install process has been pretty well documented on other forums.
I saw a couple of posts about this here awhile ago, but has anyone looked into it?
I've been planning to call Nissan and see what's what, but I'm not sure I'll even get the straight dope from customer service.
Also, I am at 12,500 miles, loving this truck. I see why they made the interior the way they did, my truck still looks brand new.