- the 2020 nissan frontier, which has a new engine, sees a sizable price jump compared to last year's base model.
- the frontier now comes standard with a 3.8-liter v-6 engine and a nine-speed automatic transmission to replace the old 4.0l and five-speed, and there's no more base four-cylinder model.
- the 2020 frontier is expected to reach dealer lots in july, while an all-new model is slated to arrive for the 2021 model year.
for 2020, the nissan frontier has begun its transformation into the next generation. a new engine and transmission push the starting price up to $27,885, from $20,385 for the 2019 model. this big price hike is mostly due to the fact that the 2020 frontier now comes standard with a v-6 engine and automatic transmission, while the cheapest version of the 2019 frontier had a four-cylinder engine and a manual transmission. more comparable trim levels and configurations see smaller jumps in price.
nissan has phased out the previously standard 2.5-liter inline-four engine, which came standard with a manual transmission, and the optional 4.0-liter v-6 which came with an outdated five-speed automatic transmission. all 2020 frontiers come standard with a nine-speed automatic transmission and a new 3.8-liter v-6 with 310 horsepower and 281 lb-ft of torque. that's an increase of 49 horsepower compared with last year's v-6 model, while torque stays the same.
the updated powertrain gives the frontier a big boost in fuel efficiency in city and highway driving both on rear- and four-wheel-drive models, according to epa estimates. the rear-wheel-drive configuration is rated at 24 mpg on the highway and 18 mpg in the city, while the four-wheel-drive version gets 23 mpg on the highway and 17 mpg in the city. these increases put the fuel economy of the frontier more in line with that of its competitors such as the chevrolet colorado and gmc canyon.
nissan has also phased out the desert runner and sl trims, now just offering the s, sv, and pro-4x models. the s and sv come both in king cab and crew cab configurations with either rear- or four-wheel drive, while the off-road-ready pro-4x trim comes only with four-wheel-drive and in the crew cab configuration. the pro-4x, which is the most expensive frontier model, sees a price increase from $34,475 to $38,585.
features that were previously optional on base versions of the 2019 frontier, including power windows, a tilt steering wheel, and power door locks, are now standard for 2020. the 2020 frontier is set to reach dealer lots in july of this year.