2001 Nissan 4x4 Frontier Crew Cab SC

Without a doubt, the Xterra was a breakthrough vehicle for Nissan. A very hip ad campaign—"everything you need, nothing you don't"—struck a chord with young, affluent buyers, and Nissan delivered a vehicle that didn't disappoint.


Now the challenge for Nissan is to carry over this macho, extreme lifestyle image to its new lineup of Frontier pickup trucks. Over the years, the one thing that could always be said about Nissan's pickups was that they were honest trucks. First in their Hardbody guise and for the last three years as the Frontier, they delivered honest value with almost legendary reliability.

Taking styling cues from the successful Xterra, Nissan's Frontier Crew Cab has the stance and attitude Gen-Xers should embrace. Four full doors offer good rear seat access. Huge 17-inch wheels sport P265/55R tires. The 4.5-foot-long pickup bed is augmented with an aero roof rack.

All 2001 Frontiers share a common industrial-strength styling theme—a bold new look that is sure to appeal to the same Gen-Xers that embraced the Xterra. If anything, with its many exterior styling changes for 2001, the new Frontier may actually be more cutting-edge than the Xterra. If the new styling doesn't totally convince you that Nissan is serious about its sport trucks, a new 210-horsepower supercharged engine sitting under the hood of four new models should.


While lesser Frontiers make do with less exciting four- and six-cylinder drivetrain combinations, our 4x4 shift-on-the-fly Crew Cab test vehicle was equipped with the Eaton supercharged V-6 mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. Perched on 17-inch wheels with P265/55R tires, and clothed in the brightest yellow paint this side of a Ferrari 360 on Rodeo Drive, this Frontier is not for introverts.


Built in Smyrna, Tennessee, the Frontier's top powerplant—a Roots-type, Eaton-supercharged 3.3-liter V-6—delivers up to 7 psi boost at wide-open throttle, and makes 210-horsepower; up from 170-horsepower on the normally aspirated V-6. More importantly, most of the torque, 245 lb.-ft. with the upgraded optional 4-speed automatic (231 lb.-ft. with the standard 5-speed manual transmission), is available at a very useful 2,800 rpm. The SC supercharged V-6 package is available in four models: the 4x2 Desert Runner SC, the 4x4 King Cab (extended cab) and 4x2 and 4x4 versions of the 4-door Crew Cab.