Compare the2022 Nissan FrontierVS 2021 Toyota Tacoma

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Frontier have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Toyota Tacoma doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Frontier are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tacoma doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Frontier offers optional Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Tacoma doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Frontier and the Tacoma have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available four-wheel drive, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 13th.

The Frontier’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 151 more horsepower (310 vs. 159) and 101 lbs.-ft. more torque (281 vs. 180) than the Tacoma’s standard 2.7 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Frontier’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 32 more horsepower (310 vs. 278) and 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (281 vs. 265) than the Tacoma’s optional 3.5 DOHC V6.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Frontier, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Tacoma.

For better stopping power the Frontier’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Tacoma:

The Nissan Frontier has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the Tacoma. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

For better traction, the Frontier has larger tires than the Tacoma (265/70R16 vs. 245/75R16).

The Frontier’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 70 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tacoma’s standard 75 series tires.

The Frontier has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Tacoma doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Frontier is shorter than the Tacoma, making the Frontier easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces:

The Frontier King Cab has .1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Tacoma Access Cab (85.7 vs. 85.6).

The Frontier King Cab has 1.7 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear legroom and .5 inches more rear hip room than the Tacoma Access Cab.

The Frontier Crew Cab has .2 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more rear headroom and .6 inches more rear legroom than the Tacoma Double Cab.

The Frontier King Cab has a much larger cargo box than the Tacoma Access Cab shortbed (49.6 vs. 42.6 cubic feet).

The Frontier Crew Cab shortbed has a much larger cargo box than the Tacoma Double Cab shortbed (40.1 vs. 34.8 cubic feet). The Frontier Crew Cab longbed has a much larger cargo box than the Tacoma Double Cab longbed (49.2 vs. 42.6 cubic feet).

The Frontier’s cargo box is larger than the Tacoma’s in almost every dimension:

The Frontier’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tacoma’s (6370 vs. 3500 pounds).

The Frontier Crew Cab 4x4 has a higher standard payload capacity than the Tacoma Short Bed Double Cab 4x4 (1260 vs. 1155 lbs.).

The Frontier Crew Cab 4x4 has a higher optional payload capacity than the Tacoma Short Bed Double Cab 4x4 (1290 vs. 1155 lbs.).

The Frontier offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The Tacoma doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Frontier’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Tacoma does not have an oil pressure gauge.

On extremely cold winter days, the Frontier’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Tacoma doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Frontier Crew Cab has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Tacoma doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.