Compare the2024 Nissan FrontierVS 2023 Ford Maverick

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Ford Maverick doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Nissan Frontier has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Maverick doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Frontier has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Maverick doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

The Frontier PRO-X/PRO-4X offers an optional Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Maverick only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Compared to metal, the Frontier’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Ford Maverick has a metal gas tank.

Both the Frontier and the Maverick have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver 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, available four-wheel drive, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Nissan Frontier weighs 614 to 1293 pounds more than the Ford Maverick. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Frontier is safer than the Ford Maverick:

	Frontier	Maverick
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	32%	51%

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Frontier is safer than the Ford Maverick:

	Frontier	Maverick
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	58	87
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	137	174
Spine Acceleration	55 G’s	57 G’s
Hip Force	796 lbs.	971 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Frontier has a standard 185-amp alternator. The Maverick’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 3 places higher in reliability than Ford.

Engine

The Frontier’s standard 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 119 more horsepower (310 vs. 191) than the Maverick Hybrid’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Frontier’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 60 more horsepower (310 vs. 250) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (281 vs. 277) than the Maverick’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Nissan Frontier is faster than the Maverick Hybrid 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid:

	Frontier	Maverick
Zero to 30 MPH	3 sec	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.5 sec	8.3 sec
Quarter Mile	15.8 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	89 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Frontier uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Maverick requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Frontier has 7.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Maverick Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (21 vs. 13.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Frontier has 4.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Maverick 2.0 EcoBoost’s standard fuel tank (21 vs. 16.5 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

The Frontier’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Maverick are solid, not vented.

The Frontier stops shorter than the Maverick:

	Frontier	Maverick
60 to 0 MPH	133 feet	137 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	136 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Frontier has larger tires than the Maverick (265/70R16 vs. 225/65R17). The Frontier S’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Maverick (265/70R16 vs. 235/65R17).

The Nissan Frontier’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Ford Maverick only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

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 Maverick doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Frontier has a standard full size spare so a flat doesn’t interrupt your work or a trip. A full size spare costs extra on the Maverick. Without the option you must depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Frontier Crew Cab’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Maverick (126 inches vs. 121.1 inches). The Frontier LWB Crew Cab’s wheelbase is 18.7 inches longer than on the Maverick (139.8 inches vs. 121.1 inches).

For greater off-road capability the Frontier LWB SV Crew Cab has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Maverick (8.9 vs. 8.6 inches), allowing the Frontier to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab’s minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the Maverick Tremor (9.8 vs. 9.4 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Frontier uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Maverick doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Cargo Capacity

The Frontier Crew Cab shortbed has a much larger cargo box than the Maverick shortbed (40.1 vs. 33.3 cubic feet).

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

	Frontier Crew Cab	Frontier King Cab	Maverick
Length (short/long)	59.5”/72.7”	73.3”	54.4”
Max Width	61.4”	61.4”	53.3”
Min Width	44.5”	44.5”	42.6”
Height	19.4”	19.4”	20.3”

The Nissan Frontier has a standard tailgate assist feature, which prevents the heavy tailgate from falling with a crash and causing injury. It allows adults and children to easily open and close the tailgate with one hand to better facilitate loading and unloading. The Ford Maverick doesn’t offer a tailgate assist.

Payload and Towing

The Frontier’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Maverick’s (6240 vs. 2000 pounds).

The Frontier has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Maverick (1620 vs. 1500 lbs.).

Servicing Ease

The Frontier uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Maverick uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the Frontier is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Maverick. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

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 Maverick does not have an oil pressure gauge.

Consumer Reports rated the Frontier’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Maverick’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Frontier’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Maverick doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Model Availability

The Nissan Frontier comes in extended cab and crew cab bodystyles; the Ford Maverick isn’t available as an extended cab.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Frontier second among midsize pickups in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Maverick was rated third.

The Nissan Frontier outsold the Ford Maverick by 1813 units during 2022.