Compare the2024 Nissan FrontierVS 2024 Chevrolet Colorado

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
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 Chevrolet Colorado 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 Colorado doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Colorado doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Frontier’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Colorado doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Frontier and the Colorado have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Chevrolet Colorado:

	Frontier	Colorado
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	32%	34.9%

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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Frontier is safer than the Chevrolet Colorado:

	Frontier	Colorado
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	58	129
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1.6 inches
Abdominal Force	170 lbs.	186 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches

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

Warranty

The Frontier’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Colorado’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Frontier has a 185-amp alternator. The Colorado’s standard 170-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 3 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The Frontier’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 73 more horsepower (310 vs. 237) and 21 lbs.-ft. more torque (281 vs. 260) than the Colorado’s standard 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Frontier, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Colorado.

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 Colorado are solid, not vented.

The Frontier stops shorter than the Colorado:

	Frontier	Colorado
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Frontier has larger tires than the Colorado (265/70R16 vs. 255/65R17).

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 Colorado. Without the option you must depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Frontier has engine speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Colorado doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Frontier LWB Crew Cab’s wheelbase is 8.4 inches longer than on the Colorado (139.8 inches vs. 131.4 inches).

The Frontier LWB SV Crew Cab 4x4 handles at .77 G’s, while the Colorado ZR2 pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Frontier LWB SV Crew Cab has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Colorado (8.9 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Frontier to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Frontier is 7.6 inches shorter in height than the Colorado, making the Frontier much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Cargo Capacity

An optional locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Frontier (except S). The Colorado doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

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. Tailgate assist costs extra on the Chevrolet Colorado.

Towing

The Frontier’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Colorado’s (6240 vs. 3500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The Frontier uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Colorado 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.

Ergonomics

The Frontier’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Colorado’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Model Availability

The Nissan Frontier comes in extended cab and crew cab bodystyles; the Chevrolet Colorado 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 Colorado isn’t in the top three.