Off-Road with the Nissan Frontier Pro-4X

By TGR Staff | Photos by Lucas Kepner - 10/13/2022

The 2023 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X is a handsome truck, I recently had the opportunity to test its off-road capabilities at the annual Texas Motor Press Association Off-Road Invitational this year held in Bryan, Texas. Having driven the new Frontier on the road a few times, I was excited to actually get out on the trails and see what it could do.

The new Frontier has a classic feel and more traditional truck styling than most competitors in the mid-size pickup class when compared to the Ford Ranger or Honda Ridgeline. Offered in a King Cab or Crew-Cab with a 5- or 6-foot box, the only drivetrain option is a 310-hp V6 engine and nine-speed automatic transmission, the only differences are between trim levels. Ranging from a work truck-focused S base to the loaded Pro-X or Pro-4X models. While it doesn’t have class-leading towing, that honor goes to the Tacoma, the Frontier still offers a lot of value for the mid-size truck shopper.

Introduced just last year, there are just a few options changes for 2023. The SV Convenience Package is now standard in the SV Crew Cab long bed, which includes heated seats and steering wheel, bed lighting, and s spray-in bed liner. The Midnight Edition, available on the Crew Cab SV models gets 17-inch black wheels, blacked-out trim, and black mirrors. The Pro-X and Pro-4X get wireless Apple CarPlay standard and the Pro Premium package gets Lava Red contrast stitching.

Heading out onto the off-road course, getting into 4WD is easy, no searching through endless touch screens for different off-road settings, just turn the dial and go. The Pro-4X comes ready for adventure thanks to all-terrain tires, Bilstein dampers, skid plates, and an electronically locking rear differential. While the architecture of the truck is shared with the previous generation Nissan has reinforced the suspension mounting points, improved the body mounts, and changed the bump stops. The suspension style carries over from the last generation as well, with coils up front, and leaf springs in the back, but the new Frontier benefits from updated chassis tuning, anti-roll bars, and dampening. Giving the Pro-4X a refined ride on the highway, but great capabilities off-road.

The 4X4 system might be simple, but it gets the job done, in four-wheel-high, the Frontier can rip down dirt roads and in low it can climb steep grades and over obstacles. The Pro-4X offers everything you would want in a less-than-full-size off-road pickup in a package that is thousands less than the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. I had fun on the trails before taking on the obstacle course where the Pro-4X tackled all the challenges with ease, including the table top that drives over dead SUVs which made for a great photo op.

The Nissan Frontier proved once again that it earned the right to be our 2022 Truck of the Year and if you are looking for a new mid-size truck it should definitely be on your shortlist.