"Mike" <yard22192 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote
I came to this opinion last year when I bought a 2006 Frontier King Cab 4x4
V-6 Automatic. It is not a bad truck, but I think the article overstates the
trucks "goodness." After a year of driving the truck I have the following
opinions:
Bad things:
1) Seats are horrible. The seats in our old Ranger are much better (so is
the seating position)
2) Load carrying capacity is mediocre. On my farm we also have a 1999 Ranger
4x4. The Ranger will carry more than the Nissan without bottoming out the
springs
3) Interior plastic attracts dust like crazy. Dust sticks to everything and
is hard to remove.
4) Engine is powerful but completely wrong for a truck. When grunting around
in a plowed field, the Ranger's much weaker V-6 is actually better. The
Nissan V-6 is weak at the low end, but comes on like gang busters as the
rpms increase. This usually results in a lot of wheel spin (and worn rear
tires to prove it)
5) Chassis looks like it is made out of tinker toys compared to the Ranger.
6) Worst oil filter location I have ever seen
7) Way over priced compared to a Ranger (but not compared to a Tacoma, which
is the most over priced pick-up on the planet).
8) Gas mileage is horrible. It is as bad as the 1992 F150 it replaced.
9) Jump seats are useless (again worse than in the 99 Ranger) and won't stay
up (and yes, the dealer did apply the TSB to try and fix this problem).
Good things -
1) 4x4 system work great
2) OE Tires (BFG) are great
3) Looks good
4) Bed liner is nice
5) Solid feeling controls
6) Acceptable ride (but not any better than the Ranger)
7) Good power for around town driving
8) Very nice transmission
9) At least it cost less than a Tacoma
All things considered, I wish I had bought another Ranger. The Ranger design
seems ancient now, but for the money it is a much better truck.
--
Regards,
Ed White
http://home.mindspring.com/~ed_white/ - my automotive opinions
http://home.mindspring.com/~ed_white/id7.html - my oil filter comparison