2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X Review: It’s Better Because It’s Worse

Hopping into the 2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X feels like jumping back 15 years. Despite its cosmetic nip and tuck and improved technology, the Frontier feels like the oldest truck in its segment. However, that gives it a vibe of its own that you’ll either love or hate. 

The Frontier Pro-4X finds itself up against the Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road and the Chevy Colorado Trail Boss. They’re all pretty old-school: body-on-frame pickup trucks with proper four-wheel-drive systems. But the Frontier feels the oldest, with its naturally aspirated V6, heavy steering, and dated interior. 

None of that felt like an issue, though, as I found its honest, no-nonsense approach endearing and I’m sure I’m not alone. Some customers may be put off, especially by its ancient-feeling cabin tech, but the sort of people who truly appreciate trucks for doing actual truck stuff will probably like the Frontier. 

The Basics

Nissan didn’t reinvent any of the Frontier Pro-4X’s wheels for 2025, but it does have a few meaningful updates that might just sway customers who were previously on the fence about it. The interior is a bit saucier with tons of red trim and stitching, a giant “FRONTIER” badge on the dash in case you forget which car you own, and a new, much bigger, optional 12.3-inch infotainment screen. 

Ironically, that new screen may just be the most welcome cabin improvement mostly because it already feels a bit dated compared to, say, the one in the Tacoma. The old screen, then, must have felt prehistoric. The new 360-degree surround-view camera is helpful but not super necessary in a small pickup with thin pillars and an upright back window. 

Mechanically, nothing has changed. But it never really had to. The Frontier Pro-4X has always been a back-to-basics, hardworking pickup, and that’s part of its charm. It’s still as capable as ever, with its locking rear and center differentials, ability to tow 7,150 pounds, and 9.8 inches of maximum ground clearance. That height is provided by Bilstein off-road shocks, which give it a far more comfortable ride than I expected. 

Even if the Frontier is a dinosaur among dinosaurs, there’s no denying its cool looks. It looks like it can handle armageddon with a yawn, especially with its Afterburn Orange paint and chunky black wheels. I’m not even a big pickup truck kind of guy, but walking up to the Nissan every day made me feel like I was embarking on an adventure. I’m not sure that’d ever get old. 

Climbing into its cabin feels like time travel in the best ways possible. It’s littered with big, physical buttons that have heavy, clicky engagement. It feels like Nissan made them with gloves in mind. Everything feels chunky and requires effort, adding to that rugged, old-school vibe. The orange trim everywhere feels a bit childish, but I enjoyed all of my time spent inside the Frontier, simply because it was so refreshingly, charmingly dated. There is one big piece of tech I really liked, though: the off-road screens in the gauge cluster. There’s so much useful information in there that genuinely makes you more confident in potentially precarious situations. 

Driving the Nissan Frontier Pro-4X

The steering, holy crap the steering. My first twirl of the Frontier Pro-4X’s steering wheel made me realize we were going to get along. It’s surprisingly heavy and has gobs of feel. It isn’t the most direct steering in the world, but it’s also an off-road-ready pickup truck, so it shouldn’t be. But it feels good, like your inputs are actually piloting a rugged pickup, not a pickup truck simulator, and it provides so much confidence as a driver to know what it’s doing up front. Absolutely wonderful. 

Nissan didn’t ditch its tried and true naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V6, and the Frontier is so much better for it. It’s a little coarse and lacks the refinement of its competitors’ more modern, more efficient, turbocharged engines, but it’s great to use. It adds texture and character to the experience. It’s also decently quick, with a zero-to-60-mph time of 7.3 seconds, and those long-travel Bilsteins provide a great ride for a body-on-frame pickup. The Frontier ain’t a luxury car, but it’s fun. It has personality. 

I couldn’t spend a week with something so rugged without taking it off-road. The weather was weird, though; it was cold and had rained for days before temperatures dropped into the single digits. My local off-roading spot has a long series of deep, sandy undulations, so the bottom of each undulation was filled with about a foot of water that was frozen on top. The Frontier cracked the ice and traversed through the mud and sand like nothing was there. With the diffs locked and stubby all-terrain tires, it never struggled for grip. Some areas were so deep and slushy that they genuinely scared me. But they didn’t scare the Frontier. After that day, I’d be confident in a Pro-4X through almost any terrain. 

Quick Verdict

When you look at the 2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X, you see a tough, no-nonsense off-roader. So it better deliver a no-nonsense, off-road experience. Thankfully, it does. The Pro-4X gives you exactly what it looks like it should, and it does so the old-fashioned way. Its buttons are chunky, its steering is heavy, and its engine breathes freely.

Other small pickups might be “better” objectively, with more advanced tech, more efficient engines, and perhaps even more capability. And I’m sure many buyers are into that, especially if you want to use your trucks as a daily driver. But if you’re the sort of person who cares more about adding inches to suspension travel than adding inches to touchscreens, the Pro-4X may just be exactly what you’re looking for. 

Quick Take

A refreshingly honest, old-school pickup with plenty of off-road capability.

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