2001NissanFrontierNissan Frontier2001 Nissan Frontier SE-V6 4WD Crew Cab w/LeatherCompact PickupCrew Cab4WDSmyrna, TNFresh new styling with a decidedly industrial theme injects some much-needed personality into the Frontier for 2001. A supercharged V6, making 210 horsepower and 246 foot-pounds of torque (231 ft-lbs. with a manual tranny), is available on special Desert Runner, King Cab and Crew Cab models, which get black-chrome headlight surrounds. Supercharged Frontiers come standard with 17-inch wheels and a limited-slip differential, and can be equipped with leather upholstery, bundled in a package that includes a premium audio system with in-dash CD changer and steering wheel controls, plus a security system. Interiors get new fabrics, gauges, and dash trimmings, as well as a new steering wheel. Tailgate locks are standard across the board, and a number of new colors, with names straight out of a J. Crew catalog, are available, like Khaki, Salsa and Denim.Supercharged power, bold new styling, good interior ergonomics.Still no V6 for regular cab model, cramped crew cab cabin.When Nissan redesigned their compact pickup in 1998 they gave it a completely new look and, for the first time ever, gave it a name: the Frontier. Unfortunately, that name was affixed to a dull, dorky truck that hardly inspired the rugged individuality of the "hardbody" model it replaced. Enter the 2001 Frontier. Sporting a reskinned body and a supercharged engine, this Frontier looks to tear the heads off its compact competitors and eat them for lunch. Fed up with the current trend of morphing trucks into car-like mommy-mobiles, Nissan designers looked for a shape that would evoke thoughts of Black & Decker rather than Crates & Barrel. The new, larger front bumper, revised grille, and reconfigured headlights combine to produce a machine-like look that does away with the previous model's sedate fascia. The industrial theme continues with the Frontier's oversized fender flares, now standard even on 4x2 models, featuring visible divot holes and exposed attachment bolts. Even the tailgate received some work with a new cover plate, a more user-friendly latch handle, and a standard key lock, the first ever for a compact truck. Not content to let the designers get all the glory, Nissan engineers went to work in the engine bay and bolted on a Roots-type supercharger that pumps up the 3.3-liter V6's power to 210 hp and 245 ft-lbs. of torque. Now packaged as the SC V6, the supercharger can be ordered on both King Cab and Crew Cab platforms, in either two or four-wheel-drive configurations, including the Desert Runner off-road package. Exclusive to SCs are four-spoke 17-inch wheels wrapped in 265/55R17 off-road tires. With the added weight of larger wheels and tires, higher rate front springs are included along with revised shock valving, both front and rear. If added power and bigger meats aren't enough, SC buyers can opt for the supercharger value package that includes leather seating with red-on-charcoal stitching, a 6-disc in-dash CD changer with satellite steering wheel controls, security system, cruise control, tilt wheel, and flip-up glass sunroof. Although the cab itself is essentially unchanged from last year, subtle refinements to the interior were made to complement the radical exterior. A new instrument panel with reversible black/white gauges claims to improve legibility, while larger radio and climate control knobs should make for easier manipulation. New seat fabrics were patterned to look like woven metal to further reinforce the industrial theme, along with new fabric colors to complement the newly available exterior colors. If bulging fenders and blown engines aren't what you're looking for, a wide range of Frontiers are available in a multitude of configurations: Regular Cab and Extended King Cab in basic XE or uplevel SE trim are powered by either a 143-horsepower, 2.4-liter inline four or normally aspirated 3.3-liter V6 (the latter available in King Cab only). A five-speed manual and four-speed automatic are the transmission choices, and all Frontiers (except Desert Runner) can be selected with two- or four-wheel drive. Four-wheel-drive systems are of the shift-on-the-fly variety on V6 Frontiers, allowing the driver to select it at speeds up to 50 mph. Nissan scored big in 2000 with the first ever compact crew cab. This year they're faced with stiff competition from a number of competitors who will or have debuted their own four-door compact trucks. We like the added convenience of the Nissan Crew Cab's four-door access, but overall room inside, especially for rear seat passengers, is severely limited. Nissan will also continue to offer the Desert Runner, a two-wheel-drive V6 King Cab pickup truck, built on the four-wheel-drive Frontier chassis. Now available in SC trim, and weighing in 500 lbs. lighter than its four-wheel drive counterpart, the Desert Runner boasts the best power-to-weight ratio of any Frontier configuration. The supercharged engine puts the Frontier in a class by itself when it comes to compact truck power. Even if supercharging isn't on your list, Nissan offers 11 other Frontier models, making it easy to find just what you're looking for in a compact truck. Chevrolet S-10Ford RangerMazda B-SeriesToyota Tacoma336,000560,0005UnlimitedNANANA63.3 litersV6170 hp @ 4800 rpm200 ft-lbs. @ 2800 rpmNA1200 lbs.3500 lbs.200 in.71.9 in.65.9 in.4108 lbs.116.1 in.39 ft.9 in.39.3 in.37.8 in.NANANANA41.1 in.30.7 in.5StandardStandardNot AvailableNot AvailableNot AvailableNot AvailableNot AvailableRating = Not TestedRating = Not TestedVery GoodVery GoodNot TestedNot Tested19.4 gal.16 mpg / 18 mpg310 mi. / 349 mi.Insurance costs can vary greatly for this vehicle, depending on such factors as driver age, driver gender, teenage drivers in the household, driving records, theft loss data for your particular geographic region, miles driven per year, and other widely variable factors. Additionally, some companies charge a premium for certain makes and models, while others do not.$22,182$24,3997.35%$520N/A3% of the Total InvoiceXE 2WD REGULAR CAB (5M): 2.4L I4 DOHC SMPI 16-valve engine; 5-speed OD manual transmission; 490 amp battery; 70 amp alternator; rear-wheel drive, 3.55 axle ratio; steel exhaust; front independent double-wishbone suspension with anti-roll bar, front torsion springs, front torsion bar, rigid rear axle leaf spring suspension; recirculating-ball power steering; front disc/rear drum brakes with rear wheel antilock brakes; 15.9 gal. capacity fuel tank; front and rear mud flaps, skid plates, side impact bars; front and rear black bumpers, rear step bumper; black fender flares; clearcoat monotone paint; aero-composite halogen headlamps; driver's and passenger's manual black folding outside mirrors; 15" x 7" silver styled steel wheels; P225/70SR15 BSW A/S tires; compact steel spare wheel; 2 power accessory outlets, front lighter element, driver's foot rest, smokers' package; instrumentation display includes tachometer, water temperature gauge, trip odometer; warning indicators include oilpressure, battery, lights on, key in ignition, low fuel, brake fluid; driver's front airbag, passenger's cancelable front airbag; tinted windows; fixed-interval front windshield wipers; seating capacity of 3, bench front seat with fixed headrests, driver's and passenger's seats include 2-way adjustment; height-adjustable front seatbelts with pretensioners; cloth seats, cloth door trim insert, full cloth headliner, full carpet floor covering, cabback insulator; interior lights include dome light; day/night rearview mirror; glove box, front cupholder, driver's and passenger's door bins; black grille, black side window moldings, black front windshield molding, black rear window molding, black door handles.
XE 2WD KING CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of XE 2WD REGULAR CAB (5M) equipment): 3.7 axle ratio; seating capacity of 5, 60/40 split-bench front seat with adjustable headrests, center armrest with storage, driver's and passenger's seats include 4-way adjustment with easy entry; 50/50 folding rear jump seat.
DESERT RUNNER XE-V6 2WD KING CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of XE 2WD KING CAB (5M) equipment): 3.3L V6 SOHC SMPI 12-valve engine; 4-wheel antilock brakes; 19.4 gal. capacity fuel tank; 15" x 7" silver styled steel wheels; P265/70SR15 BSW A/S tires; full-size steel spare wheel; seating capacity of 4, front bucket seats with adjustable headrests; full floor console, front and rear cupholders.
DESERT RUNNER SE-V6 2WD KING CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of DESERT RUNNER XE-V6 2WD KING CAB (5M) equipment): Limited-slip differential; front body-colored bumper with chrome insert, chrome rear bumper; body-colored fender flares; additional exterior lights include front fog/driving lights; driver's and passenger's body-colored folding outside mirrors; 16" x 7" painted alloy wheels; P255/65SR16 BSW A/S tires; air conditioning; AM/FM stereo radio, clock, seek-scan feature, single-disc CD player, 4 speakers, fixed antenna; deep tinted windows; variable-speed intermittent front windshield wipers, sliding rear window; premium cloth seats, leather-wrapped gearshift knob, cabback insulator; additional interior lights include front reading lights; leather-wrapped steering wheel; passenger's side vanity mirror; cargo light; chrome grille.
SC-V6 2WD KING CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of DESERT RUNNER SE-V6 2WD KING CAB (5M) equipment): 3.3L V6 SOHC SMPI 12-valve supercharged engine (requires premium unleaded fuel); driver's and passenger's power remote body-colored folding outside mirrors; 17" x 7" painted alloy wheels; P265/55SR17 BSW A/S tires; power door locks with 2-stage unlock, remote keyless entry; panic alarm; deep tinted windows with driver's 1-touch down function; additional interior lights include illuminated entry.
XE-V6 2WD CREW CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of DESERT RUNNER XE-V6 2WD KING CAB (5M) equipment): 100 amp alternator; 4.38 axle ratio; black front bumper with chrome insert; black fender flares; driver's and passenger's manual black folding outside mirrors; P265/70SR15 BSW A/S tires; AM/FM stereo radio, clock, seek-scan feature, single-disc CD player, 6 speakers, fixed antenna; driver's and passenger's front airbags; deep tinted windows, manual front and rear windows; seating capacity of 5, front bucket seats with adjustable headrests, center armrest with storage, driver's seat includes 4-way adjustment, lumbar support, passenger's seat includes 4-way adjustment, easy entry; full-folding rear bench seat with fixed headrests; 1 seatback storage pocket.
SE-V6 2WD CREW CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of XE-V6 2WD CREW CAB (5M) equipment): Limited-slip differential, 4.63 axle ratio; roof rack; front body-colored bumper with chrome insert; body-colored fender flares; additional exterior lights include front fog/driving lights; driver's and passenger's power remote body-colored folding outside mirrors; 16" x 7" painted alloy wheels; P255/65SR16 BSW A/S tires; full-size alloy spare wheel; power door locks with 2-stage unlock, remote keyless entry; panic alarm; power front and rear windows with driver's 1-touch down function; leather-wrapped gearshift knob; additional interior lights include front reading lights, illuminated entry; leather-wrapped steering wheel; passenger's side vanity mirror; chrome grille.
SC-V6 2WD CREW CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of SE-V6 2WD CREW CAB (5M) equipment): 3.3L V6 SOHC SMPI 12-valve supercharged engine (requires premium unleaded fuel); 17" x 7" painted alloy wheels.
SE-V6 With LEATHER 2WD CREW CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of SE 2WD CREW CAB (5M) equipment): Front manual pop-up glass sunroof; premium AM/FM stereo radio, clock, seek-scan feature, cassette player, 6-disc CD changer, 6 speakers, fixed antenna, radio steering wheel controls; cruise control with steering wheel controls; panic alarm, security system; leather seats and leatherette door trim insert.
XE-V6 4WD KING CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of DESERT RUNNER XE-V6 2WD (5M) equipment): Part-time 4-wheel drive, auto-locking hub control and manual shift, 4.38 axle ratio; black front and rear bumpers with chrome front bumper insert; 15" x 7" silver styled steel wheels; driver's front airbag, passenger's cancelable front airbag; tinted windows; fixed-interval front windshield wipers; 50/50 folding rear jump seat, cloth seats.
SE-V6 4WD KING CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of XE-V6 4WD KING CAB (5M) equipment): Front body-colored bumper with chrome insert; body-colored fender flares; additional exterior lights include front fog/driving lights; driver's and passenger's manual body-colored folding outside mirrors; 16" x 7" painted alloy wheels; air conditioning; AM/FM stereo radio, clock, seek-scan feature, single-disc CD player, 4 speakers, fixed antenna; deep tinted windows; variable-speed intermittent front windshield wipers, sliding rear window; premium cloth seats, leather-wrapped gearshift knob; interior lights include dome light, front reading lights; leather-wrapped steering wheel; passenger's side vanity mirror; cargo light; chrome grille.
SC-V6 4WD KING CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of SC-V6 2WD KING CAB (5M) equipment): Part-time 4 wheel drive, auto-locking hub control and manual shift; full-size steel spare wheel.
4WD CREW CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of 2WD CREW CAB (5M) equipment): Part-time 4 wheel drive, auto-locking hub control and manual shift; full-size alloy spare wheel.
SC-V6 4WD CREW CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of SC-V6 2WD CREW CAB (5M) equipment): Part-time 4 wheel drive, auto-locking hub control and manual shift; full-size steel spare wheel.
SE-V6 With LEATHER 4WD CREW CAB (5M) (in addition to or instead of SE-V6 2WD CREW CAB (5M) equipment): Front manual pop-up glass sunroof; clearcoat monotone paint with badging; premium AM/FM stereo radio, clock, seek-scan feature, cassette player, 6-disc CD changer, 6 speakers, fixed antenna, steering wheel radio controls; deep tinted windows; leather seats, leatherette door trim insert.