After 8 years in a full size, moving back to a mid-size - Recommendations?

Boss Hog

Observer
I know this is an old thread but somehow I came across it. New job required me to get a vehicle within 4-5 years of the current model year. I went to look at a Nissan Maxima and ended up with this unicorn:
‘22 Crew Cab SV 4x4 Longbed
BD573EB2-BFD7-4A37-BA95-7AFF35B7390B.jpeg5E1A7C5C-0FC7-47DD-9637-540EB47C84A0.jpeg
The dealership made it impossible to leave without it. The longbed was a big deal to me & I told the dealer to not even show me a truck with a 5.5’ bed. But the clincher was lifetime powertrain. I’m a Toyota guy, and have owned every series Land Cruiser sold in the U.S. except a 200 & the newest one, as well as a Hilux and T-100. But Kiichiro Toyoda himself would’ve bought this truck.

I’ve had it 3 weeks now.
Pros:
Very handsome truck (in my eye, anyway). Black wouldn’t have been my 3rd or even 5th choice, but only b/c it’s hard to keep clean.
Plenty of power for me. 310 hp & 281 torque gets me to where I need to go.
VERY smooth 9-speed transmission.
6’ bed
I like how the truck feels “skinny” while sitting in it. Doesn’t feel huge like my 100-series
Fairly rare in Denver, though I’m starting to see more and more of them. I like not having a truck everyone else has.

Cons:
Turning radius is the worst I’ve ever had on any vehicle.
While it’s reasonably comfortable, I think taller drivers may not feel as comfortable.
Abysmal aftermarket support. Even for things like toppers.

So far, so good. I’m enjoying it and driving “as-is” until I figure out exactly what I want & it needs…

ps: That black spot on the rocks is where I parked my ‘94 Discovery. That thing had more leaks…🙄
 

rruff

Explorer
Turning radius is the worst I’ve ever had on any vehicle.

Had to look it up... 23.9'.

A similar old Tacoma is 22', and so is the the older Tundra. The new ones though are over 24' so slightly worse than the Frontier. It appears to be a trend.
 

llamalander

Well-known member
Congrats on the Frontier! I got the same thing 15 years ago-
Leer makes good caps for them.
These things do great off-road, the slightly longer wheelbase actually seems like a plus in more situations than not--
There is an aftermarket, and because so many elements are the same as the D40 generation, probably more is available than you think;
Bumpers, wheels, skid plates (rock rails for long-beds are rare), lighting upgrades, suspension parts... not to mention the Titan parts that can be swapped over, all these are made by multiple companies here, in Australia & Japan.
The brakes are much improved over the D40, pads, tires, gas and oil are the things I replace frequently, the shocks a few times in the last 190k.
You got yourself a great truck, enjoy!
 

Boss Hog

Observer
Congrats on the Frontier! I got the same thing 15 years ago-
Leer makes good caps for them.
These things do great off-road, the slightly longer wheelbase actually seems like a plus in more situations than not--
There is an aftermarket, and because so many elements are the same as the D40 generation, probably more is available than you think;
Bumpers, wheels, skid plates (rock rails for long-beds are rare), lighting upgrades, suspension parts... not to mention the Titan parts that can be swapped over, all these are made by multiple companies here, in Australia & Japan.
The brakes are much improved over the D40, pads, tires, gas and oil are the things I replace frequently, the shocks a few times in the last 190k.
You got yourself a great truck, enjoy!
That’s all very encouraging!

I am not a rock crawler by ANY means. And every year people ask me if I’m going to do Black Bear pass (never). But it will get dirty and haul me to blue-line trout streams, mountain bike trails, & the western plains in search of pheasant. I’ll offroad it-just nothing that will potentially cause significant damage.

I’m surprised that so much of the previous generation is applicable. Other than Z1 & ADO, please let me know of some worthy vendors/sotes.

In my travels today, I’m seeing more and more non-Toyota midsize trucks. This may be the “golden-era” for mid-size 4x4 trucks…
 

plainjaneFJC

Deplorable
I know this is an old thread but somehow I came across it. New job required me to get a vehicle within 4-5 years of the current model year. I went to look at a Nissan Maxima and ended up with this unicorn:
‘22 Crew Cab SV 4x4 Longbed
View attachment 837518View attachment 837519
The dealership made it impossible to leave without it. The longbed was a big deal to me & I told the dealer to not even show me a truck with a 5.5’ bed. But the clincher was lifetime powertrain. I’m a Toyota guy, and have owned every series Land Cruiser sold in the U.S. except a 200 & the newest one, as well as a Hilux and T-100. But Kiichiro Toyoda himself would’ve bought this truck.

I’ve had it 3 weeks now.
Pros:
Very handsome truck (in my eye, anyway). Black wouldn’t have been my 3rd or even 5th choice, but only b/c it’s hard to keep clean.
Plenty of power for me. 310 hp & 281 torque gets me to where I need to go.
VERY smooth 9-speed transmission.
6’ bed
I like how the truck feels “skinny” while sitting in it. Doesn’t feel huge like my 100-series
Fairly rare in Denver, though I’m starting to see more and more of them. I like not having a truck everyone else has.

Cons:
Turning radius is the worst I’ve ever had on any vehicle.
While it’s reasonably comfortable, I think taller drivers may not feel as comfortable.
Abysmal aftermarket support. Even for things like toppers.

So far, so good. I’m enjoying it and driving “as-is” until I figure out exactly what I want & it needs…

ps: That black spot on the rocks is where I parked my ‘94 Discovery. That thing had more leaks…🙄
The clincher was a lifetime warranty but your job will require you to sell it in two years🤷‍♂️
 

Boss Hog

Observer
The clincher was a lifetime warranty but your job will require you to sell it in two years🤷‍♂️
No-my job will require me to get another car in 2-3 years. Right now they’re making the payments (in a manner of speaking). If I like it, I keep it for play purposes and get something else to drive to work. If I don’t, the company will pay for another one.

Everyone else is driving Tesla’s Beemers, & Audis. I think I’m being fairly practical. But I get the question..
 

plainjaneFJC

Deplorable
No-my job will require me to get another car in 2-3 years. Right now they’re making the payments (in a manner of speaking). If I like it, I keep it for play purposes and get something else to drive to work. If I don’t, the company will pay for another one.

Everyone else is driving Tesla’s Beemers, & Audis. I think I’m being fairly practical. But I get the question..
What are you selling? I assume this is an outside sales rep job?
 

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