GM's upscale twin to the Silverado wins on looks, even Ford loyalists admit it's the best-looking truck you can buy, but the engine choice matters more than the badge. The 5.3L V8 is the workhorse: proven across 200k-mile police fleets, boring in the best way. The 3.0L diesel hits 28 mpg when it works, but some batches grenaded early, and the 6.2L left 2020-2022 owners stranded with catastrophic failures. The infotainment skips and mutes itself on 2022+ trucks, a known bug GM has ignored for years. Pricing has crept into luxury territory, lawyers and soccer moms, not the working crowd. Buy a pre-2020 model for proven reliability, or spec a new one with the 5.3L and a strong warranty. Skip the 6.2L on anything 2020-2022, and roll the dice on the diesel only if fuel economy justifies the risk. It'll tow your world and turn heads, as long as you pick the right engine and forgive the screen's morning mood.
The current-gen Frontier (2022+) delivers exceptional value and proven mechanical reliability, using a battle-tested 3.8L V6 and Mercedes 9-speed auto that owners trust past 200k miles. It deliberately trades modern refinement for simplicity, old-school controls, naturally aspirated power, and fewer electronic systems that can fail. Users consistently rank it as more reliable and comfortable than the Tacoma at thousands less, though it clearly trails in interior quality and tech. The primary hesitation isn't the truck itself but the notoriously poor Nissan dealership experience.