Comparator
I owned a 2002 Nissan Frontier. I am a long time Honda owner, but in 2002 I needed a Pick up truck and Honda sis not have one. I turned to Toyota and Nissan and decided the Nissan Frontier was the right truck at the time.
I liked the Frontier's style it was a sexy little thing. I liked the rugged features like the metal back bumper, 6 foot bed, high clearance and chunky knobs. The "ruggedish" styling on the fenders and nose were nice, a bit too fake, but nice. I was very happy with my truck.
I am sure the new owner is thrilled. I know they were anxious! My truck was sold before the Ridgeline was delivers. I had to drive a loaner for a few days. I also got top dollar on the trade, about 200 more than I expected.
Your Old Truck
So all that good stuff and it is still your former vehicle? It was a real truck. It was loud, it was high, it was too long. Nissan was very good to me, but they had several maintenance issue in the first few months. Everything was covered by the warranty, but still. I never had that with Honda.
Last oil change it needed a 30,000 mile service. Whatever it was it cost me almost $600. After this "required" service the suspension began to creak. I just had that "now what" feeling while driving it.
I was good to that truck. Low miles, all scheduled maintenance and still it made noises and needed things at every oil change. It just wasn't a Honda.
Newer, Better, But..
The Ridgeline is newer, so this comparison is unfair. I like Honda better than Nissan, so it is also biased. All that being said there were some things about the Frontier I liked better than the Ridgeline.
Feature | Honda Ridgeline | Nissan Frontier |
| Stereo | Linked in to Navigation System's screen for better information display | Rockford Fosgate System had better sound and was much louder |
Back Row Seating | Much better on both headroom and legroom | Good on headroom, tight on legroom |
Back Row Cargo | Fold up split bench and wider interior give the Ridgeline fantastic interior storage | The back seat was too small to be used as interior storage |
Raw Power | Plenty of power to move itself and probably tow | Supercharger makes a HUGE difference. The Frontier was a racer with a tray on the back axle! |
Ride | Very quiet, very comfortable. This is a luxury SUV with a tray in the back. | Stiff suspension made it ride like a truck (which it is!) and the engine noise was omnipresent. The Kickin' sound system was required. |
Tray Cargo | Much better cleat system than the Frontier. I bought the bed extender and cargo net for this one because I feel I will actually use the bed. Honda raised the floor of the tray to allow a full 49 inch side to side clearance the whole length of the tray. The truck behind the axle is a phenomenal convenience. Everyone else has to buy a Plastic tub to put in their truck bed, my is built in and lockable. | The tie down cleats were poorly placed and therefore useless. The wheels pop into the tray and allowed about 33 inches of clearance making hauling flat impossible. I had the factory tonneau top and it was nice for hauling things that should have fit in the back row, but it was a nightmare to remove and worse to replace! |
Pure Styling | The Ridgeline is nice but it feels more sedate. | The other problem is the similarity to the Avalanche and Escalade, making it look like a copy cat. I loved the aggressive, youthful styling. I will miss that. |
Extras | Love the MP3 jack, Navigation and storage spaces. | Hey, four years of innovations can't be beat. |