Culture is imploding on itself, nostalgia is no longer just fashionable but almost a coping mechanism, and we’re cycling through old trends long thought dead faster and faster in a vicious cycle of recirculating old ideas in the absence of new ones. I think I’ve seen high-waisted bottoms come and go more times in the last three years than in the thirty that preceded them. Every pickup truck has had a crack at a nostalgia-baiting, retro-themed edition. It’s now Nissan’s turn with the 2024 Nissan Frontier Hardbody Edition.
The Hardbody is a throwback to Nissan’s beloved compact pickups that lasted from the 1980s through to the late 1990s. They were formally named D21, but nicknamed Hardbody for their squared-off styling and double-walled bed, presumably making them literally harder. Whether or not this was a novel feature at the time is hard to research; there’s no academic papers on the average structural integrity or construction methods of truck beds before the new millennium. Nevertheless, its nickname became official almost instantly.
The Hardbody’s content loadout is pretty straightforward. It starts with a simple graphics pack, including a cool 4×4 logo on the doors, plus blackout decals on the hood and tailgate. The front bumper and sport bar behind the cab match the decals, but the very retro 17-inch wheels, mimicking the original’s distinct, angular, three-ish-spoke design, is the icing on the very cake. Beyond the dress-up, other tweaks include mild off-road tires, a front skid plate, and rock rails to give some legitimacy to the truck’s off-road aesthetic. I appreciate that said armour literally hardens the body. How very honest.
And that’s just the thing. More so than just about any other retro-themed throwback pack you can buy, the Frontier Hardbody is refreshingly honest, to a point that’s actually quite endearing to a cynic who’s driven everything under the sun. What makes this one so charming—to me, at least—is the whole truck coincidentally but very neatly retro in and of itself, even without the graphics or sweet wheels.
Of all the mid-sized trucks you can buy right now, the Frontier is by far the simplest of the bunch. It’s the most back-to-basics, truck-flavored truck for those rejecting how frilly and fancy the modern pickup has become. Some might call it dated, and they’re not entirely off base, but maybe missing the point. A lot of Nissans embrace pragmatism and prioritize user friendliness over here-and-now gimmicks, which tends to put them a little behind the curve. On the Frontier, and especially on this Hardbody edition, that’s an asset.
It’s the only midsize truck with a naturally aspirated V6—aside from the Jeep Gladiator, which doesn’t really count as its more of a lifestyle accessory thing. Its competitors have all embraced downsizing, turbocharging, and even hybridization in pursuit of hiding compliance behind the pretense of performance. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that—a lot of these powertrains are impressive on paper, but barring a few exceptions, they don’t necessarily feel better, sound better, pull harder, or save much, if any fuel over the simpler powertrains they replaced.
This 3.8-litre V6 is less archaic than you might think. It was updated in 2021 to produce more power—310 horsepower and 281 pound-feet of torque, to be exact—and when paired the ZF-derived nine-speed automatic transmission, the Frontier scoots well while being surprisingly frugal on fuel. My week with it resulted in an average thirst of 12.5 L/100 kilometres, which beats its posted fuel economy ratings—a very rare feat in modern turbo engines. It also bears mentioning that average was in the low 11s before it sat around idling for errands and posing for photos.
More than the numbers, though, the Frontier sounds and feels right. No spool time, no pulling timing, no hybrid handover—just brawny, linear power, right now. I did more unintentional one-wheel-peels in this thing than anything else this year. Speaking of feeling right, the Frontier is one of, if not the only vehicle left on the market with hydraulic power steering—you know, like the good old days, when you could actually feel something through the helm. It’s a little heavy at low speeds, which compound by the Frontier’s large turning circle, means you’ll be sawing at it quite a bit in tight confines. Otherwise, it’s really quite satisfying. Even the brake pedal feel is terrific, being similarly firm and deliberate.
It feels old fashioned in the best ways. It all suits the Frontier Hardbody’s classic work truck vibe impeccably. It helps, too, that the Hardbody is a relatively lightly equipped truck, with cloth seats and the more modest of the two touchscreens Nissan offers on the Frontier. I would’ve appreciated the easy to read, mostly analog gauge cluster, regardless of whether this was supposed to be an homage or not. Nissan’s interior is simple and utilitarian, with big buttons and knobs for everything, minimizing reliance on the screen and making life so much easier.
Despite being basic, the Frontier Hardbody is a modern truck and not nearly as spartan as the D21 to which it pays homage. The driver’s seat is powered, the seats and steering wheel are aggressively heated, it has automatic climate control, push to start—worth mentioning because some basic trucks still have keys—and unlike the much-more-expensive Hummer EV pickup, one-touch windows. The Bose audio system is competent enough, as is the adaptive cruise control, but it unfortunately gives up when you come to a full stop.
The 2024 Nissan Frontier Hardbody drives great, nails the style, it has everything you actually need, and the quality-of-life niceties that you almost need. It captures the charm of the original Hardbody trucks with its honest, back-to-basics approach to design and driving, while being a modern truck that’s reasonably efficient, quiet, well-mannered, and comfortable. And just like the original, it’s a pretty compelling value proposition for how much best-of-both-worlds charm you get, at $52,685 as-tested. I love that it takes the criticisms of being dated and turns them upside down, and celebrates them instead.
