Nissan NEXT: Frontier, Pathfinder, and Ariya

This month, the Nissan Corporation is winding down its aggressive production goal of 10 new vehicle models in 20 months, and it appears the public is very pleased with what the company has designed. Nissan's first quarter sales numbers for 2021 were recently released, and the company saw a whopping growth of over 10%. What makes that so impressive is that the 2021 numbers are compared to 2020 numbers that were pre-Covid. Below are overviews for the final two redesigns for two of Nissan's most iconic vehicles and one that could possibly be setting the standard for the electric crossover SUV world.

2022 Frontier Pickup Truck

The iconic Frontier has been often maligned by others in the competitive truck world because it hadn't been refreshed for close to 15 years. But automotive makers generally only refresh vehicles that either look tired or are experiencing slumping sales, and the Frontier didn't fit either of those criteria. The Frontier is getting a refresh since Nissan came up with an aggressive production promise of 10 new models in 20 months, and they saved the best for last with the iconic 2022 Frontier and 2022 Pathfinder. The all-new 2022 Frontier stands on the more than 62 years of Nissan truck heritage with many elements inspired by the iconic Nissan Hardbody which was the off-road king of the hill that dominated races in the 1980's and 1990's.

This new design is more aggressive with an obvious wide and elevated stance and massive vertical fenders that denote strength and durability. It also has a new powerful-looking front end with a massive grille and chiseled hood that is framed by new precision interlocking headlights. With all the aggressive exterior styling for some great weekend adventure, the 2022 Frontier still remains a true, 'right-sized' truck that will easily fit five grown adults in the cab or maneuver around town for those weekday commutes or grocery-getter chores. The all-new Frontier goes on sale later this summer.

Features

• Best-in-class 3.8-liter direct injection V6 engine offering 310hp

• 9-speed automatic transmission designed to maximize efficiency and provide strong acceleration

• Torque rated at 281 lb-ft

• Proven shift-on-the-fly 4WD

• Largest-in-class 7-inch driver display

• Fender premium audio with 10 speakers

• Wireless smartphone charging

• Apple CarPlay, Android Auto

• Wi-Fi Hotspot

• 2 front USB ports

• 2 front 12V outlets

2022 Pathfinder SUV

Some in the SUV kingdom have openly stated that the Nissan Pathfinder might have lost its way like so many other SUVs that were originally designed to be off-road adventure-seeking beasts. But for Pathfinder purists, the pendulum is again swinging; and this time, the design engineers are building from the ground up and combining all that has been learned the past 35 years. According to Nissan North America Vice President of Product and Services Planning Jared Haslam, the all-new SUV conveys strength and rugged capability while using advanced safety and technology features to keep [families] safe and comfortable during everyday adventures.

Features

• 6,000-pound maximum best-in-class towing with standard trailer sway control

• 284-horsepower 3.5-liter direct injection V6 with 259 lb-ft of torque

• All-new 9-speed transmission

• All-new intelligent 4WD with 7-position drive and terrain mode selector

• Larger design of the new face of Pathfinder which conveys size and strength

• Larger tires which give an authentic, rugged look

• 14 colors/color combinations including five new two-tone treatments

• 10.8-inch head-up display

• 12.3-inch new digital dashboard

• 9.0-inch color touchscreen center display

• 3-row seating or cargo area

• 120-quart cooler

• Room for four golf bags when all three rows are up

• bility to carry 4'x8' plywood sheets

2022 Nissan Ariya

When people ask me about electric vehicles, the first question they invariably ask is What is the range? It's as if my answer will give the person confidence that the EV cars have finally hit the 'magic' drive range number they can feel comfortable enough to finally buy one. I look forward to the day that the anxiety of this question will fade into the background just like the question of reliability of the first cars versus horses and buggies. Then we can get onto real discussions about exterior styling, how comfortable and luxurious the interior is, whether it handles and accelerates well, and finally safety.

I think we may have turned the corner with Nissan's all-new 2022 Ariya crossover SUV. Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way. The travel range is 300 miles per charge according to the preliminary Nissan estimate for the long-range 2WD model. And now that we have the range question out of the way, let's discuss the vehicle. The Ariya is Nissan's first all-electric crossover SUV which demonstrates the company's vision and willingness to enrich people's lives in a simple yet powerfully modern way.

Exterior Styling

The Ariya's simple sleek design with luxurious accents represents Nissan's new design language of Timeless Japanese Futurism. This language that is being demonstrated gives anyone entering the vehicle a personal impression aimed to surpass expectations.

Sleek and Luxurious

When you enter the vehicle, your first impression is likely to notice how welcoming, comfortable, and spacious the cabin feels. It gives the occupants a lounge-like feel all the way down to the comfy Nissan Zero Gravity seats. The environment this platform provides for not only the driver, but also the passengers, is something you have to experience firsthand.

Acceleration and Handling

When designing this vehicle, it was important for the engineers to stay true to Nissan's heritage of developing fun-to-drive, exciting cars that deliver exceptional power and handling. The Ariya is a completely new platform, so the engineers could design the vehicle around the heavy battery pack instead of the other way around. It was located under the center of the vehicle for a low center of gravity and near-equal weight distribution front to rear as to provide a fun and superior handling opportunity. The Ariya is also an all-electric drivetrain; so it not only delivers a smooth and quiet ride, but also produces a powerful acceleration curve to get down the road when needed.

Driver Assistance Technology

The list of features that will be included with this new EV to help provide the driver a relaxed, calm, and safer drive is long and extensive; so I picked one that really drives home the point of an effortless drive. When driving in hands-on mode, ProPILOT Assist 2.0 takes advantage of the extensive 3-D map data to help keep the vehicle centered in the lane with increased accuracy.

Safety

The Nissan Ariya is also equipped with standard Nissan Safety Shield 360, a suite of six active safety features that includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, high beam assist and rear automatic braking.

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