‘Always a bridesmaid…’ may be the best summation I can think of for Nissan’s terrific Frontier. For literally decades, it’s been viewed by most as the next-best thing to Toyota’s pickup truck offerings. There have been times when the Nissan has been the better vehicle, too—but to no avail. Just like with the rivalry between the Ford and Chevy ½-ton trucks, suitors just seem to like the Tacoma more.

Which is a terrible shame. The Frontier is the real deal: tough—it’s based on a fully boxed, shorted half-ton Titan frame and powered by a 261hp, 4.0-liter version of the robust VQ six-cylinder, its got the guts (281lb-ft of torque) to tackle most any job. That’s bolstered in the case of this PRO-4X offroad version, which features specially-tuned Bilstein dampers, skid plates, and an electronically-controlled limited-slip Dana rear axle.

Yet the Frontier doesn’t suffer from the unremittingly agitated ride of the Tacoma TRD Off-road, smothering most rough stuff quite well—though some really bad urban blacktop can get its live rear axle hopping. Steering feel is on par with the Toyota, and they are both quiet and refined. The Nissan has a more upright stance, which makes for a more commanding seating position, and it has loads of standard goodies like heated and powered leather seats and Bluetooth inside and a great rail system and factory-applied spay-in liner for the bed.

THE BROKER’S VIEW: People have always been willing to pay through the nose for the Tacoma; even when it was just the nameless Toyota ‘truck’ it held onto a greater percentage of its value than any other pickup made; that still holds. But the Nissan isn’t far behind. And why should it be? The Frontier is every bit as reliable (I can’t tell you how many friend’s I’ve had put 250,000-300,000 miles onto these stout workhorses) as its rival, and its variety of available configurations (three cabs, multiple bed lengths, etc) help insure there’s a shoe for every size foot. These two are in a class of their own compared to domestic rivals from Dodge, GM, and Ford too. The hometown honeys all lack the well balanced portfolio of talents that make used car shoppers spent 50% of what the Nissan or Toyota cost new for a truck with over 100,000 miles on it. From a cost-of-ownership perspective (since the Nissan’s new transaction price is usually slightly less than the Toyota’s), either one would make for long-term domestic bliss.

Price as tested: $33,475

For more on what Nissan has to say about the Frontier, go here.

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