The strong 4.0-liter V6 revs smoothly and feels like a V8. We chalked up an unimpressive 15 mpg overall. Base models are powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder. Transmissions include five- and six-speed manuals and a five-speed automatic. All Frontiers of this generation are either crew- or extended-cab, but rear seat room is tight in both. Side- and curtain-airbags, along with stability control are standard equipment. An optional longer (six-foot) bed arrived for 2007, but the tailgate is quite heavy. There were no major changes to the Frontier after that.

A 3.3-liter V6 was offered beginning in 1999. A crew-cab model was added for 2000, and a supercharged version of the V6 joined the options list a year later.