Toyota Tacoma TRD Professional vs Nissan Frontier PRO-4X: Off-Street Awesomeness

Two of the perfect off-road vehicles round

The 2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD Professional and Nissan Frontier PRO-4X are remarkably succesful off-road pickup vehicles. Each look distinctive in comparison with their lesser brethren, are extra succesful on paper than the vehicles they exchange, and each have a historical past of reliability. They’re additionally essentially the most (or almost essentially the most) costly variations of their platforms, however are not the perfect at school. The Ford Ranger Raptor, Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison, and GMC Canyon AT4X AEV are simply pretty much as good, if not higher, in some ways.

Nonetheless, the Frontier and Tacoma are compelling options, with distinctive presents that may be simply seen. I used to be fortunate sufficient to not solely take each off-road, but in addition dwell with each vehicles day-to-day, back-to-back. For my cash, certainly one of these two merely makes extra sense, whereas the opposite is the stuff goals are made from. Let’s take a look at each earlier than we get to which one makes extra sense.

The 2025 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X: severe bang-for-your-buck

The Nissan Frontier PRO-4X waltzes into 2025 with just a few adjustments. There’s a restyled bumper, grill, and entrance headlights, which look a bit extra aggressive. New wheels and the brand new “Afterburn Orange” non-compulsory shade are all a part of the PRO-4X bundle. Nissan obtained the memo and made tilt and telescoping steering customary. There’s extra customary tech, which incorporates security upgrades and adaptive cruise management, a bigger, well-placed 12.3-inch infotainment display screen as a brand new possibility, and customary wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The tow score has been elevated to a extra aggressive 7,150-lbs. Seating now has extra lumbar management decisions as nicely.

Nissan continues utilizing the 310 horsepower, 3.8-liter V6 that makes 281 lb-ft of torque. It is paired to a 9-speed automated transmission and an old-school 4×4 system, one that features an electronically locking rear diff. The facility numbers are nearer to the non-hybrid TRD Off-Street bundle than the way more highly effective TRD Professional from Toyota, however it’s the highest and solely powertrain out there from Nissan. The Nissan Frontier PRO-4X is rated at 17 mpg metropolis and 22 mpg freeway.

Not like another pickup truck on this class, the Nissan Frontier gives a King Cab possibility, which supplies you the selection of getting a smaller and cheaper cab configuration; sadly, it is not out there within the PRO-4X trim. What’s non-compulsory on the PRO-4X is the mattress size, with the usual mattress at 59.5 inches in size and the lengthy mattress at 73.3 inches in size. Not each competitor gives multiple mattress size, however Toyota does, in some circumstances.

The Nissan Frontier PRO-4X begins at below $45,000 and tops out simply over $51,000. Consider it or not, that is a little bit of a discount in comparison with some, and certainly one of Nissan’s strongest promoting factors, together with its driving really feel. You see, regardless of the PRO-4X packing much less tech, no turbochargers or hybrid methods, it is without doubt one of the sweetest of the group to drive every day. The maneuverability is great, the steering weight is excellent (for those who like a heavy steering really feel), and it feels smaller behind the wheel.

Toyota Tacoma TRD-Professional: a tech monster

The Toyota Tacoma was fully renewed in 2024, so the adjustments this 12 months are minimal. The TRD Professional remains to be the king of the hill amongst different Tacomas, together with its i-Power MAX powertrain. There are actually 4 auxiliary switches, a brand new “Mudbath” exterior shade for the TRD Professional, and the bumper tow hooks are actually purple. That is about it. Oh, and it has a decrease tow score than different Tacomas with a complete of 6,000-lbs, which is on the decrease finish of the competitors.

The Tacoma’s powertrain is a little bit of a beast. It’s a part of the i-Power household, which consists of turbocharged hybrids. On this case, it is a 326 hp turbocharged 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder that makes 465 lb-ft of torque when mixed with an electrical motor, thus making it a hybrid. An 8-speed automated is the one transmission provided with the i-Power setup, however you may get a 6-speed guide on the non-hybrid Tacomas. That is additionally the one pickup that gives that transmission in the USA. The EPA charges the Tacoma TRO Professional at 22 mpg metropolis and 24 mpg freeway.

The TRD Professional doesn’t provide a protracted mattress, nor a distinct cab configuration. In actual fact, all i-Power hybrid powertrains solely include the crew-cab, short-bed configuration. As I discussed earlier than, the towing on the TRD Professional is way decrease than different Tacomas, and that is partially as a result of superior off-road underpinnings. Extra on that in a second.

The Tacoma TRD Professional feels fully completely different than the Frontier PRO-4X. It seems like a a lot bigger, extra highly effective truck. In some ways, it’s. The short-bed Tacoma is about 4 inches longer than the short-bed Frontier. On the similar time, the 2025 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X lengthy mattress has an total size of 224.1 inches. The Tacoma TRD Professional is extraordinarily fast in site visitors and has significantly better maneuverability than the truck it changed. It has lighter steering than the Frontier, and it feels such as you’re driving one thing bigger than it truly is. Talking of bigger, the bottom worth for a Tacoma TRD Professional begins at just below $64,000. Totally loaded with each bundle, you are approaching $90,000.

How are they inside?

That is extra about their off-road prowess, however the inside performs a job in a few of that. Proper off the bat, the Nissan’s inside feels a bit cheaper, particularly the door panels which can be uncomfortable to relaxation your arm on. Toyota’s design is extra cohesive and thematic, and it contains a 14.0-inch middle touchscreen with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. It’s extremely clear to take a look at, however there is a little bit of a studying curve to grasp the UX. Toyota additionally has the Iso-Dynamic seating, which signifies that the entrance seats have their very own suspension methods. This works when pounded onerous off-road, however it kills off the choice of getting again pockets.

The entrance seats within the Nissan are very comfy, however the again seats are a bit tight for adults. Comparable in dimension to the Colorado/Canyon, they sit upright, providing mediocre leg room. Nissan’s total design is easy and rugged, however not as attention-grabbing as Toyota’s structure. The entire buttons and switchgear are logically positioned and straightforward to make use of, with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a 7-inch digital instrument cluster positioned between analog gauges.

Very completely different off-road setups

Sure, there is not any doubt that the Toyota Tacoma TRD Professional is a greater hardcore off-road car. The two.5-inch FOX Inner Bypass QS3 shocks with rear piggyback-style distant reservoirs, and its Multi-Terrain Choose (MTS) system are its highlights. Fox additionally equipped the interior floating piston hydraulic bump stops. It has Crawl Management, Downhill Help Management, an electronically managed locking rear differential, and a Stabilizer Disconnect Mechanism (SDM) on the TRD Professional. That is earlier than we go into the sheer quantity of under-body armor and the 33-inch rugged-terrain tires on 18-in. wheels. Moreover, there’s the IsoDynamic Efficiency entrance seats with dampening system – which work, however are a little bit of a pricy gimmick from my perspective.

It feels so succesful and so composed below stress that I discover the Toyota Tacoma TRD Professional to be among the finest excessive velocity dune-running pickup vehicles on the market. The mix of the facility, suspension, and complex 4×4 system are leaps and bounds past the Nissan’s capabilities. Articulation is fairly good, however it lags behind the competitors. Nonetheless, the Nissan can go almost in every single place the Tacoma goes.

The 2025 Nissan Frontier PRO 4X has all-terrain Hankook Dynapro AT2 tires, Bilstein off-road suspension system work nicely collectively, and permit the Frontier PRO-4X to climb aggressively when blended with the rear locker. Sadly, its 8.6 inches of floor clearance will be a problem when rock crawling, or going over uneven terrain. The Tacoma TRD Professional has 11.5-inches of floor clearance, which is much better off-road.

Last ideas

Here is the deal: the Tacoma TRD Professional is a tremendous truck with an amazingly enormous price ticket. I needed to hold asking myself, “Is that this Toyota Tacoma TRD Professional $20,000 higher than a Frontier PRO-4X?” I merely do not assume it’s. It is barely extra environment friendly, quicker, and has way more off-road tech, however I do not assume it is that significantly better off-road. To place it one other manner, if it had been my cash, I feel the Frontier makes extra sense total.