It has been a long 17 years, but the much-awaited Nissan Frontier is finally on its way to dealerships, and just prior to their arrival, we were invited out to drive the newest midsize pickup. Continuing Nissan's 62 years of pickups in America, the 2022 Frontier puts a focus on being rugged, capable, utilitarian, and modern.

The new Frontier uses a heavily modified version of the outgoing truck's F-Alpha architecture that it shares with the Titan. "Why not an entirely new one?" you might ask. Because the Frontier platform was already competitive to begin with, and instead of spending a billion dollars on a new platform, Nissan upgraded the chassis and spent its money in areas people would appreciate, such as design, interior, technology, and powertrain.

Some of the platform's new features include over 40 parts to improve NVH, including hydraulic cab mounts to further isolate the occupants from the rough-and-tumble world outside. The Frontier also switches to urethane jounces, adds a dynamic steering damper, and retuned rack-and-pinion with a steering gear ratio that has been increased by 16 percent.

By now the direct-injected 3.8L DOHC V-6/nine-speed combo should be familiar since it debuted in the previous truck for the '20 model year and stuck around in '21. It has a class-leading 310 horsepower, 281 lb-ft of torque, and it's more fuel efficient than the old four-cylinder. No manual transmission will be offered.

One area of the new truck that seems to resonate well with just about everyone we've talked to is the Frontier's exterior design. From the taller shoulders and chiseled body to the new face, the Frontier has a great stance and looks tough. The bedsides were brought up 1.4 inches, giving the new Frontier more bed volume and additional depth that is helpful for keeping the tops of coolers and fridges below the bed rail. Nine exterior colors will be offered.

Now sporting one of the best interiors in the class, the Frontier feels premium with a dash that is fit for a truck, and not something borrowed from an economy car. The big 9-inch display (standard on the PRO-4X) is borrowed straight from the Titan. With its high resolution and inky blacks, it's the centerpiece to the Frontier's new push to be a real contender in this class once again.

With a wrapped and stitched dash and door panels, Lava Red interior accents, and soft-touch panels, the Frontier feels more upscale than ever before. Front-seat passengers are treated to the supportive and comfortable Zero Gravity chairs, and thanks to a impressively quiet interior, they can rock out to the 10-speaker Fender Premium audio system that sounds more crisp and clear than anything else in the segment.

From a layout standpoint, most of the controls are right where you expect them to be, with only a few buried to the left of the wheel. The Frontier is easy to operate and has a fair amount of storage for its size, plus niceties, such as wireless phone charging and eight cupholders, four of which can hold 32-ounce bottles. Finding a good seating position is easy, but the addition of a telescoping steering wheel would make it that much better.

Nissan did a good job of making the Frontier interior as space-efficient as possible without growing the truck. Two full-size guys can sit in the front without touching shoulders, and the back seat remains big enough for all but the longest trips. The rear seat even has an armrest, and the 60/40 seat cushions fold up stadium style, or can fold down, depending on your cargo needs.

Nissan wants technology and safety to be accessible, so the Frontier is packed with standard and optional features including the first application of Nissan Intelligent Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection, Nissan Safety Shield 360, a Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, multiple USB-A and USB-C charging ports, 120V outlet with 400-watt capability (one in the rear and one in the bed), Intelligent Cruise Control, Traffic Sign Recognition, Intelligent Driver Alertness, rear sonar and Rear Door Alert. The Frontier features eight standard airbags.

All the NVH improvements are apparent, and the solid thunk of the doors closing gives you an idea of what to expect from behind the wheel of the Frontier. Steering feel is exceptional, albeit with a little too much effort required for a truck that is likely to spend most of its life traversing the urban landscape and wheeling into tight parking spots. A little additional assist would be nice. Steering effort aside, we do need to point out just how directionally stable the Frontier is, easily holding a heading without much pilot input.

Throttle tip-in is good, although the nine-speed automatic could shift a little quicker and firmer (a fix Nissan engineers tell us is already being addressed). We do think the V-6/nine-speed is a good combo, well matched to the truck, and delivers solid acceleration. On the "whoa" side, the Frontier's brakes have great pedal feel and are easy to modulate.

The PRO-4X has a 6,270-pound max towing limit and standard trailer sway control. We tested the truck with a 5,800-pound boat with inertia brakes on the trailer, and the Frontier handled the load much better than its size would imply.

The Frontier feels stable, solid, and treats the driver to excellent outward visibility. This is a truck we wouldn't hesitate to take on a 1,000-mile road trip right now.

On the trail, the Frontier's perfect size allows it to get into tight spaces, and we like the tuning on the Bilsteins, although it could benefit from a hair more travel for those who like to push it. That being said, the Frontier is a fun, tossable little truck that has a traction control system that keeps the truck moving in 4-Hi, where the rear locker can't be actuated (it's still 4-Lo only).

Thanks to its low First gear of 5.425, the little Nissan has a solid crawl ratio of 54.42, and if that's not enough, the hill descent control system is very effective, without any of the loud solenoid firing of the competition.

Overlanders and car campers will agree that the Pro-4X's 1,230-pound payload capacity will allow a fair amount of gear and passengers to go along on the next adventure.

If there were any suggestions we'd make to Nissan, it would be to offer a more aggressive tire to give us more confidence in tougher terrain, because the chassis is good for it, especially with full underbody skidplating. We'd also ask that Nissan allow the off-road camera system to work at higher speeds. The threshold of 6 miles per hour is just too low to be useful in many situations.

We do love that the Frontier is still a driver's vehicle, with none of the preset drive modes offered in other trucks. It's still an honest little pickup that puts the driver in charge.

With a starting price of $37,240 for the PRO-4X in its sole Crew Cab configuration, the Frontier offers good value for the money. Only three option packages are available (Technology, $990; Convenience, $1,990; and Premium, $2,790), so fully loaded the Frontier comes out to $43,010, before a destination charge of $1,175.

The new Frontier is the truck we'd hoped it would be and more. It raises the bar in design and amenities and is a good value with a lot of content for the price, along with the capability you've come to expect from Frontier. While it won't dominate the higher end of the off-road segment, it can challenge any direct competitor and hold its own. If our experience out on the road is any indication, the design alone will bring in more potential customers. For those looking for a bit more out of the Frontier, NISMO has a line of accessories available, including the Bilstein 6112/5160 performance shock package. We are hopeful this means Nissan has the appetite for an even higher-capability model to go toe to toe with the TRD Pros and ZR2s of the world in the near future.

2022 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab PRO-4X (as tested)

Base price: $37,240
Price as tested: $43,010
Engine: VQ38 3.8L DOHC DI V-6
Rated hp/torque (lb-ft): 310/281
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
4WD system: 2-Hi, 4-Hi, neutral, 4-Lo
Low-range ratio: 2.717:1
Frame type: Ladder
Suspension, f/r: Independent double wishbone with Bilstein monotube shocks/Overslung Dana 44 solid axle with multi-leaf and Bilstein monotube shocks
Axle ratio: 3.692:1
Max crawl ratio: 54.42:1
Steering: Speed sensitive power rack-and-pinion
Brakes, f/r: 11.7x1.1-in vented disc with 2-piston caliper/11.2x0.7-in vented disc with single-piston caliper
Wheels (in): 17x8
Tires: LT265/70R17 Hankook DynaPro AT2
Wheelbase (in): 126.0
Length (in): 210.2
Height (in): 72.9
Width (in): 74.7
Base curb weight (lb): 4,708
Approach/breakover/departure angles (deg): 32.3/19.6/23.0
Minimum ground clearance (in): 9.4
Payload (lb): 1,230
Max towing capacity (lb): 6,270
Fuel capacity (gal): 21.0
Fuel economy (EPA mpg, combined/city/hwy): 19/17/22

(motortrend.com)

When you're interested in performance cars, you want vehicles best engineered to deliver the most dynamic fun—and that means cars. We're talking coupes, sedans, and hatchbacks, not tall, heavy, bulky SUVs. Weight is the enemy of performance, as is a high center of gravity. Most new car buyers today, though, want SUVs; as such, a new common ground has emerged in the form of the performance SUV. It's not ideal, but this "solution" looks more and more like the future of factory-built performance. And if the 2022 Hyundai Kona N is any indication, the future doesn't look nearly as bad as you might fear.

The reason: The Kona N is barely an SUV. Front-wheel-drive only and with just 1.1 inches of additional ground clearance compared to a Toyota Camry, the Hyundai Kona N is actually a high-ish-riding hot hatch. It's a Veloster N for people who can't do the three-door small hatchback thing and who want or need a bit more practicality and space.

That's the trade-off you make here. Standing about 6.0 inches taller and 93 pounds heavier than the Veloster N, the Kona N gives you the SUV-like tall seating position people love and the ability to put five folks in the car without any hassle. Cargo space is effectively the same in both cars.

Those pounds and inches don't sound like much, but they do make a material difference in the way the cars drive. The 2022 Hyundai Kona N is the slightly more mature, sophisticated machine of the two. That's not to say it's tame; it's still a wild child, just not quite as wild as the Veloster N.

You feel it most in the Kona N's composure. It feels planted, hunkered down on the road despite sitting 1.5 inches higher above it. Where the Veloster N feels light on its feet and tossable, the Hyundai Kona N is more serious. Chuck the Veloster N into a corner, and it rotates, sliding just a bit as the tires howl but don't let go entirely. Not the Kona N. Its tires don't squeal, and it doesn't rotate. It digs its claws in and goes.

You don't even need to be childish with the throttle to break the tires loose mid-corner. Hyundai's electronically controlled N limited-slip differential is aggressive for a street car, transferring substantial power across the front axle to the outside tire. With 276 horsepower and 289 lb-ft of torque on tap and only the front wheels to take it, there's a little torque steer, but more often what you feel is the diff doing its thing. Rather than fighting you, the tug through the steering wheel pulls you into the corner. Catch a big enough midcorner bump, and the diff will actually tighten up your line too much, which you correct by either muscling it or, heaven forbid, backing off the throttle slightly.

Absent an irritation with turbo lag, there's no need to shift the transmission yourself. In its most aggressive setting, the gearbox makes excellent choices, and there's more than enough midrange torque to get you out of even the tightest corners in whatever gear it chooses. Shifts are buttery smooth, unless you push the big, red "NGS" button on the steering wheel; it stands for "N Grin Shift." Yes, really.

NGS activates an overboost function that buys you an extra 10 hp for 20 seconds, which you don't feel in the seat of your pants. It also bangs the shifts just a little to make it feel like you're really beating on the car. The function is generally only useful when you want every last pony, mainly when drag racing or coming off a corner onto a long straight. The button itself is located awkwardly at the four o'clock position, requiring you to move your right hand down the wheel and stretch your thumb out. It's rarely worth the effort.

The buttons you do want to push are the N paddles just below the horizontal steering wheel spokes. In fact, the very first thing you should do when you buy a Kona N (or a Veloster N) is take the car to your favorite road, push the right paddle (which is N Standard mode and Custom 1; the left paddle is for Normal mode and Custom 2), and start playing with the customizable settings.

If your favorite road is anything other than a racetrack, N Standard mode is going to be way too stiff in terms of the suspension. Like in the Veloster N, we prefer the Kona N's electronically adjustable shocks in their softest setting. Anything else will have you bouncing around like the seats were replaced with trampolines. The body control is excellent regardless of shock stiffness, so there's no need to torture yourself.

Similarly, we prefer the lightest steering setting, as the heavier, supposedly sportier settings mostly make you work more for a minimal increase in road feel, which is already excellent for a high-powered front-drive car with electric power steering. Turn-in is sharp, though again not quite as razor's edge as the Veloster N's, and the ratio is appropriately quick, so you never have to take your hands away from nine and three to make a corner, no matter how tight.

The brakes require a likewise gentle touch. They're sensitive but not Veloster N touchy. They deliver a lot of initial bite, but it's easier to modulate and easier to get used to. The big discs are steel, but you really have to try to fade them on the street. Hours of hard driving on excellent mountain roads couldn't put a dent in them. It helps that you only really have to use them for tight corners, as the composure we mentioned earlier allows you to carry a ton of cornering speed and use the brakes mostly to transfer weight forward as needed.

When you do get into them hard, it's reassuring to know they aren't phased by bumpy braking zones. It's the only time you'll hear the tires chirp (aside from doing a burnout), but the ABS has zero issues stopping the car hard even when the surface isn't smooth.

Unless you live in one of those swanky trackside villas, at some point you'll need to drive home in real-world traffic, and this is where the 2022 Hyundai Kona N really justifies itself. Set to its normal drive mode, the Kona N can easily be your primary car. It rides stiffly, sure, but no more so than any other performance car you might cross shop. The throttle programming backs way off, allowing you to behave like an adult when you want to rather than ripping away from every stop. The exhaust quiets down to a mildly sporty murmur, and the car becomes a sporty crossover, not a track machine.

Whichever personality you want, it's hard to make a case for any of the Hyundai Kona N's competitors. You already picked this over the Veloster N because you want a small SUV, not a traditional hatchback, and there's almost no competition in this space. The Kona N will run circles around a Mini Clubman JCW or Countryman JCW, and it'll stand up to a Mercedes-AMG GLA45 for probably about $20,000 less. (Hyundai hasn't announced pricing, but a Veloster N starts at $33,245 and a GLA45 at $55,500.) Unless you absolutely need to have the three-pointed star on your car, you won't miss anything buying the Hyundai.

That's what makes the 2022 Hyundai Kona N great: It's a hell of a performance bargain, it rips around more like a hot hatch than a fast SUV, and it satisfies any concerns you have about the wisdom of buying a Veloster N as your only car. It might not be the ideal performance car formula on paper, but when you're behind the wheel, we dare you to care.

(motortrend.com)

Imagine telling someone when the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V was new what the world would look like in 2021, when the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing arrives. Would they believe many major automotive brands plan to sunset their gasoline-powered offerings in about another decade? Or that manual transmissions in performance sedans are nearing total extinction—including in the ultimate version of the BMW M3, the Competition model? How about that BMW has also abandoned its traditionally understated German exteriors for a brash, porcine front clip? And of course, the reality that the CT4-V Blackwing and its CT5-V Blackwing counterpart will be the final gas-powered V-Series cars from Cadillac?

A gentle evolution (and more thorough restyling) of the ATS-V might not seem like an appropriately dramatic send-off at first. There is a lot of carryover hardware between the two vehicles, from the Alpha 2 chassis architecture to the LF4 twin-turbo V-6. But the transformation carries more subjective weight than the CT4-V Blackwing's spec sheet suggests. 

The tacked-on front dive planes, part of the optional Carbon Fiber 1 package ($4,350), look like a late addition because they were. The CT4-V Blackwing wouldn't hit its front downforce target without them. At least the aero bits are functional; the CT4-V Blackwing makes 169 pounds of downforce at 180 mph, the most of any V-Series car. Call this car distinctive and purposeful, sure, but its bodywork is too busy to be beautiful.

The hedged appreciation extends to the soundscape. Despite the ATS-V's dynamic excellence, it never had the aural drama to fully sell its sporting persona. You can now consider that issue fixed, at least as much as it can be with a V-6 still under the hood. (Cadillac really couldn't dig deep and send it off with a naturally aspirated V-8? Guess not.) At least Cadillac's engineers reworked the exhaust to hit maximum allowable sound targets in full rip. The resulting noise, while still a bit coarse, makes the Blackwing's engine seem like a living, breathing, even agitated thing rather than a distant clatter and whoosh. Most important, it keys your ears to the engine's state of froth even on a noisy track with open windows. It's absolutely better than the ATS-V.

There's also a negligible increase in power (eight additional ponies thanks to a tune and revisions to the intake) while torque is unchanged, ringing in at 472 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque. Cadillac claims its 2022 CT4-V Blackwing can scoot to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds with the optional 10-speed automatic or 4.1 seconds with the manual. We clocked the old ATS-V sedan at 3.7 seconds to 60 mph with an eight-speed automatic. It's possible the newer automatic could shave some time off its predecessor's 60-mph dash in our testing, though Cadillac says the CT4-V Blackwing weighs roughly 112 pounds more than that car. Otherwise, the LF4 engine is unchanged besides some lightly revised oil squirters, and that's all right, because this twin-turbo V-6 is a torque-rich, low-lag means to an end. 

The 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is fundamentally a finesse machine, pointy and agile without being unforgiving. Credit goes to some choice pieces bolted to its ultra-stiff chassis. For one, the CT4-V Blackwing wears 18-inch wheels all around (even the optional Tech Bronze snowflake upgrade wheels, which look phenomenal), as well as bespoke-compound Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. Damping those wheels is the fourth generation of MagneRide shock technology, controlled by a revamped suite of sensors and with increased capability: They react quicker than before, with more precision and less body roll in corner transition. 

All this technology yields dividends on the road. Even with the shocks firmed up, harder impacts are muted substantially, letting information about what's underneath the car come through without upsetting the car's composure. But on track, at Virginia International Raceway, the combination of the smart damper tech and the ample sidewalls of the sticky Michelins means thwacking the circuit's aggressive curbing is a non-event. 

Brake bite is ferocious, even though these are just iron units upsized slightly from the ATS-V. Front discs are nearly 15 inches gripped by six-piston Brembo calipers, and the rears are 13.4 inches with four-piston units. The brakes feature a new copper-free pad compound that won't harm aquatic life when their dust gets into waterways, which Cadillac engineers say took a lot of work to nail. Nail, they did; this pad compound has great feel—and, Cadillac says, the same longevity as a copper-laden equivalent. 

Like any modern GM performance product, there's a lot of computing power on board. A new electronic limited-slip differential, housed in a new aluminum case that saves a significant 22 pounds, is controlled by the excellent and highly incremental Performance Traction Management system. With driver aids either fully on or off, they wouldn't work as well without a nimble car underneath. The 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is eager to turn into corners, happy to rotate predictably with the throttle, and enthusiastic about another lap. Cadillac (and GM in general) is absolutely on top of its steering feel game, too, and the CT4-V Blackwing combines fantastic precision, good weighting, and clear and unequivocal feedback in a microsuede-wrapped helm. 

The ATS-V's manual transmission was a little too notchy to be truly enjoyable, and it was slower around a track than the automatic. The 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing's standard manual complicates the picture a bit, because even though it's technically slower, the Tremec-sourced manual is absolutely lovely to use. Short and precise, each shift provides the ideal amount of positive engagement without heavy drag as you slot into the gate. Plus, manual CT4-V Blackwings now feature no-lift shifting, which works as advertised to knock an iota of time off each shift.

There's no knock against the 10-speed automatic, which is competent and economical on the road and whip-crack sharp on the track. It's smart enough to leave alone on the circuit; it will find the right ratio for the job as you focus on getting your lines correct. Cracking off the gear changes manually with the shift paddles is fast but not as satisfying as a true dual-clutch setup. There may be some subjective trade-offs between the two, but even manual transmission snobs should admit you can't go wrong with either gearbox. 

Yet even at that number, the interior design and materials are barely on par with expectations. The CT4 comes closer, in general, than before, but it still doesn't feel as special inside as its rivals both above and below its price point. There are elements of greatness, like the optional highly bolstered bucket seats, which hug without hurting and are all-day comfortable. The optional Performance Data Recorder is also a strong value if track use is a possibility, and it works with Cosworth Toolbox, an advanced performance data analysis app. But interior quality isn't why you should buy a CT4-V Blackwing. No, it's how it romps around a track or down a squiggly back road. And how it makes you feel while doing it (hint: great).

The 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing packs so much entertainment value for the asking price, so much subjective enjoyment from its major controls, so many chassis learnings from Cadillac's nearly 20-year-old V-Series program into one subcompact package that it's hard to argue with the result. As a last hurrah for Cadillac's fossil-fuel-huffing tire-smokers, this one nails the brief. 

(motortrend.com)