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2014 Nissan Frontier, at the 106th Annual Chicago Auto Show, at McCormick Place

The Nissan Frontier Keeps Getting Ignored for These Most Popular Trucks

If there’s one vehicle segment that continues to grow in popularity, it’s the truck class. For work or for play, there isn’t a scenario in which a truck can’t provide a solution. Every year, you might be used to seeing some of the most favorite brands continue to top the lists, including the Ford, Chevy, and …

If there’s one vehicle segment that continues to grow in popularity, it’s the truck class. For work or for play, there isn’t a scenario in which a truck can’t provide a solution. Every year, you might be used to seeing some of the most favorite brands continue to top the lists, including the Ford, Chevy, and Ram. Considering Americans spent more than $91 billion on truck purchases last year alone, there is a huge market for the automakers to target. But for the Nissan Frontier, getting to the top half of the segment has proven to be difficult.

Some might say it struggles to get any attention at all. And it’s not because it’s not a good truck. In fact, it has plenty to offer as a smaller truck. But somehow, it continues to get ignored and finds itself in the shadows of the other, more popular pickups.

The pickups that usually find the spotlight

Insurify sifted through its in-house customer data and analytics to compile a top 10 list of the most popular trucks in America, and most of the brands represented on their findings won’t surprise you. Coming in at No. 1 is the Ford F-Series, earning top popularity in every state but one.

The Ford Ranger landed at No. 4, meaning the blue oval has two contenders in the top five. Not far behind and coming in at No. 2 is the bowtie favorite of the Chevy Silverado. Its smaller pickup relative, the Chevy Colorado, also makes this list at No. 9. The GMC Sierra, the Ram 1500 and 2500, as well as both Toyota pickups also earned spots on Insurify’s list of America’s favorite trucks.

Nissan makes trucks like the Frontier too

One brand that may not be the most renowned but certainly has plenty to offer in the way of trucks is Nissan. Its full-size offering, the Titan, gets a massive upgrade this year that includes exterior styling, an optional 9-inch touchscreen inside, and a V8 engine that kicks out 400 hp.

If you don’t need that much truck but love your Nissan, you may instead consider the Frontier. This compact truck is solid, comfortable, and predictable. But it does tend to lack the bells and whistles that most of the other vehicles in the segment tend to offer as standard.

The Nissan Frontier made the list

Insurify’s data mining of the most popular U.S. trucks did feature one Nissan on the list. The Frontier came in at No. 8. Remember how Ford ranked the favorite in all U.S. states but one? Well, Hawaii residents prefer their Nissan Frontier pickups.

It’s a no-nonsense truck that tows up to 6,720 pounds and harnesses 261 hp. It delivers but doesn’t seem to mind about amenities and plushy extras. It is, by far, the least glamorous truck on this latest list. But on the flip side, the fewer the frills, the more affordable the price tag. And for many Americans, especially those in Hawaii, the Frontier fits just right.

Not much has changed, good or bad, for the Nissan Frontier since 2005, which may be a reason why it seems to always be out shadowed by other trucks. It’s not going to win any beauty pageants or pull 5,000 pounds of machinery through treacherous conditions. But it does do precisely what Nissan set out for it to do. And if you’re looking for a capable, no fluff pickup, the Frontier might be worth a look.

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