2002 Nissan Frontier Press Kit: Crew Cab Long Bed

The next evolution of the Nissan Frontier Crew Cab is coming this summer – the 2002 Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed. The Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed is the first compact crew cab with a full length bed - the longest bed in the compact crew cab truck class. The debut comes exactly one year after the introduction of the dramatically restyled 2001 Nissan Frontier compact truck lineup that included a factory-installed supercharged V6. All 2002 Frontiers will go on sale at Nissan retailers nationwide in August 2001.

Bed length for the Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed is an impressive 74.6 inches - 18.3 inches longer than the standard Frontier Crew Cab’s 56.3-inch bed. This is larger than any compact truck crew cabs available in the U.S. marketplace and even larger than a few full-size crew cab trucks. Overall length of the Frontier Crew Cab has risen to 211.0 inches, a size that remains maneuverable and still able to fit in a typical garage.

In order to add a larger bed to the already rugged Nissan Crew Cab, 15 inches were added to the 116.1-inch Frontier’s wheelbase, for a total of 131.1 inches, the equivalent of the current Dakota Quad Cab. An additional crossmember was also added and reinforcements were made to the frame’s center box structure.

To ensure the Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed’s usability as a truck for work and play, the payload capability increased approximately 110 pounds and GVWR has increased by approximately 220 pounds. Towing capacity remains up to 5000 pounds (with automatic).

The 2002 Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed is part of a 19-model Frontier lineup that includes numerous body style, engine, transmission and trim choices, features a redesigned instrument panel and console, adoption of a foot-mounted parking brake and an available 9-speaker Rockford Fosgate®-powered audio system with subwoofer (Crew Cab only).

Frontier Crew Cab Long Beds will be available with the same trim levels and option packages as the current Frontier Crew Cab. This includes XE, SE and S/C models, 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive, 5-speed manual (XE) or 4-speed electronically controlled automatic transmissions (SE, S/C, opt. XE) and a 170-horsepower 3.3-liter SOHC V6 or supercharged 210-horsepower 3.3-liter V6 engines.

“Once again, Frontier leads the compact truck class with the most choices for the truck customer,” said Bill Kirrane, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division, Nissan North America, Inc. “The first Crew Cab, introduced two years ago, spawned a legion of imitators. Now we’ve raised the bar for Crew Cab usability – there are no longer any compromises involved with choosing a Frontier Crew Cab.”

The 2002 Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed is the latest in Nissan’s innovative truck history, which includes the first compact pickup in the U.S. (1959), the first half-ton compact pickup (1969), the first extended cab body with the King Cab (1977), the first import brand compact truck manufactured in the U.S. (1983), the first compact truck sold in the U.S. with four full-size forward hinged doors (2000), the first factory-installed supercharger in a compact truck (2001), and now the first long bed crew cab compact truck.

“We expect the Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed to be very popular, almost 60 percent of total Crew Cab sales,” added Kirrane. At an estimated cost of less than $500 to upgrade from the regular Crew Cab bed to the long bed, it’s not hard to see why.”