Compared: 2024 Ford Ranger vs. 2024 Nissan Frontier

These two midsizers offer configurations that run the gamut from basic work truck to feature-rich hauler.

Emme Hall | 

Mar 12, 2024 | 4 min read

Ford | Nissan

Sometimes you just need a truck. Whether you've got to haul mulch and yard tools from the hardware store or tow your toys out to the lake, nothing allows you to get it all done like a good ol' pickup truck. One of these two midsize offerings, the 2024 Ford Ranger and 2024 Nissan Frontier, could be a great choice for your truck needs.

Ford

Ranger Can Haul and Tow More but Frontier Offers Longer Bed Option

The Ranger is the better bet when it comes to towing, with a maximum capability of 7,500 pounds. A properly equipped Nissan Frontier comes in much lower at up to 6,640 pounds. The Ford also wins on payload — with a small caveat. While a two-wheel-drive Ranger can haul 1,805 pounds, it is only offered with a standard 5-foot bed.

The Ranger is the more expensive of the two trucks and starts at around $34,000. Adding four-wheel drive increases the bottom line by about $3,500. A turbocharged V6 engine will be made available later in 2024, but pricing has not been confirmed yet. The powerful and capable Ranger Raptor boasts 405 horsepower and starts just above $57,000.

Nissan

The Frontier, however, is available with a 6-foot-long bed in both extended- and crew-cab forms for hauling longer items. That said, the maximum payload rating is just 1,620 pounds for a two-wheel-drive King Cab Frontier.

If saving money is nonnegotiable, the Frontier deserves a look. An extended-cab S trim in two-wheel drive starts at about $31,000. Four-wheel drive runs about $3,000 more. Though Nissan offers an off-road-oriented trim on the Frontier — the Pro-X starts at $38,000 with RWD and $41,000 with 4WD — it's not as powerful or as capable as the Raptor.

Ford

Frontier Has a Lower Price, But Ranger Has More Available Features

Both trucks offer a trim to appeal to enthusiasts. Ford goes for off-road ability with the Ranger Raptor, while Nissan attempts to appeal to nostalgia with the 1980s-inspired Hardbody Frontier. However, the Ford has more features intended to make work easier.

Ford's Pro Trailer Back Up Assist technology makes the arduous task of reversing a trailer less stressful and more accurate. There is also an available side step behind the rear tires to make accessing gear in the bed a breeze. Neither feature is available on the Nissan.

Nissan

Inside, the Ranger has a standard 10.0-inch infotainment screen and can go big with an available 12.4-inch screen. The largest screen you can get in a Frontier is 9.0 inches. The standard display is an inch smaller. Both trucks can be had with adaptive cruise control.

Ford

Ranger Has a Larger Range of Engines but Frontier Is More Frugal

The Ford Ranger is offered only with a SuperCrew cab and standard bed in XL, XLT, Lariat, and Raptor trims in two- or four-wheel drive. If you want more options, the Frontier comes with a crew or king cab; standard or long bed; S, SV, SL, Pro-X, and Pro-4X trims; and two- or four-wheel drive.

The Ranger gets a turbocharged engine standard with 270 horsepower returning 21/25/22 mpg city/highway/combined on the EPA's test cycles in two- or four-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive returns a bit less in the city and highway at 20/24/22 mpg. A larger V6 engine with 315 ponies will be available later in 2024. Fuel-economy numbers have not been released for this larger powerplant.

The Ranger Raptor's engine goes even snarlier with 405 horsepower and an EPA fuel-economy rating of 16/18/17 mpg.

Nissan

The Frontier is only available with a 3.8-liter V6 under the hood; it produces 310 horsepower. A two-wheel-drive Frontier is rated for 18/24/21 mpg, while four-wheel drive nets a bit less, with an EPA fuel-economy rating of 18/23/20 mpg. The high-riding Pro-4X trim drops the mileage even more, to 18/22/19 mpg.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Emme Hall

Emme Hall loves small convertibles and gets out to the canyons in her 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata whenever she can. You can also find her in the dirt in her lifted (yes, that's right) 2001 Mazda Miata, or racing air-cooled Volkswagens in races like the Baja 1000. She's taken first place twice in the Rebelle Rally — once driving a Jeep Wrangler and then a Rolls-Royce Cullinan the second time. She was also the first driver to take an electric vehicle to the Rebelle Rally when campaigning the Rivian R1T to a top-five finish.