# 2005 frontier fuel economy question



## 05_NISMO_FRONTIER (Mar 20, 2005)

2005 Nissan Frontier Nismo Crewcab
4.0 liter 265 horse//285 torque

15 // 22
city highway


for a mid-sized truck! isnt that too much gas??? plus!! with the gas pricesi n orange county! -_-

how much does the Nissan Titan run per gallon?


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## Reverendbiker (Jan 29, 2005)

05_NISMO_FRONTIER said:


> 2005 Nissan Frontier Nismo Crewcab
> 4.0 liter 265 horse//285 torque
> 
> 15 // 22
> ...


From my own experience and reports I've seen from other owners, the Frontier gets eceptionally good mileage for its class. I average a documented 18.2 MPG combined, and almost 22 MPG highway. That's better than the Tacoma V-6, and the Frontier does it on 87-octane while the Taco requires premium.


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## disappointedtitan (Mar 7, 2004)

My frontier is a nismo 4x4 kingcab with 4000 miles on it, and for a "real" comparison, my best hwy mileage has been about 16, at 70-75 mph. In the city I get 14.5 driving like jeff gordon. The titan I had was a se 4x4 king cab got 15 hwy(the best it got), and 13-14 in the city. Either way not much diffrence in my opinion, Id rather still have my titan, but the pos was falling apart after only 14000 miles


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## milou2 (Jan 27, 2005)

2005 Frontier SE CC Auto

My results to date:

odometer miles/gal
1658 18.25
1941 18.33
2156 18.48
2459 20.26 highway trip
2721 19.27

It looks to get better with each tank.

I have to admit that I have a pretty light foot even though the power is tempting at times.

My first post. Bought my truck in Jan. Love it.


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## spookyload (Oct 29, 2005)

Just put the second tank of gas in my SE CC 4x2 auto trans. I got 17.8 MPG for the first one, but I don't think the dealership filled it up all the way for some reason. It read full, but it only got 260 miles on the tank. I was a little worried about mileage as I drive 20 miles to work with half being highway. On the last fill up, I was able to go 344 miles before the light came on. I got 20.6 MPG driving the same route/conditions. Much happier with that. Looks like my gas light comes on with 4-5 gallons in the tank still, but doesn't really matter as I can figure out how far I can drive base on the 21 gallon tank and average mileage. :waving:


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## James (Apr 29, 2002)

17.8mpg w/ 700 miles on the odometer. I got an 05 4x4 CC Manual transmission. I'm hoping after it breaks in it will settle closer to 20mpg.


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## AGR (Oct 16, 2005)

This is interesting. I just filled up. *22.1 mpg * on my latest tank! I have 1485 miles on my Frontier SE V6 (6 speed). :thumbup:

Oh! And; I have been putting my foot into it a little more, too.


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## SD Frontier (Oct 17, 2005)

AGR said:


> This is interesting. I just filled up. *22.1 mpg * on my latest tank! I have 1485 miles on my Frontier SE V6 (6 speed). :thumbup:
> 
> Oh! And; I have been putting my foot into it a little more, too.


damn...i've never gotten more than 17.96 mpg and that was highway on the first fill up (well more than half highway)

every other tank has been less than 17. is there a problem? i dont think i have a lead foot by any means. i even tend to start too slow off the line. 1800 miles on it so far. i hope it gets better.


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## surfermsd (Oct 3, 2005)

what is the differnce in tire sizes from the NISMO compared to the other models


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## dcp673 (Oct 14, 2005)

Nismo CC 4x2 getting 17.4 city and 20.5 hwy at 70ish mph.


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## James (Apr 29, 2002)

AGR said:


> This is interesting. I just filled up. *22.1 mpg * on my latest tank! I have 1485 miles on my Frontier SE V6 (6 speed). :thumbup:
> 
> Oh! And; I have been putting my foot into it a little more, too.


is that calculated or taken off the trip computer?


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## 05 NISMO 4X4 (Jun 4, 2005)

surfermsd said:


> what is the differnce in tire sizes from the NISMO compared to the other models


XE = 235/75-15
NISMO = 265/75-16
SE = 265/70-16
LE = 265/65-17

I read somewhere that the NISMO tire is the equivilent to a 32x10.5-16, so it's probably the tallest tire in the bunch, it also comes stock with a lower ratio rear end. I'm guessing that if you ran the three models side by side at 60 mph, the NISMO would probably be turing the most RPMs and the LE the least. This would explain (with the exception of those with the manual transmission) why the LE see the best MPG and the NISMO sees the worse, especially in the 4X4 models.


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## 05 NISMO 4X4 (Jun 4, 2005)

James said:


> is that calculated or taken off the trip computer?


I've wondered if that makes a difference, being as the computer is giving average MPG. For a while I was resetting the MPG reading after every fill-up and never saw much over 16.8 MPG. I have not reset the MPG reading for the last three fill-ups, and it's reading 17.1 MPG. I've never actually calculated it to see the actual, I should do that on my next fill-up.


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## James (Apr 29, 2002)

05 NISMO 4X4 said:


> I've wondered if that makes a difference, being as the computer is giving average MPG. For a while I was resetting the MPG reading after every fill-up and never saw much over 16.8 MPG. I have not reset the MPG reading for the last three fill-ups, and it's reading 17.1 MPG. I've never actually calculated it to see the actual, I should do that on my next fill-up.


The trip computer on my I35 is extremely optimistic. Actual is usually 10-20% less.


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## mainerunr (Jul 30, 2005)

05 NISMO 4X4 said:


> XE = 235/75-15
> NISMO = 265/75-16
> SE = 265/70-16
> LE = 265/65-17
> ...


Actually, My SE CC 6-spd has the same rear end as a KC Nismo (6-spd) and if I remember right it is THE lowest rear end ratio of the bunch.

And I'm still averaging 19.5mpg for over 5500 miles (mostly back roads and I get on it at least twice each way to and from work...) Best tank was 21 (all highway) worst is still 17.3 or something (all city, wife driving).


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## 05 NISMO 4X4 (Jun 4, 2005)

mainerunr said:


> Actually, My SE CC 6-spd has the same rear end as a KC Nismo (6-spd) and if I remember right it is THE lowest rear end ratio of the bunch.
> 
> And I'm still averaging 19.5mpg for over 5500 miles (mostly back roads and I get on it at least twice each way to and from work...) Best tank was 21 (all highway) worst is still 17.3 or something (all city, wife driving).


Alas, this is why I commented on the exception to the manual transmission equiped models in my last comment! The manual seems to make quite a bit of difference! You are getting some great mileage, and if I recall correctly, you do have the 4X4 correct?


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## inyourface1650 (Oct 6, 2005)

The titan gets worse than the frontier, I can assure you


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## scuba91ta (Aug 19, 2005)

About 16-17 around town, and i've seen as high as 22ish on mine on the highway, thats 65mph, cruise ON... 

05 4x4 nismo KC...


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## Tboneroks (Nov 17, 2005)

i average right at 20 combined city/highway


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## inyourface1650 (Oct 6, 2005)

My average is about 15.4....but Im 18 years old, so I dont think I count


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## wensk (Oct 30, 2005)

inyourface1650 said:


> My average is about 15.4....but Im 18 years old, so I dont think I count


Don't underestimate yourself. 

That's what I'm getting too so far...800 miles


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## surfermsd (Oct 3, 2005)

driving to work everyday about 5 miles city driving, i am getting about 13-15 mpg. Driving on the freeway i am getting around 19mpg. I am in now way driving conservatively so i am happy with what i am getting. It seems to be getting better with the more miles I put on the truck. This is on a 4x4 Nismo CC


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## Franko Manini (Nov 22, 2005)

05 NISMO 4X4 CC, Auto:
Average at 17.5 MPG
About a 50/50 mix of city and highway.


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## mainerunr (Jul 30, 2005)

6400 miles at my last fill-up...19.52mpg overall.

Going on a 300 mile trip tonight (carrying a 6' long tv stand/entertainment center) so we'll see how it goes. last time I made this trip I logged 700 miles in the weekend and averaged 20.8mpg. Of course, I may need 4wd this time (and speaking of that, it was slick this morning and the stock grabbers are horrid...that or I'm just still used to how my 4-cyl was in the snow...)


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## rhymes (Nov 23, 2005)

*Fuel Mileage sucks!!*



Franko Manini said:


> 05 NISMO 4X4 CC, Auto:
> Average at 17.5 MPG
> About a 50/50 mix of city and highway.


Hey Franko,

Sounds like your mileage isn't great either. I have a 05 Frontier LE CC 4x4 and I am averaging about 14-15 miles per gallon or17.5-18.5L/100 km in the city. Now that the weather is starting to get cold I getting about 19.6L/100 km. When I first got the truck in Mar.05 I was averaging 16.5 L/100 km which I didn't think was bad, however now that I have 22000 km it seems to be getting worse. In my view this is absolutely ridiculous. I am not driving the truck hard if I do the mileage get even worse. I have consulted my dealership and they say that there is nothing wrong. Have you had the same experience? Is Nissan just to embarassed to post the true stats on there products?


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## Frosty (Nov 14, 2005)

rhymes said:


> Hey Franko,
> 
> Sounds like your mileage isn't great either. I have a 05 Frontier LE CC 4x4 and I am averaging about 14-15 miles per gallon or17.5-18.5L/100 km in the city. Now that the weather is starting to get cold I getting about 19.6L/100 km. When I first got the truck in Mar.05 I was averaging 16.5 L/100 km which I didn't think was bad, however now that I have 22000 km it seems to be getting worse. In my view this is absolutely ridiculous. I am not driving the truck hard if I do the mileage get even worse. I have consulted my dealership and they say that there is nothing wrong. Have you had the same experience? Is Nissan just to embarassed to post the true stats on there products?


Oh great, hopefully my mileage doesn't go down from here on in. I have just under 2000 km on mine and I calculated my last tank at 16.3 L/100 km or about 15 miles per gallon (pure city).

Are you warming the truck up for a long time? All that idling will count against your fuel economy.


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## 05fronty (Oct 18, 2005)

Frosty said:


> Oh great, hopefully my mileage doesn't go down from here on in. I have just under 2000 km on mine and I calculated my last tank at 16.3 L/100 km or about 15 miles per gallon (pure city).
> 
> Are you warming the truck up for a long time? All that idling will count against your fuel economy.


I average 18.5-19.0 in the city with a CC SE V6 6 speed.


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## rhymes (Nov 23, 2005)

*Fuel Mileage concern!*



Frosty said:


> Oh great, hopefully my mileage doesn't go down from here on in. I have just under 2000 km on mine and I calculated my last tank at 16.3 L/100 km or about 15 miles per gallon (pure city).
> 
> Are you warming the truck up for a long time? All that idling will count against your fuel economy.


Hey Frosty,

Can't say I been doing a lot of idling. To scared to let it run, might run out of gas sitting there. HaHa. Not sure what the problem is, I'm hoping the stats that got sent to Nissan Canada will reveal something. If not I guess I will just keep filling it up. I've heard though that a cat back system helped an individual with the same problem on a 04 Titan. Pay for exhaust work or pay for gas, which is the worst of 2 evils.


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## Franko Manini (Nov 22, 2005)

rhymes said:


> Hey Franko,
> 
> Sounds like your mileage isn't great either. I have a 05 Frontier LE CC 4x4 and I am averaging about 14-15 miles per gallon or17.5-18.5L/100 km in the city. Now that the weather is starting to get cold I getting about 19.6L/100 km. When I first got the truck in Mar.05 I was averaging 16.5 L/100 km which I didn't think was bad, however now that I have 22000 km it seems to be getting worse. In my view this is absolutely ridiculous. I am not driving the truck hard if I do the mileage get even worse. I have consulted my dealership and they say that there is nothing wrong. Have you had the same experience? Is Nissan just to embarassed to post the true stats on there products?


I can't say that I have enoguh miles und the truck to give an accurate representation of the mileage. Currently I'm looking at the trip computer's calculation of 16.5 l/100km. lf it continues, I'll be a little dissapointed, but it's still better than my 1988 Pathfinder with the 3.0L V6 which I traded on the truck.

I know that the standard tranny is more efficient than the auto, and I've read other posts that indicate the difference in gear ratios between the NISMO versions and the LEs/SEs could account for some mileage issues.

Compared to a Titan, or heaven forbid, a HEMI Ram, we're still way better off.


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## Frosty (Nov 14, 2005)

rhymes said:


> Hey Frosty,
> 
> Can't say I been doing a lot of idling. To scared to let it run, might run out of gas sitting there. HaHa. Not sure what the problem is, I'm hoping the stats that got sent to Nissan Canada will reveal something. If not I guess I will just keep filling it up. I've heard though that a cat back system helped an individual with the same problem on a 04 Titan. Pay for exhaust work or pay for gas, which is the worst of 2 evils.


The solution, of course, is to drive less 

You could always do something more drastic like run narrower tires to reduce the fuel consumption. That should reduce the resistance from the road, but traction would probably go with it. With you living in Winnipeg, that's probably not a good option.

How about tire pressure? Lower temps in the winter mean lower tire pressure. Come to think of it, I should probably go check mine.


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## NISMO311 (Nov 17, 2005)

I have toyo mudders on my truck. 285/75/16 and my last two tanks were roughly 11-13mph. I dont quite understand what the problem is. Its pissing me off though. I knew the tires would hurt a little but before I was around 15-17mpg. I also just installed my k&n intake and that doesnt seem to be helping matters. :thumbdwn: 06 nismo auto


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## mainerunr (Jul 30, 2005)

05 NISMO 4X4 said:


> Alas, this is why I commented on the exception to the manual transmission equiped models in my last comment! The manual seems to make quite a bit of difference! You are getting some great mileage, and if I recall correctly, you do have the 4X4 correct?



Yup, I've got a 4x4. I 'only' averaged 19.6mpg on the trip up here this weekend, tailgate down, crap in the back and about 1/6th of the miles in 4wd.

I'm certainly not going to argue that the mileage of this truck is bad. Not sure what I'll get on this tank as its been mostly in town, in 4wd and I've been playing in the back field (6-8" of snow) :fluffy: 

I'm still guessing I'll be over 17mpg since 'in town' up here is a few stop signs and 6-8 mile trips (plus idling at the border crossings for a couple minutes each way...and I've crossed quite a few times). So far, 200 miles on just over half a tank when I normally get 220-230 on the first half (and much less on the second 'half')


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