Old and New: Musings on a Pair of Nissan Pickups
If Nissan had built cars in the 14th century, I have no doubt that the theologian William of Ockham would have been first in line for this 1983 720 GL Long Bed pickup. The math doesn’t work, obviously, and by all accounts he failed his driving test, but his lasting philosophical nugget still rings true: “The simplest explanation is usually the best one.”
There has never been a simpler explanation for a pickup truck than this thing. Especially when it’s parked beside its entirely elaborate kin, the Frontier Pro-4X. That this particular two-wheel-drive 720 happens to be the very first vehicle to roll off of Nissan’s Smyrna, Tennessee, production line—Job 1, as they say, built June 16, 1983—is just a pleasant bonus.
Nissan North America was kind enough to let me drive it, and the Frontier, on a recent event that paired a trio of past and present vehicles from the company’s catalog, and the white 720 was my first stint of the day. The odometer read a simple three digits—755—when I got in and turned the key.
And as 103 horses neighed and 104 feet pounded while the little 2.4-liter twin-spark four-cylinder warmed up on the roof of the parking deck at Nissan HQ, I took stock of “The Tennessee Special,” as PR man Jonathan Buhler referred to it: immaculate blue vinyl bench seat; manual windows and locks; radio delete; A/C delete; horn and hazards delete (from age, one suspects, not from the factory); a rearview mirror but no side mirrors—though I would later discover the dealer-optional driver’s mirror in the glovebox, along with its mounting hardware, still packaged; and a hard plastic dash punctuated, almost ostentatiously given the circumstances, by a shiny thin strip of brown plastic wood veneer.
To stand and look at the Nissan, you first notice the condition. It’s so clean. Then you realize just how small it is by today’s standards—and not only compared to small pickups, but to everything. A new Maxima could eat this thing where it sits on its cute little beauty-ringed 14-inch steel wheels. The eight-foot-long bed is almost too long, bordering on the comical, like maybe it’s really 12 feet, somehow. I didn’t try it, but I bet you could fit the entire truck in there, though it would likely exceed max payload.
On the road, this thing is no get-up-and-goer. Rather, it is an ambler of the first sort. The thin blue steering wheel feels light and requires zero muscle. In fact, nothing works very hard, just very well, and it is perfect for slow-cruising the meandering two-lanes that wend their way through the countryside southeast from Franklin. Roll the window down, stick an arm out, go. Even with windows up, however, I noted that it still sounds like they are down, such was the state of sound deadening in austere imports back in June ’83. Seriously, for the first 10 minutes or so, I really thought I’d left a door open.
With each vehicle change throughout the day, the other journalists who hopped out of the 720 all agreed: The little truck was delightful, a fan favorite. The 720 was Nissan’s base-model truck, and one so equipped would have cost about $3000 back in ’83. The fact that you see so few of them on the road today is an unfortunate testament to their general rode-hard-and-put-away-wet disposability back then. There’s a small but passionate fanbase out there for old Datsun trucks, however, particularly the 520 and 620 series of the 1970s. There are exceptions, of course, but you’d be hard pressed to find any vintage Datsun pickup selling for much more than about $10,000, even in great shape.
A vehicle unremarkable in period tends to translate to cheap and accessible today, which is good news for fans of frugality—and 14th century philosophers.
Standing in stark contrast to its long, low forebear is the Frontier Pro-4X, a $42,000 beefcake in Afterburn Orange. The Frontier nameplate has been with us since 1997, when it succeeded the popular Hardbody, which was preceded by the 720 above.
If you squint, you could make the argument that this newest, brawniest Frontier is remarkably similar in its sneer and many sharp angles to its chief competitors, the Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road and the Chevy Colorado Trail Boss. Badge-swapping the three would likely go unnoticed by enormous swaths of the population.
To be fair, though, the Frontier does lack some of the exterior fussiness of the other two, particularly up front, and it certainly looks capable, not that I actually put it to the test off-pavement, which is probably pretty true to the actual use it will get in the hands of 95 percent of its owners. But its Bilstein suspension, locking rear differential, underbody skidplates, 9.5-inch clearance, 32-degree approach angle, and a plethora of “Oh shit!” handles all speak to those off-road chops. The 310-hp, 3.8-liter V-6 packs a punch and the nine-speed automatic, well, it shifts forever—three times as much as the auto box in the 720, anyway.
The interior, like all new-car interiors of a certain ilk, feels lux, with a big power sunroof, no shortage of touchscreen real estate, various cameras, nannies that bing and bong at you, wireless device charging, auto stop-start, seat and steering wheel heaters, and lots of black leather punctuated by red stitching. There’s plenty of sound deadening, too; not once did I think I’d left a door open.
Besides being a lot more orange, next to the 720, the Frontier’s cab is longer, its bed shorter, and it stands about six times as tall. You feel that, of course, out on the road as you tower over lesser traffic to the extent that “aerial command” should probably be advertised as a standard feature. (Newness aside, the Pro-4X trim isn’t exactly comparable to the bare-bones 720 GL; today’s comp would be the base S trim.)
To say that the Frontier Pro-4X and the 720 are cut from the same cloth is both true and false at once. They are Nissan pickup trucks, true. But the passage of time and the passing of laws and the passé of simplicity for its own sake have ushered today’s version down a different, more complicated path. Which only serves to reinforce just how wonderful it is to have the old version out there, ambling the backroads of America, the perfect explanation of a pickup truck.
Amazing how far we’ve (advanced?) in 40 years. My 2017 Colorado shares DNA with my 1983 S-10, but there is nothing remotely similar other than the bowtie emblem.
Hmmm I see Honda’s!
Just thinking more changes may be on the way soon.
Excellent comparison. Recent engine problems with our Audi and Volvo have afforded me the opportunity to daily drive my ‘89 Mazda b2600i pickup. Just about everything that you noticed in the 720 is similar to the Mazda – particularly the noise. But it has been completely reliable. And it most certainly did not come out of a museum, in fact, I dragged it out of a junkyard and brought it back to life three or four years ago. If I don’t screw it up, it’ll probably be running long after I have forgotten the Audi and the Volvo.
I miss this size of truck. I miss the base model actually being available on a lot.
I don’t need most of the “new great” features.
You could build this quieter and safer without losing the small and affordable completely.
At some point consumers have to wake up and stop taking mortgage-size car payments on? [not holding my breath]
Many complain about size and options.
I have owned the smaller trucks and they are so limited. Space, hauling and towing.
Also the options are where money is made not the truck. We see no base trucks today as there is no real money in them.
Yeah, I’m trying to find a low optioned new F-150 single cab long bed and the best I can find is $38k, and only in white. Which is only slightly less than we paid for my wife’s high optioned Highlander 10 years ago.
I just bought a P4X a few weeks ago and I love it! After getting out of a Ram 2500 6.4L I was fearful of the transition in size. Also being a lifelong Dodge/Ram owner it was a big leap for me…no regrets!
It’s less complicated than the hybrid or turbocharged vehicles that are in the market now. It doesn’t have every new feature out there and to me that’s a good thing. I hope it does well.
I bought a Frontier King Cab S trim the day after Christmas. I wanted a truck, not a family hauler with all of the bells and whistles. The S trim is about as close as I can get anymore. I’m looking forward to using it as a parts hauler for my Z cars. It has great visibility and manual mirrors matched with a 6 foot bed. I wouldn’t have minded a truck around the size of the small trucks of yesteryear, but unfortunately those days are gone. The positive side is that I can tow more safely with this truck than I could with those mighty mites from 30 years ago.
For all of the issues Nissan has experienced over the last 20+ years, I think they got the Z and Frontier right.
I bought a brand new ’85 Nissan base 4×4; it was a dealer ad “loss leader” in white/ blue like this example. The drivers vinyl seat bottom soon started splitting (I bought a replacement from the dealer). It was a good running truck, but I found the seat back really uncomfortable. It was excruciating on any long drive.
I replaced it with another base loss leader in ’93: a white/blue Toyota 2wd shortbed. I could drive that truck all day without discomfort- wish I’d never sold it.
i have a ’81 4×4 longbed, waiting for refurbishing. i find the bench seats in the 720s rather comfortable. too bad you weren’t.
My first new vehicle was a 1983 Nissan pickup. 4-cylinder 5 speed. Paid $5,888 straight off the lot. I was driving 80 miles a day back and forth to Temple University in North Philadelphia for four years. Kept the wear and tear off my Chevelle, was economical to run, and totally reliable. Did good in the snow, too. I had a part-time job as a fabricator, so I built a rear bumper out of 1/8″ steel and 1/4″ aluminum diamond plate (For that price they didn’t come with rear bumpers). Installed my own stereo, too – broke my heart to drill the antenna holes in a week-old truck, but……..
I found out how good that rear bumper was when a drunk tried to park a 1969 Camaro in the bed while I was stopped at a traffic light. Didn’t hurt the rear bumper at all (the Camaro rode up over it), but wazoo-d my tailgate (it still worked, though) and did $1K worth of miscellaneous damage. I got paid for that, graduated from Temple, and proceeded to trade the Nissan in on a new 1987 S-10 Blazer. Chevy dealer gave me $5K in trade for the 88,000-mile Nissan (with the damage I was paid $1K for but hadn’t fixed). Other than regular maintenance, it never cost me a dime…….and it was a hard-working little truck.
Later I would have a variety of Chevrolet pickups, an ’87 F-150, and a 1998 Dodge V-10 4×4 Dually (I bought that used in 2008 from a buddy that bought it new). THAT was an awesome truck……never had to worry about not having “enough truck” to haul a load of stone, mulch, concrete or whatever. Excellent tow rig, too.
By 2020 the big Dodge was having a lot of strange electrical and underbody corrosion issues. It was time to let some landscaper, mason or farmer have it for its last few years. Traded it in………..on a 52,000-mile 2016 Nissan Frontier V-6 4X4 with the extended cab. This one had a lot more options than my first one……power steering, power windows, A/C, decent tunes………and it even came with a rear bumper.
Added bed protection, extra tiedowns, a custom cross-body toolbox (made from a used full-size aluminum diamond plate siderail box we cut down), a custom-made stainless steel ladder rack, and just for laughs, “Raptor Lights” in the grille. Good tow rig, too. Not a full-size truck, but gets the job done. Just like my first Nissan, she’s a hard-working and reliable little unit.
Like TonyD95B, my first new vehicle was a 1983½ Blue Nissan pickup, short bed,4-cylinder 5 speed. It was a base model but I added the A/C kit from the dealer for $800 – best money I ever spent living here in Louisiana. I drove it 35 miles a day back and forth to McNeese State University in Lake Charles to get my engineering degree. Like he mentioned they didn’t come with rear bumpers, but the dealer added a bumper with his name and city advertised on it. I also installed an Alpine stereo/speakers and added fog lights. I drove it over 100,000 miles and really hated to get rid of it, but I ended up with a company car and my wife couldn’t drive and shift it once we had a couple of kids in car seats.
Bought my first small pickup back in the early 80s, back when Toyota just called their truck a pickup. The 4 Runner back then was basically the same vehicle with a fiberglass cab attached to the bed. The truck was $ 6000.00 back then, and the 4 Runner was $ 9000.00. Drove that little red Toyota pickup for years, never had a issue. 2 years ago I bought a new Ford Maverick, such a disappointment. Rattles and 2 recalls right away. Could not wait to trade it. Now I have a Santa Cruz, functions like a truck, rides like a car, no problems so far, good solid vehicle from Hyundai.
just a correction, not a complaint. the 720 series truck’s longbeds were 7′. also, the outside mirror(s) were installed at the dealer during pdi (pre-delivery inspection). this truck went straight to display in the smyrna, tn plant.
i currently own 521, 620, and 720 series trucks. when a nissan mechanic, i bought new an early ’86 strippie longbed with lots of dealer accessories. rode relatively smooth, being a longbed. commuted in it 33k mi and 2 yrs. also took it with an 8′ cabover camper on trips. its z-series engine is an in de struc ti ble unit. 24-28 mpg most of the time. cruised nicely @ 90 mph on i-10 thru tx with some crosswind noise only. had 2 other trucks at the time, so traded in this one for a ’88 maxima se (still got it).
now, if the current frontiers had a manual trans still available…
I’ll take the 1983 model any time. I think $42K for the new one is way too high.
My brother had a ’85 Nissan pickup that suffered frame rot from the salt in Quebec. Nicknamed the “Flexi-Flyer”, it had a 2×4 wedged between the box and the cab to alleviate the symptoms. Sold it for export to Africa. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s still on the road.