Dodge Dakota vs. Nissan Frontier Review

Utility
The Dodge Dakota's bigger trunk will accommodate more big objects than the Nissan Frontier. Neither the Dakota nor the Frontier has a marked advantage in terms of seating capacity. The Dodge is likely a better choice than the Frontier with respect to transporting cargo, especially if you often need to carry a lot of equipment or sizeable animals.

Dimensions
The Dodge Dakota is considerably heavier than the Nissan Frontier. The Nissan Frontier's tank is almost the same size as the Dodge Dakota's, though the Dodge Dakota's is a little larger. The Frontier and the Dodge Dakota compete for the same parking spaces.

Convenience
The Dodge Dakota's fuel tank will need to be replenished a bit more often than the unit in the Nissan Frontier.

Cost
The destination charge is a standard charge for transporting the vehicle from its point of origin to the dealer. It costs roughly the same to get the Dodge Dakota to the dealership as the Nissan. The Dakota won't tax your gas budget substantially more than the Nissan Frontier will. The Nissan Frontier won't save you much money at the pump compared to the Dodge. Regarding MSRP, the Nissan Frontier doesn't cost much less than the Dodge Dakota.

Handling
With their similar turning circles, the Nissan and the Dodge Dakota definitely handle about the same into and out of tight spots.

Drivetrain
The Nissan Frontier's engine is tremendously smaller than the Dakota's. Note that smaller engines can be stressed more; however, smaller engines are often cheaper to fix. Torque equals pickup, and the Dodge Dakota will have picked up and gone by the time the Nissan Frontier finally gets moving. Torque is the force that lets you accelerate quickly, and in this respect, the Dodge Dakota is considerably more powerful than the Frontier.

Comfort
While the front cabin in the Nissan Frontier offers a bit more head room than the Dakota, there honestly isn't much of a difference. The Dodge provides more head- and leg-room to your passengers than the Frontier does.

Warranty
The Nissan Frontier and the Dodge Dakota have the same basic after-sale protection.