Made in Mississippi: The Nissan Frontier Pickup Truck Earns Top Honors

Nissan Frontier’s Core Strengths

Built for Durability

The Nissan Frontier uses a fully boxed ladder frame. This gives it rigid structural integrity and makes it suitable for hauling, towing, and off-road duty.

Simple Powertrain, Big Results

The 3.8-liter V6 delivers 310 horsepower and 281 lb-ft of torque without forced induction. There’s no turbo. No hybrid complexity. Just proven mechanical reliability.

Clean, Modern Interior

Nissan designed the interior with physical knobs, intuitive controls, and a focus on usability. It avoids overloading drivers with touchscreens and menus.

Key interior features include:

• Standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 8- or 9-inch touchscreen options
• Zero Gravity front seats
• Optional Fender premium audio system

Safety Features

Standard safety tech includes:

• Automatic emergency braking
• Lane departure warning
• Blind spot monitoring
• Rear cross traffic alert

The Frontier meets modern expectations without overcomplicating the drive.

Who the Frontier Is For

The Nissan Frontier works for practical truck buyers who want:

• A truck under $40,000 USD
• Real towing and payload capacity
• No over-reliance on software
• American-built reliability

Fleet buyers, tradespeople, and rural owners prefer simpler trucks. The Frontier serves that market without pretending to be a luxury SUV.

How It Compares to Competitors

Key differences:

• The Frontier is the only one with a standard V6
• It has fewer trims, which simplifies decision-making
• It’s generally less expensive than competitors with similar features

Why Nissan Keeps Building It in Mississippi

Strategic Location

Canton is within one day's drive of key markets in the southern and midwestern U.S. That cuts shipping time and cost.

Workforce and Experience

The Canton workforce has been building Frontiers for more than two decades. That experience matters. Skilled labor = consistent quality.

Cost Efficiency

Mississippi offers:

• Lower overhead costs compared to northern states
• Business incentives for manufacturing
• A willing labor pool that values job stability

All of these are advantages for long-term production.

Public Voting: What It Says About the Frontier

The MMA and MEC competition was driven by public votes. That means regular people—not just auto critics—chose the Frontier.

In the final round, it beat out products from:

• Military equipment manufacturers
• Medical device companies
• Food processors

This shows how much economic and emotional value people attach to this truck.

What the Frontier Symbolizes

The Frontier stands for:

• American manufacturing strength
• Durable engineering
• Blue-collar utility

It’s not trying to dominate tech headlines or win luxury awards. It just works, and that’s exactly what many buyers want.

Nissan’s Bigger Picture in Canton

While the Frontier gets the spotlight today, the Canton plant is preparing for its EV future.

Nissan has committed to producing electric sedans and crossovers in Mississippi by 2026. But it’s not abandoning combustion trucks. The Frontier will remain part of the product mix.

This dual strategy lets Nissan:

• Serve both traditional truck buyers and EV adopters
• Retain skilled labor
• Maximize return on its plant investment

Local Economic Impact

Canton’s plant supports more than just Nissan jobs.

Ripple effects include:

• Auto parts suppliers throughout the region
• Logistics firms moving materials and finished vehicles
• Restaurants and services that support plant workers

Every Frontier built in Canton supports dozens of indirect jobs.

Key Takeaways

• The Nissan Frontier was named the “Coolest Thing Made in Mississippi” by a public vote
• It’s built in Canton, Mississippi, at a plant that’s delivered over 5 million vehicles since 2003
• It’s a midsize truck that’s reliable, affordable, and American-built
• The 3.8L V6 engine and body-on-frame design make it durable and capable
• It competes well with the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, and Chevy Colorado
• Nissan is investing $500 million USD into Canton for future EVs, but the Frontier remains a core product