Where The Road Runs Out, Ep. 1: Mountain Biking in Utah’s San Rafael Swell
Testing the 2022 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X on a desert run that’s muddier than expected.
The team was set to embark on a mountain-biking trip into the badlands. There was just one wrinkle. The night before, a rainstorm had swept across the desert. It wasn’t entirely unexpected; October is the last of three successive wet months, when Utah’s San Rafael Swell averages a full inch of precipitation. The rest of the year, it’s around half that.
The blast of autumn rain left more standing water across the trails than they were expecting. No doubt, the 2022 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X was going to get muddy.
This is Where the Road Runs Out, a series of real-world tests of the 2022 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X on typical outdoor adventures. Utah’s stunning variety of climates and geographies make it the perfect location. Host TJ Fry is a pro driver, off-roading instructor and self-proclaimed “backwoods boy” who makes his base camp in Montana. An adventure-seeker who has trained the U.S. military’s elite special forces and logged more than 100,000 miles off-road—with a history of Nissan Hardbody and Frontier ownership—TJ is the right wheelman to put the all-new Frontier through its paces along Utah’s rugged trails, dunes and mountain passes.
"Right off the bat," TJ says, "this is an extremely comfortable truck. In fact, I would argue it actually doesn't drive much like a truck. The PRO-4X comes standard with Bilstein shocks, which are doing a great job soaking up some of the bumps. And they make it pretty easy for me to manage the weight of the vehicle."
Seen from above, the San Rafael Swell lies like a fallen leaf across central Utah, bounded by Green River to the east and the Manti-La Sal National Forest to the west. A dreamlike landscape of sandstone buttresses, canyons, and colorful mesas, its highlight is a giant dome of rock—literally a swell in the earth's surface—that gives it its name. Hikers, campers, and mountain bikers who venture across its rugged terrain can explore the swell’s geologic diversity in relative solitude, as it’s one of the best kept secrets of the state. With a number of off-road challenges, it’s also the perfect destination for testing out the 2022 Frontier’s capability.
Despite the rain, the morning was crystal clear with a crispness in the air common to central Utah in fall. TJ and the team loaded his mountain bike and set off east from Ferron, Utah into the swell, testing out each of the new Nissan Frontier’s features and logging how it responded to the environment as they went.
“As far as drivability, we've also got a 3.8-liter direct-injection V6 that makes 310 horsepower and 281 pound feet of torque,” TJ said. “That's plenty of power for a vehicle this size and still gives us a pretty solid tow rating of 6,720 pounds when properly equipped. We also have a new nine speed transmission. I do not sense any gear hunting in this, which is a welcome surprise.”
The new Frontier’s driving dynamics along the dirt roads and on the more challenging trails were also impressive. “I've got a nice on-center steering feel and the truck is very responsive without being twitchy, especially when we're going off-road,” TJ says. “I want to feel like I'm in control without feeling like I'm throwing the car around.”
Along the trails, it was obvious the Frontier was a level-up in driver comfort as well. “Nissan also spent a good deal of time developing what they called their Zero Gravity seats. Not only are they very comfortable, but they do provide a good deal of lateral support. We've also got acoustic glass and extra insulation to help make the drive significantly quieter and more enjoyable.”
TJ moved on to some of the new tech that improves the off-roading experience. The 2022 Frontier is the first-ever Nissan vehicle to feature Intelligent Around View Monitor (I-AVM) with Off-Road Mode, which allows the system to function while driving forward at slow speeds. “On this tight section [of trail] here, the Intelligent Around View Monitor means that I can see all the way around the truck. I don't need to have a spotter. I can see everything right here. Man, we live in the future.”
“Off-road driving is a skill that can be developed by anybody," TJ says. "Fortunately, when you have a capable off-road vehicle, like the Frontier, it makes it significantly easier for folks that aren't pro drivers to get out and enjoy some of these beautiful places around our country.”
