Updated for this one model year before the coming 2021 redesign, the new-old Frontier features a modernized 3.8-liter direct-injection V6, which produces 310 horsepower and 268 pound-feet of torque. Power goes to the rear wheels exclusively through a nine-speed automatic, which keeps fuel economy at the same level as the retired four-cylinder model, and takes the laborious job of shifting gears out of Murphy’s hands. At 62, he’s quite tired of rowing his own gears—he said so when we talked to him in Chicago.
“I’ll miss this truck, no doubt, but I’m glad it’s going back ‘home’ to Smyrna,” Murphy said in a press release. “At the same time, I’m ready for my next chapter, and I can’t wait to experience my new Frontier and its all-new powertrain. I know that this 2020 Frontier will bring the same durability that I’ve relied on for over 13 years.”
Murphy expects to retire in several years, but he won’t rule out meeting the one-million milestone again before calling it a career.
“I’d never say never—especially in a Frontier,” he quipped.
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