Nissan Frontier vs Ram 1500: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Ram 1500 burns about $2,650 of fuel annually against $2,950 for the Nissan Frontier. That $300 yearly gap compounds to roughly $1,500 over five years and $2,400 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City and highway economy: the Ram 1500 leads in both cycles — 23 mpg city and 33 mpg highway against 19 and 24 mpg — so its fuel-efficiency advantage holds whether you commute in traffic or cover long highway miles.

Powertrain choice: the Nissan Frontier is recorded with 4 distinct engine configurations (SIDI, SIDI; ISS and AGS, 2.5), the Ram 1500 with 4 (Mild Hybrid, SIDI, 5.7). Across 57 recorded Nissan Frontier configurations and 142 for the Ram 1500, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Nissan Frontier is offered with Rear-Wheel Drive, Part-time 4-Wheel Drive, 4-Wheel Drive, the Ram 1500 with 4-Wheel Drive, Rear-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Small Pickup Trucks 2WD and Standard Pickup Trucks 4WD respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Ram 1500 emits 384 g/mile of CO2 versus 423 g/mile for the Nissan Frontier. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.