After 16 years on sale in its current form, the Nissan Frontier is a familiar face on our roads. The truck, which is technically old enough to get a driver’s license and drive itself, is being totally overhauled for 2022, and the new look is a big departure from the ute we’ve seen for so many years. Nissan announced that production has started, so we don’t have much longer to wait to see it in action for ourselves.

The new truck’s 3.8-liter V6 has already been in action powering the 2021 Frontier. It produces a class-leading 310 horsepower and 281 pound-feet of torque, and sends its power to either the rear or all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Production is underway in Mississippi.Nissan

This is the first new Frontier we’ve seen in over a decade, so the upgrade in technology is steep over the previous truck. The 2022 Frontier can be optioned with a surround-view camera system with off-road mode that automatically displays terrain around the truck when it’s shifted into 4LO. The system displays guidelines and can help the driver navigate tough obstacles on the trail. A host of safety features will be available that includes automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts, lane departure warnings, high beam assist, and more.

Other than its age, there was nothing particularly wrong with the previous Frontier’s interior, but the new truck looks to be considerably more upscale and modern. Various trims come with interesting contrasting color schemes and the truck gets Nissan’s excellent Zero Gravity seats as standard. New hydraulic cab mounts should help quell vibrations inside, and traditional hydraulic power steering will provide excellent steering feel and feedback.

Nissan is building the new frontier in its Canton, MS facility, while the truck’s engine is being built at the automaker’s powertrain plant in Tennessee. We’ll start seeing the new model on dealers’ lots sometime in late summer 2021, and you can find a first drive review of the truck right here in a few weeks.