Nissan's Blueprint for a $40,000-ish Overlanding Nissan Frontier

Nissan thinks you only need to spend around $40,000 to build a capable overlanding 2019 Nissan Frontier. At the 2019 Overland Expo West starting Friday in Arizona, Nissan will show a one-off, customized 2019 Nissan Frontier SV crew-cab 4×4 Midnight Edition decked out in modifications for expeditions through the wilderness. Tallied up, the price tag on the named Destination Frontier is around $40,000, not including destination fee.

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It doesn’t hurt that the Nissan Frontier is the least expensive truck on the market, starting at just more than $20,000 for a basic four-cylinder, manual-transmission, rear-wheel-drive version. Nissan didn’t start with that truck, though, instead using a $32,925 SV Midnight Edition that includes the 4.0-liter V-6 making 261 horsepower and 281 pounds-feet of torque, a five-speed automatic transmission plus the Midnight Edition’s blackened trim. From there, a Nissan spokesperson says roughly $10,000 in modifications were added that include:

• Nisstec 3-inch lift kit
• Hefty Fabworks bumper, skid plates and rock sliders
• Leitner Designs bed rack
• CVT Mount Shasta rooftop tent
• Rhino-Rack Pioneer tray
• American Racing AX201 Wheels
• Nitto Trail Grappler Tires (33 x 11.50R17)
• Baja Designs LP6 Pro Lights
• Warn Industries Zeon 10-S winch, Winch Roller Fairlead and Epic winch hook
• Dometic fridge

The Destination Frontier is a show truck, however, and these parts are non-Nissan accessories without warranty coverage from Nissan, plus you’ll need to turn a wrench yourself as labor isn’t included in this price tag. All-in at $40,000 seems a little optimistic, but current incentives will likely help lower the price to the lower side of “around $40,000.” Also consider the Frontier hasn’t changed much since 2005, so you’re surely able to build something similar with this blueprint for even less money with a gently used Frontier.