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First things first.

First, Nissan must bring out an extended or King Cab version of its compact Frontier pickup truck sporting a more powerful 3.3-liter, 170-horsepower, V-6 engine.

Then it can take that vehicle, expand rear-seat room, cover the bed with a roof and windows and come up with an Xterra sport-utility vehicle built off the same platform.

Two vehicles from one. An extended-cab truck when extended-cab pickups threaten to make two-door models obsolete, a sport-ute at a time when every vehicle-maker except Schwinn and Harley-Davidson boasts of a four-wheel-drive people-and-their-possessions hauler.

We tested the 1999 Nissan Frontier 4×4 King Cab (in showrooms now) and found ourselves eager to slip into its Xterra counterpart, which goes on sale in June.

The 3.3-liter V-6 is a charmer. A lot of muscle for a compact truck–and an Xterra sibling. The fuel-economy rating, however, is a meager 16 miles per gallon city/19 m.p.g. highway.

The 5-speed manual is very smooth; no balkiness. Nice, long, floor-mounted lever, too, just like it should be in a pick-’em-up.

A potent V-6, a smooth 5-speed. Play day.

You sit high in this 4×4 for very good down-the-road visibility. Pleasant-enough ride and handling with no surprises. Feel some of the bumps? Sure, this is a pickup, not a Maxima. But you don’t shake, rattle and roll. The large 15-inch tires contribute to road worthiness. Just in case, anti-lock brakes are standard.

The 4×4 is engaged with a floor-mounted transfer case for off-roading or sloppy-road maneuvering. Would like dialup 4WD, but Nissan has to watch the pennies, because its new partner, Renault, surely will.

Frontier comes with a passenger-side air bag cutoff switch. Insert the key and turn to off and a bright orange light in the dash warns you that the cushion is disengaged. Easy to see without having to guess.

Our extended cab came with two jump seats in back. Those jump seats rachet down in stages rather than fold down in one movement. Why? The front seats provide fairly good access to the back, but a side access door would be most helpful in getting kids or packages in back.

Upfront there are three cupholders, or one more than seats for passengers. Can only hope the passenger, and not the driver, is the two-fisted drinker.

The outside mirrors are big and functional rather than petite and decorative. That’s good. The sunroof pops up but doesn’t motor rearward. That’s disappointing. And the latch that releases/fastens the roof has an appetite for fingers.

If the sunroof latch doesn’t bite your digits, the hand brake release will. Simple pull-out handle, but when you press the release button, the handle stubbornly responds, “Unh, unh.”

Cabin room is good, glove box room isn’t. The cloth seats are cozy and the pattern ensures dirt and spill marks shouldn’t show.

Base price is $18,290. But then come the packages–Value (?) at $949, Power at $780, Sport at $749, Off-Road at $525 and Comfort at $399. That’s more than $3,400 in add-ons–and too many packages.

>>1999 Nissan Frontier 4×4 King Cab Wheelbase: 116.1 inches Length: 196.1 inches Engine: 3.3-liter, 170-h.p. V-6 Transmission: 5-speed manual Fuel economy: 16 m.p.g. city/19 m.p.g. highway Base price: $18,290 Price as tested: $21,692. Includes $949 for Value Package with air conditioning, chrome bumpers and grille, deluxe AM/FM/cassette, 15-inch, alloy wheels, sliding rear window, privacy glass; $780 for Power Package with power windows/door locks/mirrors; $749 for Sport Package with flipup glass sunroof and CD plus subwoofer; $399 for Comfort Package with passenger-side visor mirror, cruise control, tilt wheel, intermittent wipers; $525 for Off-Road Package with 15-inch tires, limited slip differential, tachometer and 4×4 off-road decals. Add $520 for Transportation Package , which means freight. Pluses: Stylish. Cozy cabin. Smooth 5-speed. Peppy V-6. Air bag on/off switch. ABS standard. Rear-cabin jump seats. Minuses: Why so many packages? Hand brake release doesn’t always cooperate.>>