Exploring the Dunes in the 2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X: How Well Does it Handle Sand?

Nissan names its off-road friendliest truck the Pro-4X.

Nissan mounts 17-in wheels, Bilstein off-road shocks, and 9.5-in of ground clearance. You also get skid plates, and easy to see lava red tow hooks up front. But what’s really special about this truck is that Nissan kept it old school. Unlike the competition, a naturally-aspirated, 3.8-liter V-6 works to put the power down, 310 horsepower worth. Torque peaks at 281lb.-ft and channels through a nine-speed automatic transmission before heading to the drive wheels. 

Bombing around the dunes showcased the ease this truck takes to leaving pavement. In all fairness, the hilly sand dunes didn’t exactly stretch the limits of the Frontier’s capabilities. But this Pro 4X marched right up the steepest sandiest hills drama free. I also appreciated the visibility out of the truck, not to mention the camera system mounted to help keep an eye on immediate surroundings. 

The 2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X starts at $43,565. It’s the priciest version of the midsize truck. The fact that you still get a hybrid free, turbo nothing, raw displacement truck sounds appealing to folks that don’t care for change. But will that be enough to drive sales? Nissan certainly hopes so. In the meantime, head to the dunes and fling some sand!

Views on Vehicles focuses on new car reviews and news, presented by Robin Warner, a perennial car nut. The reason for the channel's focus becomes crystal clear when you look at Robin's experience. He spent five years of his adult life as an engineer: four years in traction and stability control calibration, and little over a year in vehicle dynamics. He also spent 15 years of his adult life as an editor at various magazines, including stints at Car and Driver, Road & Track, and Autoweek.

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For those who would rather read words than watch video, a transcript, cleaned up by AI and edited by a staffer, is below.

[Image: Robin Warner/YouTube screenshot]

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Transcript:

This is a 2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X, and we’re heading into a sand dune area. We’re going off-roading in the Pro-4X—specifically on sand—so we’ll get a feel for how it behaves out here. As we get started, there are a few bumps right away. I’ve got the truck in 4-High with traction control off. I’m driving with a Nissan group, so you’ll see a Nissan Armada ahead of me.

Before we get deeper into the dunes, here’s a quick look at the Frontier Pro-4X out on the sand. It’s running on 17-inch wheels with Hankook all-terrain tires—DynaPro AT2s. Behind them are Bilstein off-road shocks. The truck also has extra ground clearance and a wider track than the standard Frontier. I’ll put the specs on the screen, but overall it’s taller and wider than the base truck.

Up front, you can see the lava-red tow hooks. The overall design is similar to the regular Frontier, but the approach and departure angles are still solid. There are Pro-4X badges, of course. Mechanically, nothing changes under the hood: it’s still powered by the 3.8-liter V6 with 310 horsepower, mounted longitudinally like a traditional rear-drive truck. Out here, it has plenty of power to muscle through the sand.

We’ve been on the dunes for a little bit, and yes, we’re aired down. Three of the tires are at about 14 psi, with the rear driver’s side slightly higher. Here’s a look at the surround-view camera if you want to see what’s around us. Inside, it’s comfortable—heated seats and steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, supportive seats—so no complaints there.

Back on the dunes, we’re still in part-time four-wheel drive, running in 4-High. Climbing this first hill is easy work for the truck. You can get a sense of just how vast this area is. Off in the distance is Lake Michigan; we’re on the west coast of the state. It rained last night, so the sand is a bit wet, which actually helps by adding some firmness. Still, it’s loose material, so I’m curious to see how the tires handle it. Clearance shouldn’t be an issue.

We’ve reached our first real hill climb. It’s not the biggest one we’ll do, but it’s still a decent challenge. I’m going to take it in manual mode, second gear, traction control off, 4-High. Let’s see how it goes.

With some momentum, the truck bounces and slides a bit, but it climbs without trouble. That gives me confidence for the bigger hills ahead.

We’re heading downhill now toward an area that can be a deep water pit at times, though today it’s fairly dry. The sand is loose, so you feel the truck slide and even crab-walk a little. Another small uphill—some sliding, but again, nothing serious. Then some gradual rolling hills. Compared to the first big hill, these are easy.

The dunes are bumpier than you might expect because of all the ruts and tracks. With the tires aired down to around 13 psi up front and 14 in the rear, there’s a lot of steering movement as the truck shifts around on top of the sand.

Here’s a steeper downhill. You can’t see anything over the crest at first, then it drops pretty sharply. The truck slides a little, but it’s controlled. Another steep descent—same deal. The ground clearance, roughly nine and a half inches, definitely helps.

Now we’re coming up to a hill that’s bigger than the first one. I’m going to ease into it because the base is pretty uneven. Once I get moving, it feels surprisingly easy—the soft sand doesn’t slow us down as much as I expected. The Frontier is handling the dunes without any real issues.

There’s another big hill with a sharp crossover at the top. Starting gently to avoid the worst bumps, then adding throttle. The sand is soft, but with enough momentum we bound right up and over. The crest is steep enough that the truck pops over it—I felt that one for sure. Fun, though.

More rolling hills now. This set isn’t as steep, so I’m keeping a light throttle. The truck maintains grip as long as I keep the momentum going. The top gets a bit steep, but still no problem.

At the next hill, the bottom is rough and the top has a bump. Being behind another vehicle helps me see the line. It’s soft, and there are a lot of bumps, but the Frontier keeps climbing. Another steep peak, a blind drop, and then we’re back with the group.

That’s the dunes—and the Frontier handles them just fine. Up ahead, one of the trucks is even crab-walking a little.

The Frontier Pro-4X is Nissan’s step toward off-road capability with all-terrain tires, upgraded shocks, more clearance, and front tow hooks. It’s not the most extreme package compared to Toyota, GM, Honda, or Ford, but it highlights the Frontier’s inherent strengths. Out here, it handled everything with ease and without major modifications. Other than dropping tire pressures below 15 psi, this is a stock truck.

Running on the dunes really reinforces that the Frontier is a fundamentally solid truck. The naturally aspirated V6, the clearances, the structure—they all work well here. It wasn’t stressful, and it was a lot of fun.

I’m Robin Warner. Thanks for watching.