Hardly a Hardbody: The Retro 2022 Nissan Frontier Hardbody Concept Is Not Rad Enough

We love that the new off-road ready 2022 Nissan Frontier Hardbody Concept tries to add design touches from the classic and popular pickup's many decades on sale. That said, some key design parts that defined the original D21 Hardbody 4x4 are missing, so let's look at what Nissan's American design team could have added to this modern Frontier.

Before we sound too harsh, we do love to see Nissan embracing its history and, coupled with the new retro-inspired Z sports car, offering some flavor of the past with a modern twist. There are some excellent parts added to this new Frontier concept that do have near-perfect callbacks to the original Hardbody 4x4: the truck famously used extensively in Nissan marketing materials in the 1980s and 90s. What did Nissan get right on this new Frontier concept, then?

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Making A Hardbody From A 2022 Nissan Frontier

The first and most prominent piece of kit on the Frontier Hardbody Concept is the bed-mounted Nissan Accessories Sport Bar, which includes a pair of Rigid Industries E-Series 10-inch floodlights mounted at the top, peeking out over the truck's roof. The round tubing isn't quite the same match as the D21's more squared-up tubing, but it's still a good callback.

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There are also matching dark touches around the trim and body, with a new grille, door handles, mirrors, and rear bumper introduced to fit the look. You'll also find black graphics on the tailgate and on the door that recall the original flair of Nissan's old Hardbody pickups. The Pro-4X overfenders are also a nice touch, echoing the D21 4x4that also came with them, along with wider front fenders over its 2WD trim.

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Classic Block Wheels With An Era-Appropriate Manufacturer

Back in the late 1980s, there was only one manufacturer you could count on for Nissan lift kits and aftermarket support of Nissan trucks and SUVs: Calmini. On this modern Frontier Hardbody Nissan went back to Calmini once again with their classic blue lift parts. This Frontier concept sports Calmini's 3-inch lift kit with a pair of adjustable upper control arms for that perfect alignment.

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The wheels are a one-off and amazing touch to the Frontier. These 17x8 block-style wheels are exactly the same design as the original Hardbody aluminum wheels, just much larger, as the originals were 15x7. These modern rendition wheels are mounted with a set of five BFGoodrich All-Terrain K02 tires in 285/70R17, for a 33-inch tall tire package.

The D21 E and XE 4x4s came with 215/75R15 (28-inch tall) tires, while the SE 4x4 came standard with a set of 31x10.50R15s or could be optioned with a set of 235/75R15 (29-inch tall) tires. It's great to see Nissan get a lot of the new concept truck as close to correct as it can, but we do feel some elements of the classic Hardbody are still missing.

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What Could Have Been Done Better?

Considering Nissan Design America (NDA) was able to recreate the wheels of the original D21 for the modern Frontier, there is a surprising lack of other, finer Hardbody touches to this modern pickup. A set of slightly wider front fender bulges would have been an excellent touch and another instant callback to what made the original Hardbody 4x4 so cool. The embossed "Frontier" logo should have been replaced with the triple "nostrils" from the Hardbody's hood, as well.

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Nissan could have easily recreated the triangular design of the old grille into the new Frontier look, and the concept is also missing the cool red "Nissan 4x4" emblem on the original D21's grille. The center of the lower fascia should have had two more square auxiliary lights, which couldn't have been too hard for Nissan to supply considering there's already a pair on the roof. Crash safety standards may get in the way of those, though, if Nissan does have production plans for the Hardbody concept.

The turn signals don't quite match the classic's hard, deep-orange plastic and could be more amber in color,if we're really nitpicking, while the rear lights needed that amber, red, and white-colored treatment just as the original Hardbody had. The embossed "Frontier" logo on the tailgate could have been removed, as well.

Finally, the body deserved either a black and silver or red and silver two-tone job. That or just some of those funky 1990's silver stripes that came on the later D21s. Of course, this all adds manufacturing complexity the sale figures likely wouldn't justify—but at the same time, if you're going to do the Hardbody again, go all the way!

Outside of all that, we'd probably design our own callback concept truck more like the 1988 Nissan D21 Hardbody Desert Runner, if Nissan would like a point of reference for the next Frontier concept. Until then, we may be able to expect some of the 2022 Nissan Frontier Hardbody Concept's options, like the light bar, become available in the Nissan parts catalog, but we'll have to wait for Nissan to make a decision.