Chicago resident Brian Murphy drove his 2007 Nissan Frontier more than a million miles, or about 1.6 million kilometres. To celebrate this achievement, Nissan has decided to offer him a 2020 edition.
No doubt a moment of rejoicing for the owner, but also a moment of irony, because the 2020 model he’s receiving is basically same as the one he bought in 2007. In fact, Nissan hasn't changed its Frontier since... 2005. A new generation is only expected for the year 2021.
Lucky Murphy will still benefit from new features with his new model, however, because in the U.S., the 2020 version benefits from the new V6 engine and the new 9-speed automatic transmission that will equip the next generation. In Canada, as we reported a few weeks ago, Nissan decided not to offer these new features for this year, preferring to wait for the generation changeover to introduce them.
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Brian Murphy's 2007 pickup came with a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine and 5-speed manual transmission. These parts are still in service on the vehicle. However, the clutch was changed at 801,000 miles (1.29 million km), the timing belt at 700,000 miles (1.13 million km), and the radiator and alternator at 450,000 miles (724,000 kilometres).
And if you're wondering how someone could get so many miles on a truck in such a short period of time, well, all you need to know is that Brian Murphy was a delivery driver in the Chicago area. He averaged an astonishing 77,000 miles a year on average. That’s 124,000 kilometres in Canadian.
The vehicle that served him for all those years went to the plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, where it was built. “I’ll miss this truck, no doubt, but I’m glad it’s going back ‘home’ to Smyrna,” said Murphy.
