Base MSRP Range: $15,900 - $27,200

Base Invoice Range: $15,038 - $25,155

MSRP As Tested: $26,455

Versions: XE, SE, LE, NISMO.

Vehicle Category: Compact Pickup Truck

Engine Location: Front Engine

Drive Wheels: Rear-Wheel Drive, Four-Wheel Drive.

Standard Engine: 2.5-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, 16-valves, I-4, 154 – horsepower at 5200 rpm and 173 lb-ft torque at 4400 rpm.

Transmission: Five-speed automatic, Five-speed manual.

Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 19/24 auto, 22/25 man.

Optional Engine As Tested: 4.0-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, 24-valves, V-6, 265 – horsepower at 5600 rpm and 284 lb-ft torque at 4000 rpm.

Transmission: Five-speed automatic, Six-speed manual.

Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 16/20 auto, 17/21 man.

Standard Safety Features: Dual front airbags, Front-seat active head restraints, Antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, Tire-pressure monitor.

Competition: Dodge Dakota, Ford Ranger, Honda Ridgeline, Toyota Tacoma.

I know what I'm about to write is pure blasphemy considering I was born and raised in Texas, but I simply don't like big pickup trucks. Never have.

They're hard to park, ugly, noisy, get pathetic gas mileage, are less comfortable than a car and are hard to climb in and out of. As if that weren't enough, all but the best trucks feel like they're bouncing around the road on a suspension made of pogo sticks and pulled by an engine that sounds like it belongs in a two-story-tall Weed Eater.

I don't see the point of driving one unless you're towing a 10-ton yacht or carrying a load of granite down a mountain like they show in the commercials. I don't do those things, so I'd rather borrow or rent a truck when I really need one instead of suffering with driving one day in, day out.

So there, I said it.

Now that I got that blasphemy off my chest, I can tall you about the new Nissan Frontier, a truck that -- oddly enough -- I don't hate.

The Frontier is one of those just-right-size trucks that's significantly bigger than a dinky Ranger but smaller than the oafish F-150, Silverado and Ram. It's not so small that it's stupid, nor is it so big that you think you're driving a piece of real estate around town.

That just-right feeling also extends to the Frontier's performance. It's powered by a 4.0-liter V6 that makes 265 horsepower and gets 20 miles per gallon on the highway, enough to do some serious work without having to drink gas like a Kennedy at happy hour. It's not quite a fuel miser, either, but compared to the alternative of driving a full-size truck with a big V8, it could provide some welcome relief at the pump.

For better efficiency, Nissan offers a 2.5-liter, 154-horsepower, four-cylinder engine.

While I think the engine noise is an improvement over the previous Frontier's V6 -- now, instead of sounding like a giant Weed Eater, it sounds like a bumblebee that ate too many beans -- it feels fantastic from the driver's seat. It's very responsive and smooth, adjectives I rarely use to describe truck engines.

Overall, the Frontier looks and performs like a downsized Nissan Titan, and it's available with some of the same cool features that make the Titan stand out. Some of my favorites are a factory-applied, spray-on bedliner and a nifty system of adjustable tie-downs called Utili-track.

Pricing, like on most trucks, is spread over a huge range that depends on how you configure it. A basic, rear-wheel-drive, King Cab model with a four-cylinder engine starts under $16,000, and a NISMO off-road-equipped Crew Cab with four-wheel drive costs more than $27,000. In between to these two are 17 other flavors of Frontier with prices to fit virtually any budget.

Best of all, for a person who usually hates trucks, I found this one pretty darned comfortable to drive. It still had a pogo-stick suspension, but it was quiet and roomy enough on the inside to make up for the bounciness. Everything about it seemed like a perfect fit, neither too big nor too small, neither too wimpy nor too brutish.

And that's why I don't hate the Frontier.

Pros: It's a just-right-size truck that slots perfectly between the micro trucks and the big boys. It offers good performance with a V6 engine and lots of configurations to suit your needs.

Cons: It's still a truck.

Ratings (1-10)

• Style: 7
• Performance: 8
• Price: 6
• Handling: 5
• Ride: 5
• Comfort: 5
• Quality: 7
• Overall: 7

More Data

Where Built: USA

Major Options: Preferred Package, Power Package, Audio Package, Traction Package, Leather Package, Rockford Fosgate Package. Navigation system, Rear-seat DVD entertainment system, Satellite radio, Floormats, Bodyside moldings , Mud guards.

Seating: 4 - 5.

Number of Rows: 2.

Length in Inches: 205.5

Warranties: 3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper, 5/60,000 Extended powertrain, 5 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection, 3 years/36,000 miles Roadside assistance.

Weight in Pounds: 3675 - 4226 lbs.

Cargo Capacity in Pounds: 994 - 1552 lbs.

Gross Maximum Vehicle Weight in Pounds: 4676 - 5816 lbs.

Towing Capacity in Pounds: 6500 lbs.

Gas Tank Capacity in Gallons: 21.1

Destination Charge: $605