- Nissan has filed a patent for a midgate, a passthrough from a truck bed to the cabin.
- No current mid-size truck offers a midgate.
- Nissan is developing the next-generation Frontier, but the truck might not get the feature.
Nissan’s next-generation Frontier should arrive by the end of the decade. It will likely ride on a new platform and feature an electrified powertrain. If a recent patent is any indication, the new truck might also have a midgate, a passthrough from the bed to the cabin.
The filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (20260274351) depicts in detail how the mechanism would work in the Frontier. The seat backs fold flat to let the partition deploy, creating an opening between the interior and exterior and a flat floor for maximum storage.
The midgate is a single piece, so both seats have to fold down to open it. The patent, first reported by CarBuzz, says the mechanism can work on vehicles beyond trucks, but there is a good chance this feature never enters production.
One-Of-One
If you want to buy a mid-size truck today with a midgate, you are out of luck. There isn’t one on sale today, but Nissan adding the feature to the Frontier would give the truck one advantage over its competitors.
Midgates aren’t new, but they are rare. Modern ones began appearing on concept cars in the late 1990s and early 2000s before Chevrolet launched the 2002 Avalanche with the feature. The midgate appeared on several General Motors models throughout the early 2000s, like the Cadillac Escalade EXT and Hummer H2 SUT.
Today, GM is the only automaker still offering midgates. The feature is available on the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV.
Motor1’s Take: Nissan has an opportunity with the next-generation Frontier to set it apart from the competition. A midgate would greatly increase its versatility in a segment focused on getting the most truck for your buck.
