Best small pickup truck

Car and Driver 's rankings are arrived at from the results of our extensive instrumented testing of more than vehicles each year and from our expert editors' subjective impressions gained in real-world driving. We've ranked the Best Compact Pickup Trucks based on roughly data points encompassing acceleration, handling, comfort, cargo space, fuel efficiency, value, and how enjoyable they are to drive, best small pickup truck.

You can forget Romeo and Juliet; America and pickup trucks is the real love story that has stood the test of time. From their earliest days, pickups have been a stable workhorse, providing people the means of transporting heavy loads from one place to another, over long distances. Through the years, though, pickups evolved from being simple, honest, and hard-working pieces of automobile machinery into everyday cars. With today's trend of pickup trucks for everyday use , many people are opting for smaller-sized trucks. Mainly because smaller trucks are easier and more convenient to manage than full-size trucks on the city streets and parking lots. In this regard, there are plenty of pickup trucks that offer the best value for money , combining practicality and workhorse ability in one package. Vehicle manufacturers take note of this and now make smaller-sized trucks that have the versatility for today's living but still retain the work vehicle ethic that is the hallmark of a pickup.

Best small pickup truck

With brand new offerings from Chevy, Ford, GMC, and Toyota, this auto class has never been better, or more competitive. Our off-road expert explains why. Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! They hit the sweet spot of capability, size, and price for us outdoor enthusiasts who need a serious adventuremobile. Now, for the first time, it looks like those midsize pickups will actually be good. The reason why midsize trucks are popular with outdoorsy types? Their size. The problem is that smaller trucks have traditionally also been less capable of supporting heavy loads. The last generation Toyota Tacoma on sale from to present , for instance, was only able to carry 1, pounds in its most popular configuration—four doors, with four wheel drive. A lot of people think payload is the weight a truck is able to safely carry in its bed. So, that payload must include passengers, dogs, gasoline, and anything you carry in or bolt to the truck. Payload is the fundamental definition of how much work a truck is capable of performing. Increasing payload has required not only stronger frames, but larger cooling systems, bigger brakes, more robust transmissions, and stronger suspension systems.

Photo: GMC Suspension Provides Comfort and Traction All three trucks well, four if you count the GM twins twice are traditional body-on-frame trucks with live rear axles and independent front suspension, best small pickup truck. Payload capacities will vary depending on how each individual truck is optioned. They hit the sweet spot of capability, size, and price for us outdoor enthusiasts who need a serious adventuremobile.

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Our editors carefully select every product we recommend. We may earn a commission from these links. Learn more. By: Tim Huber Updated: Jan 02, Pickup trucks are an immensely popular genre of automobile, currently accounting for one out of every five new vehicles sold. Like SUVs, pickups have slowly but steadily grown larger and larger over the last few decades, gaining additional power and cargo space along the way. At the same time, however, manufacturers have also been rolling out ever-more competent compact pickup models that offer serious workhorse capabilities in a surprisingly small footprint — making them increasingly viable alternatives to full and mid-sized trucks. Once dominated primarily by foreign makes , as of late, the compact pickup market has experienced a significant influx in popularity, leading to more and more major OEMs tossing their hat in the compact pickup ring. The compact pickup sector offers a fairly straightforward buying experience, though there are still a handful of factors that are important to take into account before deciding on your purchase.

Best small pickup truck

Buyers now have more choices than ever. In addition to midsize trucks like the Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, or Honda Ridgeline, some genuinely compact models are now on the market as well. The Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz are both relatively diminutive unibody pickups and scale below the current midsize trucks. While the Blue Oval also has the Ranger in its lineup, the Ford Maverick is a true small pickup truck. But the unibody Maverick also transcends the truck market, serving as a genuine alternative to traditional sedans and crossover SUVs. The Maverick gets a standard 2. EcoBoost models can also be equipped with all-wheel drive AWD , and when properly equipped, can tow up to 4, pounds. Optional is the 2.

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Will the Taco be similarly limited? Ford sold about 57, Rangers in Read about how we test and evaluate vehicles here. Compact trucks can tow anywhere between pounds and pounds depending on model, trim level, and equipment. With less power than the competition, lower payloads, and leaf rear springs, it might sound like the GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado are now also-rans. All Colorados and Canyons are fitted with the same 2. The TRD Off-Road, complete with the more powerful hybrid powertrain and eight-speed automatic transmission can carry 1, pounds. What size truck bed do compact trucks have? Best Diesel Trucks. But, just going off the spec sheets, the Tacoma is making an incredibly strong case for itself thanks to the combination of genuinely good powertrains with high payloads and those rear coil springs. Both engines get mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission which enables the Santa Cruz to tow 3, lbs and carry just over 1, lbs.

With a low starting price and available hybrid powertrain, the Ford Maverick delivers a car-like ride with a comfortable interior and excellent utility. For drivers who need light pickup truck capability but don't want the expense of a larger truck, the Maverick is an ideal solution.

With a 3. We take rankings seriously because we want you to know everything about the vehicles that you're interested in. Aside from its imposing presence on the streets, the GMC Canyon has more than enough capability for doing hard work. With a standard 5-foot bed on the back, the Ranger can carry a little over 1, lbs. Compellingly, Chevy also fits those longer control arms to mid-tier Trailboss Colorados, allowing buyers to access additional front wheel travel at a lower price point, savings they can then spend on coilovers and shocks of their own choosing. High performance trucks like this new Ranger Raptor are neat and all, but us outdoorsy types need vehicles that combine capability with practicality, and the reduced payloads and high-strung nature of vehicles like the Ranger Raptor limits their usefulness. With today's trend of pickup trucks for everyday use , many people are opting for smaller-sized trucks. As a work vehicle, the Nissan Frontier offers a lot of utility. Among the many benefits the Tacoma offers as a smaller-sized pickup truck, it's a great workhorse. In this regard, there are plenty of pickup trucks that offer the best value for money , combining practicality and workhorse ability in one package. The engine gets paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission making the Ridgeline able to tow up to 5, lbs and with a 5. The Maverick only has its 2. At the base model end you get a 2.