Brands

Below we highlight the most popular and the most significant pickup truck brands, with a synopsis of traits. In this segment, the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey dominate, based on performance in our testing and reliability.

Chevrolet/GMC

GM's compact pickup trucks, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Yukon, have coarse and lethargic engines, an unsettled ride, and a very wide turning circle that hinders maneuverability. The more recently designed full-sized Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra are a much different story. The optional V8 powertrains deliver good performance, and you can expect fairly responsive handling and a steady ride. These trucks have the major advantage of offering selectable full-time 4-wheel drive that can remain engaged indefinitely. The unusual Chevrolet Avalanche and its Cadillac Escalade EXT cousin are crew-cab pickup trucks with a unified cab and body that does wonders for the ride. They have a removable fold-up cargo cover and a removable "midgate" partition between the bed and back seats, allowing for more cargo space than the cargo box alone provides. But it's fussy to deal with.

Dodge

Dodge offers two main pickup truck lines, the compact Dakota and full-sized Ram. The Dakota has for many years been an intermediate-sized truck, larger than other compacts but smaller than a full-sized pickup truck. The current Dakota is available with a V8 engine and is also sold as the Mitsubishi Raider, but that version is being discontinued. The Ram comes in several flavors: big and bigger. The most popular configuration is the 1500 series. Redesigned for 2009, it offers a pleasant ride, quiet interior, and plenty of power from the optional V8s, but poor fuel economy.

Ford

Ford's compact pickup truck is called the Ranger, which is also marketed as the Mazda B Series. The Ranger is quite crude by modern standards, with little to recommend it. In lieu of a Ranger crew-cab, Ford offers the Explorer Sport-Trac, which is essentially an Explorer SUV with an open bed behind the rear seats. The F-Series full-sized pickup truck has historically been a good truck with sound handling and a roomy, well-finished cab. A 2009 freshening made several improvements to the interior as well as better braking. Many work-oriented enhancements and options we added as well. The F-Series, like GM's and Dodge's full-sized pickup trucks, comes in a range of heavy-duty versions designed mostly for commercial use.

Nissan

Nissan has marketed compact pickup trucks in this country for many years. The current model, the Frontier, offers a very nice V6, and so equipped the truck is quick and nimble. Only extended-cab and crew-cab versions are available, and in either case, rear seating is tight. Nissan's full-sized entry, the Titan, has a very large cabin, fairly responsive handling, and a punchy V8 powertrain. The ride is stiff and the engine is a bit noisy. A damped rear gate is a nice touch.

Honda

Honda's sole entry in the pickup truck market is the Ridgeline. It has a ladder frame integrated into a car-like unibody structure, so the cargo bed is unified with the rest of the body. The tailgate opens vertically and horizontally, and there's a large, lockable trunk accessible from the cargo bed. We like the Ridgeline for its unique features, agile handling and supple ride, andabove-average reliability.

Toyota

Toyota's current compact is the Tacoma, notable in our books for extremely capable off-roading and a terribly stiff, uncomfortable ride. Otherwise, you can expect sound handling and a refined powertrain. Toyota's other pickup truck, the full-sized Tundra, is a very pleasant truck to drive. Its powerful V8 was adapted from that used in Lexus sedans, and its six-speed automatic transmission was a first for a pickup truck. A damped rear gate is a nice touch as is a rear back-up camera on high-end versions.

See also:

GPS Navigation Systems

Car batteries

Car seats

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Guide to Driving Green