Fourth Annual Truck Trend "Best in Class" Picks
Four-Door 4WD Pickups
Winner: Nissan Titan
Honorable Mention: Chevrolet Avalanche
Admittedly a tricky category because of the huge variety it offers, from small to large, four-door pickups have been steadily growing in volume. It's no accident that the all-new full-size pickup from Nissan came in the two best-selling truck models: extended cab and crew cab. With the obvious assets of solid powertrain and strong chassis, we liked the full-size doors and the fact that there's plenty of legroom for big men in the back bench seat. In addition, the way the rear seats fold back into the rear wall allows for an amazing amount of platform area for in-cab boxed storage. Our editors also appreciate the effort made by Toyota and GM for their respective midglass and Midgate designs, effectively helping to change the playing field for future full-size trucks.
To get more information on all the vehicles included in this class, please click on the headline graphics above to reveal a spec chart.
Half-Ton 4WD Ext Cab Pickups
Winner: Ford F-150
Honorable Mention: Nissan Titan
The half-ton pickup truck is one of the most popular and affordable vehicles we cover at Truck Trend, and we can't remember any manufacturer under more pressure to hit a home run with its redesigned truck than Ford with the new F-150. From the beginning of the long and drawn-out process of revealing the new truck, we were skeptical, but soon came around after seeing and driving (dare we say, punishing?) it. Ford had a lot to lose with competitors ready to take aim and little to gain, already being the best-selling vehicle on the planet. With all that against the company, we think the strategy to diversify the line with five different models, a ground-up reengineered frame and chassis, and the addition of a heavy-duty (F-150) model, just pushes this truck past the competition. But we should note, as it was mentioned during our debates, that GM and Dodge (and certainly Nissan and Toyota) have plenty of room to make the leap ahead of the F-150--all it's going to take is exceptional creativity, great engineering, heavy-duty flexibility, and a price that starts a tick over $20K.
To get more information on all the vehicles included in this class, please click on the headline graphics above to reveal a spec chart.