In calendar year 2021, Americans purchased 2.8 million new pickup trucks, representing 18.9% of the total new vehicle sales volume for the year. Put more simply, almost one of every five new vehicles sold was a pickup. For the past several decades, the 3 best-selling vehicle models in the country have been the Ford F-Series, the Ram Pickup (formerly Dodge Ram), and the Chevrolet Silverado. These trucks, along with their full-size brethren from GMC (Sierra), Toyota (Tundra) and Nissan (Titan), comprise the lion’s share of the pickup market with a combined total of just under 2.2 million units in 2021.
For their size, strength, capabilities, and list of options, it’s difficult to beat one of these big trucks. On top of that is the customization that’s available to make yours as individualistic as you want, both cosmetically and functionally. These positive attributes do have their associated costs. Transaction prices are averaging over $50,000, and at the high end, fully equipped top-of-the-line editions come close to breaking six figures.
A wonderful thing about the new vehicle market is that you always have a choice. Certainly, at a sales rate of 2.2 million units per year, plenty of folks pick full-size trucks. If you need the attributes of a body-on-frame truck, whether that’s for carrying capacity, towing capacity, or other advantages, but in a slightly smaller size, don’t neglect a look at the mid-size truck segment. Five of the 6 brands with full-size pickups also offer something mid-sized. These are the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier, Ford Ranger, and Toyota Tacoma. The Tacoma leads the segment in sales, capturing 42% of it. Only Ram is not a player in the mid-size arena, but its sister brand Jeep offers the Gladiator. In 2021, just under 600,000 mid-size trucks found new homes, about a quarter of the big rig’s sales. What you might lose in capacities you make up for in purchase price, maneuverability, and fuel economy. Accessory availability is still good, so customizing can still be done to your heart’s content.
A new pickup segment is the crossover-based truck, also called the unibody truck. There are those in the hard-core full-size truck crowd who don’t even consider these “real” trucks, as their lack of a full frame and their car-based underpinnings reduce their capabilities. However, these trucks drive and ride with comfort and control comparable to passenger cars, and for customers who only occasionally need a pickup bed, they can be a smart choice. The Honda Ridgeline, now in its 2nd generation, launched this segment when it was introduced for the 2006 model year. Two of the newest players are the Hyundai Santa Cruz (the brand’s first pickup) and the Ford Maverick. In 2021, this segment accounted for only 64,000 sales (and in fairness, the Santa Cruz and Maverick didn’t even go on sale until the 2nd half of the year), so at 2% of the total pickup market, the big players hardly feel threatened. Nevertheless, Honda and Hyundai are drawing in customers they would otherwise not attract. As for Ford, since dropping all its 4-door sedans, they are pitching the Maverick as their entry-level 4-door ‘car’ (keeping in mind that their only other car is the 2-door Mustang). While any of these pickups will have available accessories similar to their crossover-based siblings, don’t expect to be able to outfit one to resemble what’s possible with a full-size pickup.
Pickup trucks are unique vehicles, and much of that uniqueness is to their advantage. No matter its dimensions, an open bed provides carrying room unmatched by anything rolling on 4 wheels (that is, not pulling a separate trailer). Full-size pickups, when appropriately equipped, are the first choice when you need a vehicle to get the big jobs done. But you’ll need to live with their bulk and any attendant downsides. Think of mid-size pickups as the “4/5 solution”: they offer many of the advantages of their full-size brothers with some reduced capabilities, but with savings in initial price and operating costs. The new-fangled crossover-based pickups, it’s been said, are for those who don’t want a truck but occasionally would make use of the open bed. If that describes you, they could be the smart choice. Just don’t expect to pull a 10,000 lb. trailer with one!