Best midsize Pickup?

[CorbLand]

For me it's just the space in general, but I was coming from a titan to a Tacoma. I wouldn't expect any adults to be comfortable back there tho. If you've been comfortable in a midsize then it'd probably work for you. And I think mdsize are a little more capable offroad if you spend a lotta time in the woods. If keeping 20 years id certainly go Toyota

I have been driving a 1st gen tundra access cab for the last 12-13 years so any of the midsize four doors are going to be bigger than what I am use to. The only hitch is kids, that is the part I am still unsure about. My parents crammed 5 people in a single cab 79 Ford for awhile so being comfortable on road trips is a new thing to me.

 

[lastsamurai00]

ridgeline ftw. trunk and magic seats are game changers in the midsize range.

 

[CorbLand]

ridgeline ftw. trunk and magic seats are game changers in the midsize range.

Dignity comes at a cost and its one I am willing to pay to keep it.

 

[lastsamurai00]

Dignity comes at a cost and its one I am willing to pay to keep it.

wait does that mean you own a ridgeline or you hate it? I love mine. works well for my purposes!

 

[CorbLand]

wait does that mean you own a ridgeline or you hate it? I love mine. works well for my purposes!

Means I am not willing to lose my dignity being seen in one, let alone own one.

 

[mlevimadden]

Going to try to reply to several of @CorbLand questions.

I bought a 2013 toyota tacoma in july that I couldn't pass up. It's a DCSB with only 16k miles. I haven't ever sat in a 3rd gen tacoma but I thought the seat and legroom dimensions were similar. I went through the same debate and really didn't want to get a full size truck since I'm just using it for hunting, offroad camping in the summer, and house renovation projects with a utility trailer. I wanted something smaller for the trails, easier to drive and park in the city, and cheaper than a full size truck.

I've fit 5 full size guys in the truck for short 30 min drives and been plenty comfortable with 3 guys on longer drives (6ish hours). I was the shortest of the 3 at 5'10" and nobody was miserable or needing stretch breaks. It's not a cavernous back seat like the new half-tons but I also don't need that.

I have a 16-month daughter who moved from an infant seat to rear-facing car-seat recently (the worst position for back seat room). Previously, I had the infant seat behind my drivers seat before and definitely had to move my seat forward. My knees were touching the dash but I would've been fine for several hours of driving. Definitely wouldn't have been ideal for a cross-country trip though.

With the new rear-facing seat, I put it behind the passenger seat. Anyone under 5'6" is fine in the passenger seat but I definitely wouldn't plan a long road trip with anyone much taller.

I grew up in rural kansas and had a similar experience to you of sitting on bench seats or riding in the bed of the truck. Unfortnately, modern car seats are much bigger than what our parents dealt with. Car crashes are still the leading cause of death for kids under 13, so its something to take seriously.

In the end, You'll spend about 3 years of each kid's life dealing with the back seat legroom problem until they move forward-facing. So I'd say it depends how many kids you want to have and how spread apart. If you start talking 3-across it's more of a pain anyway and you're into minivan/full size SUV or truck status.

We're only planning 2 kids and I was willing to deal with the occasional tight legroom for a few years to have the smaller truck.

 

[5MilesBack]

The 4 runner was good at first but we had our second kid and It was just to small inside. We had to take both kids to the ER and she couldn’t sit in the back because the seats were to close together. I know that really bothered her.

In Dec 2006 our youngest was 6 weeks old and she got sick. Turned out to be pneumonia and RSV. We had just gotten 15" of snow and none of the side roads were plowed yet. So we all piled into my '89 Toyota 4x4 xtracab, along with our almost 8 year old and 6 year old, and drove through the snow to the hospital at 9pm without an issue. But we packed into that small pickup frequently even before that. It was what it was, and it was what we had.......so that's what we did.

Then in 2008 I found my current 2001 F-350 crewcab longbed and have had plenty of room for all since. And now I also have what I consider to be a "mid-size" in my '16 Tundra. It's the double cab, but still has plenty of room in the back seat. And even with the two bigger pickups, my wife and youngest daughter and I piled into the old '89 the other day to drive to church because.......that's the one I wanted to drive that day. I sure wish they'd make this old model again some day. At 6'6" I can't even fit in the newer Tacoma's.

 

[Deadfall]

Anything that dont part time V8
Those trucks suck

 

[Tbonespop]

Anything that dont part time V8
Those trucks suck

Are you referring to the Dodge and Chevy/GMC trucks that drop down to 4 cylinders and rotate them but can go back up to 8 cylinders when you need the juice? Never had an issue with my old 5.7 Hemi. Would love to hear details on how the Chevy/GMC trucks do with it. Was looking at a Chevy 6.2 RST for my next truck.

 

[Overwire]

Are you referring to the Dodge and Chevy/GMC trucks that drop down to 4 cylinders and rotate them but can go back up to 8 cylinders when you need the juice? Never had an issue with my old 5.7 Hemi. Would love to hear details on how the Chevy/GMC trucks do with it. Was looking at a Chevy 6.2 RST for my next truck.

I’m no expert on the matter but from what I’ve heard and seen it’s a major issue with the GM v8s, not so much with the 5.7 Hemi. My BIL is a wrench and he sees a lot of GM v8s come in with valve train issues related to the mds. Says it’s pretty much a guarantee to have an issue on those at some point. He does see lifter issues related to to the mds on the 5.7 Hemi as well but says it’s pretty rare. Overall I think the 5.7 Hemi is more reliable than the 3.5 or 5.0 in the F150s and even if you have an issue you can replace the cam and install solid lifters and still be money ahead compared to buying a Ford or GM product. I personally wouldn’t touch a GM v8 with mds but would suggest talking to a mechanic that sees that sort of stuff before buying one if you intend to keep it beyond the warranty period.

 

[CorbLand]

Going to try to reply to several of @CorbLand questions.

I bought a 2013 toyota tacoma in july that I couldn't pass up. It's a DCSB with only 16k miles. I haven't ever sat in a 3rd gen tacoma but I thought the seat and legroom dimensions were similar. I went through the same debate and really didn't want to get a full size truck since I'm just using it for hunting, offroad camping in the summer, and house renovation projects with a utility trailer. I wanted something smaller for the trails, easier to drive and park in the city, and cheaper than a full size truck.

I've fit 5 full size guys in the truck for short 30 min drives and been plenty comfortable with 3 guys on longer drives (6ish hours). I was the shortest of the 3 at 5'10" and nobody was miserable or needing stretch breaks. It's not a cavernous back seat like the new half-tons but I also don't need that.

I have a 16-month daughter who moved from an infant seat to rear-facing car-seat recently (the worst position for back seat room). Previously, I had the infant seat behind my drivers seat before and definitely had to move my seat forward. My knees were touching the dash but I would've been fine for several hours of driving. Definitely wouldn't have been ideal for a cross-country trip though.

With the new rear-facing seat, I put it behind the passenger seat. Anyone under 5'6" is fine in the passenger seat but I definitely wouldn't plan a long road trip with anyone much taller.

I grew up in rural kansas and had a similar experience to you of sitting on bench seats or riding in the bed of the truck. Unfortnately, modern car seats are much bigger than what our parents dealt with. Car crashes are still the leading cause of death for kids under 13, so its something to take seriously.

In the end, You'll spend about 3 years of each kid's life dealing with the back seat legroom problem until they move forward-facing. So I'd say it depends how many kids you want to have and how spread apart. If you start talking 3-across it's more of a pain anyway and you're into minivan/full size SUV or truck status.

We're only planning 2 kids and I was willing to deal with the occasional tight legroom for a few years to have the smaller truck.

Thank you for this.

 

[Overwire]

Regarding child seats in a midsized pickup, it’s certainly doable for up to 2 kids if you only have 1 in a rear facing seat but not ideal. We got through the baby stage with our 2 daughters (2 years apart) with a crew cab Frontier. We always ran the rear facing seat in the middle if I recall and moved our oldest to front facing prior to having our second. Had to be careful with car seat selection. It was tight but never a huge issue. I’m 6 foot and my wife is 5’5”. That said, we moved on to a full size crew cab when my oldest was a year and a half and I could never go back as our primary family mover. Much more comfortable to travel in. For us, a full size pick up and a mid-size pickup or body on frame SUV works well for our 2 primary vehicles.

 

[Randy11]

I put 15k miles on my 2022 Pro4X Frontier this year, mainly hunting. I have no complaints, other than all the nanny BS sensors that get in the way on forest service roads. It's ridiculously comfortable for a mid size truck, much more so than the Toyotas I've owned.

The new Tacoma looks really awesome, but after seeing the pricing I'm happy I bought mine when I did. I also kind of like that the Frontier still has a V6, but I'm not anti-turbo by any means.

 

[keystone112]

87k miles on my 2019 Ranger. No major problems.

Haven’t tried car seats. Mine is a super cab.

 

[Appalaskan]

Absolutely do not get a mid size truck if you have kids in mind. I loved my 2020 Tacoma up until I put a car seat in the back. I’m 6’1” and my wife is 5’7” and I straight up couldn’t fit if the car seat was behind me and my wife’s knees were pushed into the dash if it was behind her. We dealt with it for 1 year until I moved to the Tundra. Significantly more comfortable.

I’d recommend the Tacoma to anyone, mine was perfect and did everything I needed. Just wish it had about 6” more in the back seat. Love my 2024 Tundra though and hope to drive it for as long as I can.

What cab configuration was this on your Tacoma?

 

[Fever Buck]

What cab configuration was this on your Tacoma?

4 door crew cab.

 

[Undomesticated]

The Ranger with the 2.7 is one that really intrigues me. I havent seen a price tag for it though.

The 2.7 has proven itself to be pretty reliable.

The ecoboosts are robust engines. If you are dead set against Tacomas (did you get the one lemon they made!?) I would probably choose the Ranger. I've actually still got a 20-year old Ranger that I couldn't bear to depart with when I got my F-150. It is still going strong.

 

[CorbLand]

The ecoboosts are robust engines. If you are dead set against Tacomas (did you get the one lemon they made!?) I would probably choose the Ranger. I've actually still got a 20-year old Ranger that I couldn't bear to depart with when I got my F-150. It is still going strong.

I am not against Tacomas, I just don’t want to be the one to test the new motor. The used market for them is insane and when I can get a brand new ranger for ~15% more than a used Tacoma…well, it makes it hard to want one.

 

[bowhuntercoop]

I’ve had 4 tacos, current truck the last year is 23 f150 with the 2.7. If they made a ranger with a 2.7 I would never, ever consider a taco for a midsize truck again. Those 2.7 are about as bulletproof as you can get with a twin turbo and are rocket ships. They are the closest gas engine that pulls like a diesel with the low end grunt. Toyota lost me this round with the increase price on the taco and tundra, and the newest tundra had too many issues at the time I was buying.

 

[Theringworm]

Ford Is releasing 2.7 in the Ranger in 2024. I read on their website It would likely be some time in the summer.