Four Lifestyles : Four Pickup Trucks

Pickup truck comparisons are nothing new. However, most of the time they stack up trucks that are found within the same price, weight or size class and square them off against each other in a broad series of general tests. While real-world scenarios are, of course, an important component of these types of tests, it is not as common to come across a comparison which evaluates pickups exclusively based on specific tasks or lifestyle needs such as hauling, towing, off-roading or daily use.

Not everyone buys a truck for the same reason, and sometimes it can be very helpful to know whether a vehicle being shopped will outperform the competition in one very specific benchmark as opposed to overall competence. This article examines four common ownership scenarios associated with pickup trucks and then chooses which pickup meets the needs of that particular group of drivers in the best possible fashion.

The Pickup Truck for People Who Don’t Want A Pickup Truck

Contenders: Honda Ridgeline, Hummer H3T, Chevrolet Avalanche
Winner: Honda Ridgeline

Everyone knows someone in their group of friends who is only driving a pickup truck on a daily basis because they require the extra open-air cargo space and versatility that this type of vehicle provides. These people might complain about the large dimensions of a truck, its rougher ride, its lack of handling refinement or its paltry fuel economy.

Fortunately for this demographic, Honda has produced the ultimate pickup truck for people who don’t want a pickup truck. The Honda Ridgeline has been on the market since 2006, and in that time it has won over many sedan drivers as the truck of choice for taking care of jobs that a standard automobile just can’t handle.

What makes the Ridgeline so unique? To begin with, unlike any other mid-size pickup truck on the market, its platform is based on that of a sedan – similar to how Honda designed its Honda Pilot SUV and Honda Odyssey minivan. This means that instead of a full ladder frame such as that found on other trucks, the Ridgeline uses unibody construction that makes for a quieter and smoother ride that feels far more like driving a large car than a hulking truck. This has also allowed the Ridgeline to save weight, with the vehicle coming in at 4,500 lbs.

The Ridgeline might not be as big and heavy as some of the other trucks available, but it still packs a formidably useful punch. It can tow 5,000 lbs and its 3.5 liter V6 engine cranks out 255 horsepower and 252 lb-ft of torque while still seeing 16 miles per gallon in city driving and 21 miles per gallon on the highway – good numbers for a truck of its size. The Ridgeline also features a unique locking ‘trunk’ situated in its cargo area that allows it to protect cargo from prying eyes or sticky fingers.

The 2006 – 2009 Honda Ridgeline is a good compromise between the driving experience of a car and the utility of a truck. Not intended to hack it in the great outdoors, the Ridgeline is instead aimed at putting a smile on the face of those who grudgingly get behind the wheel of a pickup each morning.

The Pickup Truck For People Who Need To Tow

Contenders: Dodge Ram, Ford Super Duty, Chevrolet Silverado HD
Winner: Ford Super Duty

Each of the Big Three American truck brands produce heavy-duty editions of their standard pickups which incorporate a host of strengthening features and drivetrain upgrades in order to better deal with the stress of towing a sizable load on a regular basis. These special editions are not updated nearly as often as their half-ton equivalents, but their attention to function over form makes them formidable tools for anyone in need of a workhorse.

The Ford Super Duty was completely re-designed for 2008 in order to keep it at the head of the pack. The ultimate tow vehicle from Ford is the F350 Super Duty Dual Rear Wheels (DRW) crew cab, a four-door pickup that can hold up to 5 passengers in full comfort while towing an astonishing 18,000 lbs – an amount that is well above the competition’s capabilities. The F350 Super Duty can also haul 5,730 lbs in the cargo area.

How does it turn in such impressive numbers? The DRW help to spread out the trailer and cargo area load so that it can be more easily handled by the massively reinforced frame. The lengthy wheelbase of the truck also helps it to remain stable and in control while towing, even on steep inclines. A V8 and V10 are both available as engine options, with the latter throwing down 362 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque, but the real story for towing is the available 6.4 liter Power Stroke diesel V8 that produces 350 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque.

The 2009 Ford F350 Super Duty DRW is a true land yacht, and one which can tow a house all day long at highway speeds without breaking a sweat. It makes an excellent addition to the driveway of anyone who needs a no-excuses hauler that is a step ahead of the other trucks on the market.

The Pickup Truck For People Who Are Environmentally Conscious

Contenders: Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid, GMC Sierra Hybrid
Winner: Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid

When it comes to green pickup truck options, the field is fairly narrow – so narrow, in fact, that only General Motors is currently staking out a claim. The introduction of a two-mode battery-powered hybrid system for their Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra in 2009 marked a very progressive step in the world of full-size trucks in terms of reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid offers all of the functionality of the standard Silverado but with the efficiency advantages associated with a gasoline / electric hybrid system. The truck’s 6.0 liter V8 engine works with an electric motor to provide 332 horsepower and 367 lb-ft of torque, which are solid numbers for half-ton pickup. Cargo capacity and towing are also in line with industry standards.

Where the Silverado Hybrid does depart from the other trucks it is competing with is with regards to fuel economy. The two-wheel drive version of this truck is rated at 21 miles per gallon in city driving and 22 miles per gallon on the highway, with the four-wheel drive version showing slightly lower numbers. This represents a 25 percent improvement over the standard Silverado thanks to the extra grunt kicked in by the vehicle’s battery-powered electric motor.

Lower emissions and a smaller fuel bill help the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid take the sting out of pickup truck ownership for those drivers who would rather be sitting behind the wheel of a Toyota Prius.

The Pickup For People Who Want To Head Off-Road

Contenders: Hummer H3T, Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road, Nissan Frontier PRO-4X
Winner: Hummer H3T

While the image of the big, jacked up full-size pickup truck riding high on huge tires and a raised suspension is what comes to mind for most people when they picture 4x4 adventures, reality is a little bit different. Purpose-built rigs of course come in every shape and size, but for stock off-road driving a mid-size or smaller pickup is often more capable than any of the large options available in showrooms. The reasons for this boil down to agility and weight, with smaller and lighter trucks able to tread more carefully in more difficult to access areas far from civilization.

The 2009 Hummer H3T straddles the line between SUV and pickup, but it does so with an impressive mix of off-road ability and comfort that vaults it to the top of the list when considering a factory stock trail rider. The vehicle features a 300 horsepower, 5.3 liter V8 engine that provides just enough power to get through most off-road situations without being too powerful for its own good. The H3T also offers the excellent Hummer pedigree when it comes to handling tough terrain: it can scale 60% grades, has almost 10 inches of ground clearance and can handle almost 2 feet of water with no danger to the engine or other components. The design of the truck provides drivers with excellent departure and approach angles that can mean the difference between a white-knuckle maneuver and a relaxed boulder hop.

While it prices out a bit higher than the competition, the excellent versatility of the H3T as an off-road solution combined with its nicely sized pickup bed and luxury features make it hard to beat as a platform for rock crawling, mud bogging or desert racing – right out of the box.