I've Been In or Driven All the New 2024 Midsize Trucks and I Compare Them

You asked for it and you got it! Publisher Tim Esterdahl shares his knowledge after being in and driving most of the new 2024 midsize trucks on the market.

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[JamesBrooks-gb]

I was looking to buy the Colorado. Test drove it 3 times, but in the end, I purchased Frontier Pro4x. I enjoyed it more and Nissan went 4k below msrp and was willing to give more for my trade in. I have had the Frontier for a few months now and I really like it. No turbo and It doesn't need it. It is peppy and has plenty of power.

[deanmay]

Tim, THANK YOU for following up and doing this video.

I have been in pickup research mode since the Spring, 2020 as a pandemic hobby trolling the dealership lots on Sunday afternoons when they are closed with a Starbucks and a pup cup for Gibbs, the Mississippi Maltese!

As empty nesters 7 to 9 years ago, Laura and I purchased a small fiberglass camper in November, 2015. We purchased a 2005 Casita 17 Freedom Deluxe. It is about 2, 900 lbs loaded. I had never towed, so in December, 2015, we purchased a 2009 Kia Borrego Limited V8 (335 hp/327 lb ft of torque) rated to tow 7, 500 lbs in December, 2015. It was Kia’s answer to the Toyota 4 Runner, but much less expensive than used 4 Runners in 2015.

We love camping! Since 2016, we have camped 374 nights, towed 32, 000 miles, and visited 15 states! I got lucky in 2021 and was able to retire early at 58.5 years old, but the early retirement meant no new toys until early social security at the end of 2024. I know more about trucks than anyone I know that does not own a truck!!! I did have a beater 1967 Chevy C10 that I inherited and used for 15 years or so to haul mulch and a few other things. I also learned to drive in the late 1970s on a 1968 Jeep Gladiator that my dad used to haul diesel fuel and chain saws for his logging business.

Currently, all six mid-size trucks are on my short list. The biggest surprise for me is the Colorado/Canyon going from irrelevant to being on my radar. I will also cross shop all 1/2 ton trucks in a base trim and mildly optioned. Of course, I am budget conscious, but there may be some overlap between mid-trim midsize trucks and base 1/2 ton trucks, so the 1/2 ton may be a better option in terms of value. However, we prefer the size and drivability of mid-size trucks.

Actually, towing and payload are very important to; however, we are only towing 2, 900 lbs, but we tow over 4, 000 miles per years. When we purchased the Borrego in December, 2015, it had 83, 000 miles on it. It currently has 160, 000. Of those 77, 000 miles, 32, 000 were towing. So, I expect over 40% of our driving to be towing, possibly more as we do longer trips in the future. For me, payload is more important than towing since any mid-size truck rated to tow 5, 000 lbs or more will tow our Casita. I am shocked at how low the payload is on some mid-size trucks, particularly with off-road oriented trucks. Speaking of off-road, I don’t need an off-road truck, but still want to have 4WD/AWD for camping, forest service roads, and winter driving.

Regarding the trucks, it is interesting that we have 6 trucks with 3 of them being turbocharged 4 cylinders and 3 of them being normally aspirated 6 cylinders. My summative thoughts. . .

Turbocharged 4 Cylinder Trucks:

2024 Toyota Tacoma - Wow! Love the look (exterior and interior). Love the range of trims. I would lean SR5, TRD Sport, or TRD OffRoad; however, a bit concerned that the TRD Sport and OffRoad could get pricey depending on how it is optioned. I also like that it can be optioned with a 6’ bed. Since we are considering a 1/2 ton truck, a Tacoma with a 6’ bed might be a sweet spot??? Price, particularly dealer markups, are probably its biggest drawback for me. I am also wondering if Toyota did enough to address mediocre payload in the previous generation Tacoma? I want about 1500 lbs of payload.

2024 GMC/Chevy Canyon/Colorado - LOVE the styling inside and out. Would probably lean Canyon over Colorado. Biggest question for me, are they reliable? Is that revised 8 speed transmission significantly more reliable than the previous generation that is suffering with class action litigation.

2024 Ford Ranger - Long history of turbocharged engines with their EcoBoost line up. I like the interior. I am lukewarm on the exterior. I don’t think Ford did enough with the new 2024 Ranger.

Normally Aspirated 6 Cylinder Trucks:

2024 Honda Ridgeline - LOL, yes it is a pickup truck!!! ;) I actually like many of the features associated with the Ridgeline, including ride quality, rear seat room and the ability to have a flat floor with the seats folded up to haul camping gear, multifunction tailgate, in bed trunk, and, ironically, some of the best real word payload in the mid-size market. I also like Honda’s AWD system. I like the TrailSport trim for 2024. I am not a chrome guy and, historically, too much chrome on the RTL and RTL-E trims; and, the Black Edition is getting too expensive.

2024 Nissan Frontier - I like the look. Nice all around truck. Biggest issue is payload. I am not impressed with its real world payload. Also, crash ratings are mediocre. Interesting that it can be optioned with a 6’ bed.

2024 Jeep Gladiator - Most Gladiator trims will be too expensive for my budget. Plus, I prefer the Sport in order to get the max tow package. Not that familiar with their refresh. However, the Gladiator is a bit of sentimental favorite since I learned to drive a ‘68 Gladiator in the late 1970s. However, price and value trump sentimentality! ;)

I do wonder a bit if I will miss the torque of my Borrego’s V8 (325 lb ft) if we go with a 6 cylinder mid-size truck. A friend that has towed a small “egg” camper with a V8 Dodge Dakota, a V6 Dodge Durango, and currently, with a 2.3L Ecoboost Ford Ranger does not think I will miss the V8 torque since our Borrego had a ZF 6 speed transmission and all modern mid-size pickups have 8 to 10 speed transmissions. Finally, I value reliability and safety, so those are variables that I pay attention to as well.

In any case, over the years, your channel is one of my three favorite channels for getting real world truck information. I appreciate the work that Jill and you do. Again, thanks for this discussion of the mid-size truck market.

[ivanarzate]

I like how you focused on the base and mid level trim tiers of the trucks. Which is what 90% of truck buyers will buy.

[Supaguyu]

I think towing is important now in mid-size due to the cost of full-size trucks. I downsized to a Nissan Frontier due to costs and I tow my 22' boat with it. Towing matters now more than ever.

[johnstrand]

During the second Great Depression, the best truck is the one that you can actually find on a lot.

[smittysmitty]

It’s super close between all the mid-size trucks & I love it! The Tacoma TRD Pro & Off Road are my favorite but at $52k+ it’s too expensive. I will be buying the Colorado Trail Boss at $42k, with the skid plate package.

[NMTRUCKER]

I’m not a midsize truck person, however, the variety of midsize trucks and options today give the consumer a plethora of choices.

[robpetry]

I'm happy with my decision. 2024 colorado trail boss. I need to tow a camper and the 7, 700 towing with trailer brake controller is awesome for a midsize truck.

[endlessnameless]

Towing my camper was a huge factor in my decision to buy a Colorado.

[twack]

I prefer the mellower styling of the new Ranger vs. the new Tacoma, but I trust Toyota's reliability more. Leaning towards the Tacoma for this reason, but I think I'll wait a few years for all the manufacturing "gremlins" to be worked out before I make my choice between the 2...

[bikebudha]

Ridgeline for the win. Unless you actually rock-crawl, the Ridgeline is the best in every other category...
Engine good for 200, 000 miles.
Best handling.
Best gas mileage.
Most shoulder room (in any seat).
Most efficient rear seating/storage area.
4x8 sheet of anything lays flat in bed.
In-bed trunk.
Swing-out tailgate (allows you to use bumper as step to easily get into bed. Also means you don't have to load 'over' the tailgate).
Tows up to 5k lbs, if you need more than that get a full size pickup.
Does not have cheap-ass 'macho' styling.

[JBUCKNE]

Tim, I voted for the comparison and you did well.
As far as towing, let’s be honest trucks are more a status symbol at this point. I’ve been all over and I hardly see people towing or carrying loads. It’s an occasional thing that the lower level trucks can handle but we go for the bells and whistles and regardless of what we all claim MPGs absolutely matter.

[michaelsylvester]

Hi Tim,
Great in comparing all the midsize pickups very helpful
Thanks for sharing.

[iandl]

Good video as always Tim.

How do the quality (not features) of the interior/ trim pieces compare between the Tacoma, Canyon, Ranger, Gladiator and Frontier?

I would also like to mention a couple things I noticed.

- The new Colorado is actually rated at 7700lbs ...slightly more than the Gladiator...not that most ppl would tow that much anyway lol.

- something that is not talked about much but could be really important is the 4Auto setting that come standard on all 4x4 GM/Chevy not even an option for most other manufacturers unless you go for the higher / more expensive trims.
Having owned vehicles with and without 4Auto, and living in an area with snow, i have found this feature valuable on those slippery mornings when the roads are sometimes bare but some snow patches here and there.

- The other thing is the Colorados are not all off road focused, you can get a WT, LT neither of which are lifted. Even the Z71 is not lifted, its more of an on road package now (with the G80 locker). The only two trims that are lifted / off road focused are the TrailBoss and the ZR2.

You are correct about the Canyon lineup all being lifted.

[blackss]

I'd probably go Nissan Frontier in this category. No matter what anyone tries to say, turbo 4s feel very unrefined in their power delivery compared to V6/V8. Sometimes you get too much power and other times it feels dead. Most of the 8-10 speeds don't feel very smooth with these turbos either. In my mind it makes the whole experience cheaper and beneath the price point of these vehicles. V6 turbos feel much better/linear so I have nothing against turbos in general. Depending on your terrain/weather conditions and load you "might" get better mpgs with turbos. Will they really be as reliable long term....obviously "no" on the average.

[nxxmrcyxx]

😂yeah sorry that turbo is really nice. I was all in for the Colorado trailboss. But nissan frontier engine will last me a long while. I dont trade in vehicles often so... im okay with a good strong reliable engine.

[SkippyPB.]

FYI. The Ridgeline’s infotainment and the gauge cluster has already been updated for 2024

[jaylee]

I just drove a new Nissan Frontier Pro 4X the other day. I was really impressed by it. It was more comfortable than any truck I've been in lately, and It handled very well. I really would consider it but I jsut think trucks cost to much, and my new truck buying days are over. But I have to say that that Nissan was very nice. I really wanted it.

[scotw]

When comparing them/discussing them, I’d do so as long as the trim levels are the same; i.e. ZR2 vs TRD Pro vs Raptor, base model vs base model, etc.

[markive]

Great video, your knowledge is incredible 👍how did your deer lease end up ? Mostly Muledeer in your region . 👍