In reality, there are few truly “compact” pickups anymore. In their latest incarnations, many of the trucks in this class would be better described as midsize, while the Dodge Dakota isn’t too much smaller than some large pickups.  

Perhaps exaggerating this sense of growth is the decline of the regular cab, a body type no longer offered on a number of compact pickups. The trend toward extended cabs and crew cabs has reduced regular cabs to just about a quarter of all sales in this class.

2011 Comings and Goings

A potential 2011 addition to the compact class is the Mahindra TR, a diesel-powered pickup from India; “potential,” because several promised on-sale dates have been missed. Although it is now scheduled to arrive sometime during the 2011 calendar year, it was not available at the time of this writing. Nevertheless, we have included known information on the vehicle in our "2011 Compact Pickup Truck Lineup" section.

2011 Compact Pickup Truck Best Buys and Recommendeds 2011 Best Buys Toyota Tacoma 2011 Recommendeds Honda Ridgeline Nissan Frontier Suzuki Equator

A couple members of the class have dropped out for 2011. Gone are the Ford Explorer Sport Trac (the Explorer SUV on which it was based got a more car-like redesign for 2011) and the Hummer H3T, which died along with the Hummer brand.

Port of Entry

All extended cabs are available with narrow, rear-hinged back doors. While these "half doors" may work fine in the showroom, they tend to be cumbersome in tight spaces because most only open about 90 degrees. In all extended cabs, the front doors have to be opened first, and then the rear doors. If you have a shopping cart and there's a vehicle parked next to you, opening the doors "boxes in" the entry to your truck's interior, with you and/or your cart on the outside of the "box." This is one reason crew cabs with four conventional doors are increasingly popular. However, the Dodge Dakota Club Cab (extended cab) offers optional rear-hinged rear doors that open wider, lying nearly flat against the sides of the bed. But even then, there might not be enough space between the door and an adjacent vehicle to roll a shopping cart.

Seating Surprise

Nearly all extended cabs offer seating for up to five people, but not all achieve that capacity the same way. Most do it with a three-passenger front bench seat and two rear "jump" seats, which each hold one person and fold out of the way for cargo. Since the center position on a front bench offers only enough room for a child--who should be riding in back--these realistically should be considered four-passenger trucks. Among compact extended cabs, only the Toyota Tacoma Access Cab offers a three-passenger rear seat, but those passengers should be small and very friendly.

The Payback for Payload

Payload capacity--the maximum number of pounds of people and cargo the vehicle can safely carry--varies somewhat among the trucks in this class. For some it's as little as 1,250 pounds, but most either are or can be optioned into the 1,400- to 1,800-pound range. Option packages that increase payload capacity include stiffer rear springs that can adversely affect ride and handling--particularly in bumpy corners--when the bed is empty. Think about how much weight you're likely to carry at any one time and buy accordingly.
Ride and handling can also suffer with optional off-road suspensions. Most include stiffer springs and a taller ride height. The latter not only raises the center of gravity (making the vehicle more likely to tip over), but also makes it harder to get in and out, particularly for shorter folks.

Getting Traction

Most compact pickups are offered with either rear- or four-wheel drive. Rear-drive versions are notoriously bad in slippery weather when their beds are empty because there's little weight over the drive wheels. Traction control helps make the most of what grip is available by applying the brakes to the spinning wheel or reducing engine power to minimize slip. Over the past couple of years, traction control has become available on nearly every compact pickup, with many offering it as standard; the only holdout is the Dodge Dakota. 

Four-wheel drive offers even better traction, but some systems are more convenient than others. With most, 4WD should be switched off when running on dry pavement. This is because the system doesn't allow the wheels to spin at different speeds, as they need to when rounding a corner. Failing to switch the system off on dry pavement results in driveline binding and increased wear. Other systems can be left engaged on dry pavement because they provide for different wheel speeds. This makes them more convenient when the road is slippery only in some areas. We refer to them as "all-wheel drive" or "4-wheel-drive that can be left engaged on dry pavement." With the demise of the Ford Explorer Sport Trac and Hummer H3T, only one vehicle offering it remains in the compact class: the Honda Ridgeline, which comes standard with all-wheel drive.

For those who do severe off-roading, the Nissan Frontier, Suzuki Equator, and Toyota Tacoma offer systems that prevent the truck from rolling backward on uphill runs and regulates speed on downhill runs.