Midsize Truck Comparison

If you are planning upon buying a new truck then you must definitely take a look at the midsize truck comparison, as these factors will help you to determine, which one to buy.

The mid-sized trucks are an important part of any transport system as they facilitate the transport of goods or large objects that cannot be transported easily in an ordinary car. The mid-sized trucks were derived in the 20th century when an acute need for larger transport means than cars was felt. The rural American economy was booming at that period of time and people were in need of smaller transport vehicles as conventional trucks and trailers were rather enormous and facilitated only the large payloads. Thus, as a response to the public demand, automobile manufacturers such as Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge and Nissan started introducing what we today call the mid-sized truck or the mid-sized pickup truck.

In North America, such large-sized vehicles that have a cargo hold, and have a larger engine than most of the cars, are known by the names pickups, pickup trucks or simply ‘trucks’. In South Africa such vehicles are also known as ‘bakkies‘. In New Zealand and Australia such vehicles are sometimes also known as ‘ute‘ which stands for utility vehicles.

Definition of Midsize Truck

In order to understand the comparison better, let us have a look at the definition of midsize truck. If we have a look at the conventional pickup truck market, we realize that there are several different classifications within the market itself. The 5 principal classes of such trucks are, compact trucks, full-sized pickup/truck, mid-sized trucks, muscle trucks and Sports Utility Trucks. Out of the five, the Sports Utility Trucks and muscle trucks are basically luxurious automobiles. The compact trucks are 4 seat versions with small cargo holds and smaller engines. The full-sized trucks are large in size with a huge engine and big cargo hold. The mid-sized ones on the other hand, are smaller than the full-sized ones but have larger engine capacities than the compact ones

The mid-sized trucks are usually available in 4, 5, 6 cylinder engines, with V6 and V8 being the common engine block designs. The engine capacities tend to range from 2.5 liters to 4 liters.
The cargo hold is as big as 4 ft × 8 ft and in some cases a little larger.
A payload of about half a ton is another defining characteristic, however this feature would differ from model to model and of course the pickup’s purpose. 4-seater midsize trucks usually tend to have a lesser payload.

The first mid-sized pickup truck was introduced in 1987, as the Dodge Dakota, which started a trend for the mid-sized models. The best merit of a mid-sized pick up is basically the not-too-big and yet not-too-small features such as the engine capacity, payload, etc. Nowadays, the compact and mid-sized pickups are not treated as different classes, but rather they are considered to be one and the same.

Parameters for Comparison

As mentioned above, mid-sized trucks are gaining an increasing importance in the small truck comparison reviews. If you have decided to buy a mid-sized truck, then while comparing, you will have to take care about the following features.

Engine and Fuel Economy:

The engine of the mid-sized truck is available in many capacities. Apart from the engine capacities you can also have a look at some of the hybrid vehicles that have been introduced. In case where there is an option of available hybrid vehicle, you can definitely go in for one as it proves to be advantageous from the point of view of better fuel economy and also environment protection. You will also have to consider whether you will need a gas engine or a diesel engine. In a diesel truck comparison, you will find that diesel-powered trucks delivers a proper performance.

Safety Features:

Adequate safety features should be present in a midsize truck. If your family is going to use the truck then you must have a safety cage for the car as well as a set of air bags that would provide safety to all the passengers. On the other hand if you are using the truck for commercial purposes, ensure that the driver is well protected.

Drivetrain and Drive:

Most of the mid-sized trucks have a four-wheel drive and towing capacity. The transmission is available in both the automatic as well as manual modes. In your own midsize comparison, first determine the purpose of the truck, the terrain that it is going to ride through.

Cargo Hold:

The cargo hold of the truck is available in multiple dimensions and you will need take a look at the one that is suits your purpose the best. While preparing your midsize comparison calculate the surface area of the cargo hold. It is also recommended to calculate the volume of the cargo hold if you are going to use it for commercial purposes.

Your choice can be based on two important factors, one, what features are you looking for or rather which features you want, two, what is purpose of the car, or where and when are you going to use it.