American pickup trucks have been steadily getting wider, taller, heavier and more costly for years. Massive fullsize trucks eat up acres of roadway and parking space, while the average selling price nears $65,000. But some drivers are discovering the benefits of downsizing to a smaller, more efficient pickup. Compact and midsize models provide a reliable combination of comfort, convenient size, and robust payload and towing ability minus the excessive girth of standard full-size pickups.

Today’s pickups like the Ford Maverick, Hyundai Santa Cruz and Honda Ridgeline highlight how unibody design and crossover sensibilities can make truck ownership easier. They offer the comfort, fuel economy and day-to-day livability of a car, yet feature truck-sized beds perfect for home renovation project material, furniture or a weekend’s worth of gear. The others, including the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger and Jeep Gladiator, maintain the strength, towing capacity and ruggedness that have defined trucks forever. If these six prove anything, it’s that you don’t have to buy a behemoth to live life in the truck lane.

1. Ford Maverick

The Ford Maverick is leading the charge in the new wave of small pickups, with a shared platform with the Escape and Bronco Sport, and real truck functionality. The Maverick is offered with a standard hybrid powertrain that makes 191 horsepower and achieves an EPA-estimated 38 mpg combined making it an economical daily driver. If you want more power, opt for the turbocharged 2.0-litre Eco Boost four-cylinder engine, which makes 238 horsepower and can be spec’d with all-wheel drive. It has an extensive array of daily-driver features, such as multi-height door cubbies, exposed screw heads, and a massive 13.2-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone integration. Its 4.5-foot-long cargo bed has a multi-position tailgate, and if you opt for the available 4K Towing Package, you can tow up to 4,000 pounds.

Ford Maverick Key Features and Capabilities:

• Standard hybrid delivers 38 mpg
• Optional turbo engine produces 238 horsepower
• Practical 4.5-foot cargo bed
• Available towing capacity reaches 4,000 pounds
• Large touchscreen with wireless connectivity

2025 Ford Maverick added more bed options for buyers. Ford even added an all-wheel-drive hybrid model, a capable off-road trail truck that still has enough tech to get work done, a go-anywhere off-road ready Lobo model, and a different look for street duty (Tremor). The Maverick retains multiple engine options, and it keeps the working-class pricing, despite an increased starting point. The bed is especially handy for daily tasks, with its multi-position tailgate flipping down to support up to eighteen four-by-eight sheets of plywood laid flat, and the multi-carrier mounts on top are good for retaining kayaks and pallets. The well-designed interior and the up-to-date electronics make the Maverick a high-value daily driver for life, and it goes further with its combination of high miles per gallon, easy size to manage, and real haul behind capabilities.

2. Hyundai Santa Cruz

Hyundai takes a different approach with its first pickup truck by developing it on the compact SUV platform it already uses for the popular Tucson crossover. Built in the company’s Georgia plant, the unibody Santa Cruz sport truck has been engineered to deliver a smooth comfortable ride, quiet cabin, and high-quality interior, with good looks and nimble city driving manners. Its curvaceous bodywork ditches the boxy proportions of most pickups in favour of a more sporty and automotive-like look and feel, while offering a choice of a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine or a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder delivering 281 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. The turbocharged engine provides the Santa Cruz with a towing capacity of up to 5,000 pounds and a four-foot cargo box with a lockable in-bed storage compartment complete with a drain plug, and a retracting tonneau cover.

Hyundai Santa Cruz Standout Features:

• Tucson-based unibody construction
• Turbo engine produces 281 horsepower
• Maximum towing capacity reaches 5,000 pounds
• Lockable in-bed trunk with drain
• Dual 12.3-inch panoramic digital displays

Entertainment and technology is also a highlight of the Santa Cruz with dual 12.3 inch panoramic digital displays, helpful software and these additional driver-assist features as standard. To help make it a little more rugged and capable Hyundai offers the new off-road-inspired XRT trim, which features chunky all-terrain tyres and red tow hooks. These features add a bit of scale and make it feel a little more adventurous without sacrificing its crossover ability, practicality and comfort while on the road. On the downside, the Santa Cruz’s cargo bed is on the shallow side, and rear-seat passengers may find the legroom to be a little cramped. Still, with that combination of comfort, storage and good tow rating all rounded off with a very car-like driving experience, the Santa Cruz is well worth considering as an alternative to the traditional small pickup.

3. Honda Ridgeline

The Honda Ridgeline has stood as proof of the benefits of a car-based, unibody construction for pickups, giving you a familiar interior of midsize dimensions, coupled with pleasant crossover-like driving manners. Built on the same basic underpinnings as Honda’s passenger cars, the Ridgeline has an independent rear suspension and four-wheel drive that’s standard. It’s focused on providing a smooth ride on uneven pavement, where pickups can sometimes feel like they’re bouncing around. Every Ridgeline comes with Honda’s well-established 280-horsepower, 262 lb-ft torque 3.5-litre V6 engine mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. It’s got a comfortable four-door crew cab with a wide four-foot, 11-inch composite cargo bed. A dual-action tailgate can swing open to the side like a door or fold downward to create a flat surface, and a lockable, 7.3-cubic-foot dual-washout trunk sits in the bed.

Honda Ridgeline Practical Design Highlights:

• Standard all-wheel-drive capability
• V6 engine produces 280 horsepower
• Wide 5-foot-4-inch composite bed
• Lockable 7.3-cubic-foot in-bed trunk
• Dual-action tailgate improves cargo access

Homeowners and frequent haulers will find the Ridgeline’s cargo bed cargo area a useful feature, with several helpful benefits. The flatbed floor is wide enough to load four-foot-wide drywall panels between the wheel wells, while the in-bed storage and double-hinged tailgate streamline everyday loading tasks. Maximum 5,000-pound towing capacity and the Ridgeline’s lack of significant off-road clearance places its capabilities a little behind other traditional, body-on-frame pickup trucks. But overall, the Ridgeline is a very manageable daily driver that is comfortable, safe and helpful, with driver-assistance safety features, a tri-zone climate system, and a very user-friendly interior layout. It is most attractive to buyers who want to balance comfort and convenience with occasional weekend work and activity hauling.

4. Toyota Tacoma

Though it has been completely redesigned for its fourth generation, the Tacoma still rides on Toyota’s more rugged global truck platform which is also used by its full-size cousin, the Tundra. The revamped truck comes with a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which powers up to 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque for six different trim options. For those looking for more gusto, an available i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain engine with 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque will also be offered. Toyota’s offering of the trusty and familiar manual transmission will also continue in the Tacoma. This mix of a new rugged platform and an improved yet familiar powertrain has made the Tacoma appeal to those who want a trail-proof vehicle with rugged style and daily driveability.

Toyota Tacoma Performance and Utility Highlights:

• Turbocharged engine delivers 278 horsepower
• Hybrid system produces 326 horsepower
• Maximum hybrid torque reaches 465 lb-ft
• Traditional manual transmission remains available
• Six distinct trim levels offered

As well as off-road capability, the Tacoma is a practical choice. Buyers can select from the five or six-foot cargo beds depending on the sort of hauling they are looking to do, while the bigger Double Cab offers more space inside the cabin. The Xtra Cab does away with the second row of seats in order to provide a large and lockable box for safe stowage behind the front seats, effectively giving drivers a choice of who and what they want to carry up to four people, or secure cargo. Inside the cabin, drivers will find an optional 14-inch touchscreen infotainment system and MOLLE panels to cater for those using the truck for outdoor or work purposes, as well as advanced proactive driver assistance features. Fuel economy figures are as low as 20 mpg combined for the best models, meaning the Tacoma is an efficient yet powerful machine.

5. Ford Ranger

The all-new Ford Ranger delivers sporty proportions, better road manners and powerful engine options to the midsize pickup segment. If you need highway acceleration and weighty towing capability, consider the available 2.7-litre twin-turbo V6 making 315 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. Of torque. The value-oriented top-end Ranger Raptor goes for more off-road specific hardware and power, making 405 horsepower and 430 lb.-ft. Of torque on standard. Ford offers only one body style for the Ranger: a four-door crew cab with a five-foot bed. This setup seats five adults and offers readily accessible cargo capacity. The Ranger’s engine options, passenger space, and exterior cargo-bed features are especially advantageous for those seeking a versatile mid-size pickup.

Ford Ranger Performance and Design Features:

• Twin-turbo V6 produces 315 horsepower
• Standard V6 option delivers 400 lb-ft
• Ranger Raptor generates 405 horsepower
• Optional tune increases output to 455 horsepower
• Four-door crew cab seats five

Ranger also offers practical exterior features that will help make it even more useful for everyday drives. Side bumper steps and available Zone Lighting provide easier access to the cargo box and illuminates the surroundings of the vehicle to help set up campsites or work areas after dark. The interior cabin is built for comfort and accessible interior storage spaces that will help make your daily drives easier. Standard on all models is a 10-inch touchscreen or an optional 12-inch display, large door pockets, and a smartphone-enabled wireless charging pad. The rear seats fold flat providing additional protected storage spaces that can be used for belongings you may not want exposed in the open bed. All these features truly make a Ranger, just a little bit more useful than some of its competitors for engine performance and towing power.

6. Jeep Gladiator

Introduction The Gladiator is a pickup unlike any other. Repacking Jeep’s typical open air style into a traditional truck for broad appeal, the Gladiator is a fine and capable hauler that excels at work and play. Based on Jeep’s popular 4×4 set-up and utilising a tough five-link rear suspension, the Gladiator is an impressive trail machine that still remains a reliable load hauler. As standard, the Gladiator is powered by Jeep’s legendary and tested 285hp 3.6 litre V6 Pentastar engine mated to a nippy and practical eight-speed automatic transmission. This combination offers plenty of power and torque in a usable light truck manner and it feels just right when on and off-road. The Gladiator’s proven construction and AWD system make it an ideal choice of driver who needs all the strength of a midsize pickup with a unique off-road presence not often found elsewhere.

Jeep Gladiator Capability and Adventure Highlights:

• Standard four-wheel-drive capability
• V6 engine produces 285 horsepower
• Eight-speed automatic transmission
• Maximum towing capacity reaches 7,700 pounds
• Open-air removable doors and roof panels

The Gladiator provides impressive performance specs for a midsize pickup truck. When fully equipped, Sport models can tow 7,700 pounds, and it offers a payload capacity of 1,725 pounds in the truck bed. Inside the driver cabin, the Gladiator includes modern technology features such as a standard 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen display with wireless connectivity for smartphones. The Gladiator also features one of its most notable selling points: the doors can come off, and the windshield can fold down, and the top panels come off, creating an open-air experience, something that traditional pickup trucks can’t easily do. The Gladiator offers frame strength, a towing capacity and off-road manoeuvrability for off-road enthusiasts that proves midsize trucks can be up to tough tasks while remaining manageable to operate on the road. It lets you tow a trailer, scale rocky trails and carry up building supplies with ease, all while maintaining a familiar footprint and a unique recreational edge.