2006 Pickup Trucks

Joe Wiesenfelder says: Best transformer pickup: The term hybrid now applies to gasoline/electric-powered vehicles, and "crossover" has been used to describe everything from SUV/pickup combinations to car-based vehicles with trucklike features. So I use the term "transformer" to describe a vehicle that attempts to fit into two classes. Past models like the Ford Explorer Sport Trac are handy, but they're really just short-bed crew-cab pickups. Transformers require a structural doohickey like the Avalanche's midgate, which folds to extend the cargo bed into the cabin. The Hummer H2 SUT has an updated midgate with a roll-down window — nice, but the point of a transformer is versatility and usability. Unless your goal is to climb boulders, the Avalanche offers more. (The Avalanche has been redesigned for 2007 and has not yet been reevaluated.)

Joe Wiesenfelder says: Conditional overall full-size pickup truck Best Bet: The Ram 1500's Best Bet designation is conditional because it hasn't been crash tested by IIHS. It fares at least reasonably well in all criteria, which can't be said of most of its full-size competitors, which didn't make the grade for 2006 despite being strong contenders in many aspects. The Ford F-150's reliability has been subpar, and the Titan's is worse still. The outgoing 2006 Chevrolet and GMC trucks fall short in frontal crash tests. The Ram offers a good level of refinement and a broad selection of V-6 and V-8 engines, including the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 whose cylinder deactivation grants fuel economy better than that of the 4.7-liter V-8 in some variants. Good crash tests would make the Ram the sole domestic Best Bet.

Joe Wiesenfelder says: Overall full-size pickup truck Best Bet: The Ridgeline is the critics' darling — more popular among car reviewers, it seems, than with buyers. The pluses are many, starting with Honda's usual leg-up: its reputation — for quality, reliability, safety and minimal depreciation. Unlike many Honda models, the Ridgeline's fuel economy is average in its class, but there are no runaway winners in this regard. What the Ridgeline exploits is the continuing trend of the pickup as family vehicle. Its cabin is sized for comfort, and it's more than capable, utility-wise, for casual users. Honda has addressed one of the pickup's greatest shortcomings with its trunklike storage compartment under the cargo floor. You can't open it when something's on top of it, but you can't use it on competing trucks even when the bed is empty — because they don't have it.

Joe Wiesenfelder says: Overall compact pickup truck Best Bet: The Frontier used to be a crude, knock-around truck — fun enough but hardly one of the midsize pickup category's stars. Redesigned last year on the new and higher-quality platform now shared with the Pathfinder and Xterra sport utility vehicles, it's a more mature vehicle with some of the full-size Titan's strong suits. A spray-in bed liner can be had directly from the factory, and there are innovative adjustable tie-down cleats that can be positioned anywhere along the cargo box's floor, side and front walls. The optional 4.0-liter V-6 is as robust and smooth here as it is in all its variants in virtually all Nissan models. It can be paired with a six-speed-manual transmission. By today's standards, the crew cab's backseat isn't as large as some, but the truck is otherwise up to date in the most important ways.

Joe Wiesenfelder says: Overall compact pickup truck Best Bet: The Tacoma is something of an anomaly among Toyota models in that its reliability rating is only average and its ride quality and noise levels are average at best. Still, a top score in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests and solid overall performance make the Tacoma a Best Bet. Choices are many in terms of body styles, cargo boxes, engines and transmissions — including manual gearboxes for the V-6 as well as the four-cylinder. However, if you want to tow a trailer with a 4x2, only the PreRunner trim level's capacity is up to snuff. (The 4x4s offer more trim-level variations with competitive towing capacities.)

Joe Wiesenfelder says: Overall full-size pickup truck Best Bet: The 2006 Tundra has some significant shortcomings in the areas of size and wheelbase/bed-length options. But what the Tundra does do is done very well. Its ace in the hole, not surprisingly, is a history of excellent reliability. Though competing models have caught up, the Tundra's pioneering quietness and refinement remain competitive. Toyota has redesigned and reengineered the Tundra for 2007, addressing many of the first generation's shortcomings in a full-on assault against the domestic automakers' stronghold. If the company preserves what it's done correctly in this generation, the competition is in for a battle royale.