Available As: Small Pickup with regular, extended, and crew cabs

Base Price Range (MSRP): $15,085-$25,150

Pros: Price, fuel economy, ride, handling (Z85 suspension).

Cons: Interior comfort, interior quality, acceleration, towing capacity, refinement.

Overall: A basic truck competing against more pleasant pickups.

Rating: 5/10

Recommended: NO

The Colorado (and the identical GMC Canyon and Isuzu i-Series) was a class leader when it came out in 2004, offering a more pleasant driving experience than most competitors and coming in at a low price. (At least, with the base Z85 suspension, which is highly recommended over the off-road and sport suspensions unless desperately needed.) But since then, every competitor has been overhauled, and surpass it both in capability and in comfort. Base models are a decent value, as price is much more important than comfort among vinyl-seat 2-door pickups, but as anything but a disposable work truck you can do better than the Colorado.

Good all-around pickups are the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma, which offer more comfort and more ability than the Colorado, but cost more. Consumers who will be using their pickup primarily for day to day use and don't need heavy duty ability should consider the car-based Honda Ridgeline, which is available only as a rather pricey crew cab, but is very comfortable and has excellent on-road manners. The Ford Sport Trac is somewhat similar to the Ridgeline, but exceeds its towing capability at the expense of its driving dynamics. And the base versions of the Ford Ranger are the primary alternative to the base Colorado for a disposable work truck, and offer more capability but less comfort than comparable Colorados.

See the 2007 Colorado 3LT in the IFCAR Midsize Crew-Cab Pickup Comparison Test

See the 2007 Colorado LT crew cab in the IFCAR Inexpensive 6-passenger Vehicle Comparison Test

Available As: Small Pickup with regular and extended cabs

Base Price Range (MSRP): $13,860-$24,245

Pros: Price, utility.

Cons: Refinement, ride, handling, interior quality.

Overall: Unrivaled in the current market as a cheap work truck, but not recommended for anyone who wants more than that. 

Rating: 7/10

Recommended: YES

The Ranger is everything that today's modern pickup has moved away from: small, bouncy, noisy, and cheap. As its competitors move upmarket to woo the daily-use crowd and the higher prices that crowd is willing to pay, the Ranger continues to offer basic utility with a design that has changed relatively little in over a decade. It isn't comfortable, it offers no version with a usable rear seat, and offers no trace of premium feel. But for consumers still looking for inexpensive utility at a manageable size, the Ranger is the best choice basically by default.

The Chevrolet Colorado (and its GMC Canyon and Isuzu i-Series clones) comes closest in the current market to sharing the attributes with the Ranger. But its weak engines prevent it from sharing the Ranger's utility, and it offers few other advantages despite being a newer design. The Toyota Tacoma offers base versions, but they are more expensive, particularly if you want six cylinders, but is more comfortable and refined. The Nissan Frontier, which is available only in extended or crew cabs, is all-around capable and dynamically impressive, but not as comfortable as the Tacoma.

Available As: Small Crew-Cab Pickup

Base Price Range (MSRP): $24,285-$29,765

Pros: Ride, refinement, interior comfort, towing capacity (V8).

Cons: Bed size, handling, instrument layout, crew-cab only.

Overall: A good blend of comfort and utility that, but not an ideal one.

Rating: 7/10

Recommended: YES

The Sport Trac is a Ford Explorer with a bed instead of a covered cargo area. As such, it is more family-friendly than many competitors, designed with comfort, refinement, and safety in mind. But it's still a truck-based design, with an available V8 with a high towing capacity. But the Sport Trac has flaws that come both from its and from the Explorer's design. The Explorer lacks the agility and interior quality of its own competitors, and comes with a standard V6 that is not particularly powerful, refined, or fuel-efficient. And the Sport Trac is only available as a crew cab with a very short bed (just over four feet long), which limits its practicality.

The foremost competitor to the Sport Trac should be the Ford Explorer it was designed from. Potential buyers should carefully evaluate the usefulness of the bed against that of the larger, covered cargo space and third-row seat. (If you do prefer the Explorer to the Sport Trac, also consider its alternatives, listed with its review.) Among other pickups, the closest competitor is the Honda Ridgeline, which is more comfortable and agile but, based on a car rather than truck platform, can't match the Sport Trac's towing and off-road capabilities. The Toyota Tacoma crew cab comes the closest among trucks to matching the Sport Trac's comfort, and exceeds its utility, but with its low seats and slightly bouncier, noisier ride it's not all the way there. It's also a bit more expensive.

See the 2007 Sport Trac XLT in the IFCAR Midsize Pickup Comparison Test