COLUMNS DRIVEN APRIL 2005

WORDS BY JIM GORZELANY

There’s a growing number of four-door pickup trucks that can serve as functional family cars and satisfy as rugged weekend warriors

One of the fastest-growing segments in the truck market is four-door pickups, which are much like sport-utility vehicles with a foreshortened cargo box fitted behind the rear seats. While they remain rough-and-tumble trucks, these so-called “Club Cab” models offer car-like passenger cabins and a full range of comfort and convenience features.

Especially popular among the active set, they can serve as daily drivers and weekend haulers of recreational gear. They’re handy for any number of uses, from picking up the kids from college to transporting flea market finds to a local taping of “Antiques Roadshow”. Here, then, is a look at the latest in four-door vehicular versatility.

Nissan Frontier
Now larger and more powerful than before, the redesigned-for-2005 Frontier compact pickup rides on a modified version of the fully boxed, ladder chassis used on the full-sized Titan. Four-door Crew Cab versions come with a full-sized bench seat in the back and a new 4.0-liter V-6 engine up front that produces a lusty 250 horsepower. A high-utility cargo bed includes a factory-applied bedliner and a “utili-track” tie-down system. Front-side and roof-mounted side-curtain airbags with rollover protection for front and rear passengers are among the vehicle’s many options. Nissan Frontier, www.nissandriven.com, MSRP: $23,900.

Toyota Tacoma
The compact Tacoma pickup has grown in size and stature for 2005, with more aggressive styling, expanded passenger room and greater towing and hauling abilities. A 242-horsepower V-6 engine that generates a whopping 282 lbs/ft of torque propels the four-door Double Cab models. Toyota Racing Development contributes a number of off-road and sport packages for those who want to venture far afield and/or rule the road. Meanwhile, a wide array of newly offered safety features includes side-curtain airbags and Toyota’s Vehicle Stability Control system with Downhill Assist Control. Toyota Tacoma, www.toyota.com, MSRP: $24,750.

Dodge Dakota
While the Dakota is no longer the only mid-sized pickup on the market, it remains the only one to offer a V-8 engine; a 4.7-liter Magnum that generates 230 horsepower and a brawny 290 lbs/ft of torque. (A 210- horsepower, 3.7-liter Power Tech V-6 comes as standard.) A complete makeover for 2005 gives it bolder styling, particularly with the mammoth front grille and headlamp treatments borrowed from its full-sized stablemate, the Ram. Four-door Quad Cab versions offer full six-passenger seating, and can be fitted with such amenities as heated power seats. Dodge Dakota, www.dodge.com, MSRP: $20,910.

Honda Ridgeline
The just-released 2006 Ridgeline is not only Honda’s first pickup, but is the industry’s first to be built on a unibody structure. This makes it easily the most car- like truck on the road in terms of ride and handling quality, yet it’s still able to tow up to 5,000 lbs. The five-passenger Ridgeline comes powered by a 255-horsepower V-6 engine, with a standard Variable Torque Management four-wheel-drive system that can actually anticipate changing road conditions. Standard security-minded features include Vehicle Stability Assist with Traction Control, front-side and head- curtain airbags, and a unique lockable trunk that’s integrated into the cargo bed. Honda Ridgeline, www.honda.com, MSRP: $27,700.