Room for five, with a bed: pickups for the entire family.(Compact Crew-Cab Pickups - test)(Evaluation)

In the last few years, almost every major automaker has introduced a compact crew-cab truck--a four-door pickup, with full-sized rear doors and two rows of seats, that can comfortably seat five people. Full-sized crew cabs have been used in the U.S. for decades, primarily for construction and other commercial uses. Compact models have been common in developing countries, but until recently weren't marketed in the U.S. Now manufacturers are repackaging the crew cab as a family-friendly pickup design.

For this report, we tested all the major compact crew-cab models on the market. Nissan pioneered the niche in the U.S. with the 2000 Frontier Crew Cab. Since then, the Chevrolet S-10 Crew Cab (and its twin, the GMC Sonoma Crew Cab), Dodge Dakota Quad Cab, Ford Explorer Sport Trac, and Toyota Tacoma Double Cab have joined the Frontier. While providing more passenger room than typical compact pickups, the trade-off with all these models is a shorter bed--4 to 5 feet instead of the 6.5 feet typical for these same trucks in an extended-cab configuration.

THE VEHICLES

The Ford Explorer Sport Trac was introduced last year as a 2001 model and has been marketed by Ford as a crossover SUV/pickup. That's because it's basically the front portion of the previous generation four-door Explorer sport-utility vehicle, coupled with a short pickup bed. However, it can also be seen as a crew-cab version of the Ford Ranger pickup, since the old Explorer and Ranger share the same chassis. (Sport Trac models are part of Ford's current program to replace some 13 million Firestone tires on certain of its trucks and SUVs.)

The Sport Trac is available with either rear- or four-wheel drive (4WD), and is powered by a 210-hp, 4.0-liter V6. The starting price is $24,680. We chose a 4WD version with a five-speed automatic transmission. With a power driver's seat and other minor options, it came to $28,060, including shipping. The CR Wholesale Price--which includes any buyer rebates and what the dealer paid after incentives--is $24,591. (All CR Wholesale Prices were effective as of early June 2001.)

The current Dodge Dakota dates back to the 1997 model year, while the Quad Cab version was new for 2000. The Dakota is marketed by Dodge as a midsized model--larger than a compact pickup but smaller than a full-sized version. The Quad Cab is longer overall and has a longer, wider bed than the others in this group. The Quad Cab's base engine is a 175-hp, 3.9-liter V6, but two optional V8s are available: a 230-hp, 4.7-liter version and an aging 245-hp, 5.9-liter one. With 4WD, it starts at $22,370. Fully equipped in the top SLT Plus trim, which includes a 4.7-liter V8, full-time 4WD, automatic transmission, leather seats, a trailer-towing package, antilock brakes, and power accessories, it came to $30,980, including shipping. The CR Wholesale Price is $25,576.

The Toyota Tacoma was introduced in 1995 as a replacement for the Toyota Pickup and has received a couple of minor updates since then. The Double Cab version was new for this year. With 4WD, a 190-hp, 3.4-liter V6, and four-speed automatic, it starts at $21,965. Optional antilock brakes, power accessories, and a TRD off-road package (off-road suspension, locking rear differential, and larger tires) brought the sticker to $27,021, including shipping. The CR Wholesale Price is $23,668.