The Cheapest Full-Size 4WD Pickup Truck Comes With Rear Coil Springs
Many off-roaders prefer trucks and SUVs with rear coil springs. In fact, some automakers swap regular old leaf springs out for a five-link setup with rear coil springs on high-dollar off-road trims. But the cheapest 4WD full-size 2023 pickup truck–the Ram 1500 “Classic”–comes with rear coil springs stock.
Rear coil springs are a premium off-road option
There are as many opinions on the ideal off-road setup as there are 4WD enthusiasts. But many off-roaders feel coil springs offer better wheel articulation. This is because they can be more flexible than leaf springs. Some folks even convert vehicles with rear leaf springs to a five-link, coil spring setup.
The mad scientists at Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) are the geniuses behind the Raptor lineup. When they re-engineered the Ford F-150 Raptor for 2021, they tossed the truck’s stock leaf springs and designed an all-new five-link, rear coils spring suspension for the off-road monster.
Toyota appears to agree with Ford. It went to rear coil springs when it redesigned its full-frame chassis for its latest Land Cruiser. The latest Toyota Tundra, built on the same chassis, also has rear coil springs.
Considering that the F-150 Raptor starts at $76,775, you might be shocked that the cheapest full-size 4WD pickup truck (which costs a bit more than half the Raptor’s MSRP) also comes with the rear coil spring setup.
What is the cheapest full-size 4WD pickup truck?
With an MSRP of $31,735, the 2023 Ram 1500 “Classic” is the cheapest full-size pickup truck–and its the cheapest 4WD truck. The upcharge for adding 4WD is $7,160–the highest of any truck. But at $39,890, the 4WD Ram 1500 Classic is still the cheapest 4WD in the segment.
What is a Ram 1500 “Classic?” It’s a freshly built fourth-generation Ram 1500 targeted at budget-minded commercial fleet operators. Ram is still building its fourth-gen trucks because the fifth-gen Ram 1500 only comes with four-door cabs, so building a regular cab “Classic” allows the automaker to offer the lowest MSRP of any half-ton.
But savvy buyers know that Ram’s big 2019 fifth-generation redesign was mostly an upgrade to the truck’s interior and an exterior redesign. The fourth-gen Ram 1500 had rear coil springs and was available with the same 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 or 5.7-liter Hemi V8 and eight-speed combination Ram puts in its 2023 trucks.
General Motors only charges $4,600 to add 4WD to its half-ton trucks (both the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500). So while the Silverado starts at $36,300, the 4WD configuration starts at $39,995–just one Benjamin more than that 4WD Ram 1500 Classic.
How much does a full-size 4WD pickup truck cost?
You’ll shell out $40k for even the cheapest full-size, 4WD pickup truck. The Detroit options are all just a bit cheaper, the fifth-gen Ram 1500 being the most expensive. The Tundra and Titan come in at over $43k. But these final three trucks (the Toyota, Nissan, and latest Ram) aren’t available with a two-door “regular” cab.
See how the 4WD configurations of each full-size 2023 pickup truck stack up for yourself in the table below:
| Configuration | MSRP (2WD) | 4WD Upgrade | 4WD Total (W/ Fees) | |
| Ford F-150 XL | Regular cab (2-door) | $33,835 | $5,015 | $41,490 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 WT | Regular cab (2-door) | $36,300 | $4,600 | $39,995 |
| GMC Sierra 1500 Pro | Regular cab (2-door) | $37,200 | $4,600 | $43,595 |
| Ram 1500 “Classic” | Regular Cab (2-door) | $31,735 | $7,160 | $39,890 |
| Ram 1500 Tradesman | Quad cab (small 4-door) | $38,555 | $3,850 | $42,405 |
| Toyota Tundra SR | Double cab (small 4-door) | $38,965 | $3,000 | $43,815 |
| Nissan Titan S | King Cab (rear suicide doors) | $40,350 | $3,290 | $43,640 |
