What’s The Difference Between Different Pickup Truck Cabs?
Let’s talk about truck cabs. There are many different aspects that make a truck the right or wrong tool for the job. It’s common to talk about payload and towing capacity, ground clearance, gearing, differentials, and so on. However, we rarely get into one of the most important parts: the cabin or “cab.” There are many different styles of truck cabs. Let’s define each one and explain why you might want a certain style over another.
What are the different styles of truck cabs?
Truck cabs come in all shapes and sizes. The options from smallest to largest are Standard (or regular cab), Extended, Double, Crew, and Extended Crew. These are not overly complicated terms to understand. However, sometimes, figuring out which order they go in can get confusing for those new to the truck world.
What is a regular cab pickup truck?
The regular cab or standard cab trucks are, just as they sound, standard. These are the typical two-door, single bench seat up front. These trucks have no room and certainly no extra seats behind the front row. If you look at earlier pickup trucks, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything but standard cabs.
What is an extended-cab pickup truck?
Extended cab trucks were a natural progression of the pickup truck. People needed more storage and space for passengers, and so truck cabs got bigger. This is where the names start to get funny. Many people will claim that their extended cab truck is a crew cab. Sometimes, people also refer to these as “quad cabs.” One of the defining features of an extended-cab truck is the four-door configuration, where the second set of half doors are often rear-hinged like “suicide” doors.
Part of why these trucks are often confused is because OEMs all use their own internal language, which gets confusing fast.
GM: Double Cab, Extended Cab
Ford: SuperCab
Dodge Ram: Quad Cab
Nissan: King Cab
Toyota: Access Cab/Tacoma, Double Cab/Tundra
What is a double-cab pickup truck?
Things only get more confusing once we get to double cabs. A proper double-cab truck will have six seats. This means a four-door rig with two full rows of seating. Unlike extended-cab trucks, double cabs have four doors that all open with the hinges in the front. These trucks have far more cargo and passenger space.
What is a crew cab truck?
Crew cabs are the big boys. These trucks are easily confused with double cabs in that they both seat six and have four doors. However, crew cab trucks offer full-size doors with even more space inside. There is even an extended crew cab that somehow grows the interior even more. This option is typically found on larger HD trucks.
There are more shapes, sizes, and types of trucks in the world today than ever before. And amongst the endless sea of pickups, each one seems to have an infinite number of options, configurations, and styles. Choosing one truck out of this mire can be tough. As always, do your research, be honest with your needs, and shop within your budget.
