Max Headroom: Which Is the Roomiest Midsize Truck?
Nothing is worse than being cramped in your truck. You need to carry stuff, people, and haul or tow so the last thing you need to ask yourself is, “Is my truck big enough?” While full-sized trucks are plenty large, most midsize trucks approach full-sized truck interior sizes. Which of the seven midsize trucks is the roomiest midsize truck?
The roomiest midsize truck depends on how you define “room”
We’re looking at traditional body-on-frame trucks, so the daily driver Honda Ridgeline, Hyundai Santa Cruz, and Ford Maverick are out. Instead, we have the Jeep Gladiator, the Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, and the GM twins – the Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon. Which of these is the roomiest midsize truck in terms of max headroom?
The key features of interior volume are headroom, legroom, and shoulder width. Shoulder width is key, especially in the back, where all these trucks have three-seat benches.
The 2022 Jeep Gladiator is the roomiest midsize truck if you take the doors off
The Gladiator is Jeep’s midsize truck model. It’s more than a Wrangler with a bed in that it’s longer and has some different options, but it’s a real truck with a truck bed, can tow several thousand pounds, and it even has a diesel option. Though it looks flat-sided, the rear seats have far less shoulder room than the front. But the 2022 Jeep Gladiator has one leg up on the competition: if you order the soft top and take the doors off, you have infinite headroom and shoulder room.
- Front headroom: 42.8 in.
- Front leg room: 41.2 in.
- Rear headroom: 42.8 in.
- Rear leg room: 38.3 in.
- Shoulder room (front/rear): 55.7/55.7 in.
2022 GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado are good for stretching out
The GMC twins, the Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon, are the best if you’re tall. GM’s midsize trucks have 45 inches of legroom, the most of any midsize truck. In Chevy speak, the extended cab is the short cab version, and the Crew Cab is the larger four-door version.
- Front headroom: 41.4 in.
- Front leg room: 45.0 in.
- Rear headroom: 38.3 in.
- Rear legroom: 35.8 in.
- Shoulder room: 57.5/56.2 in.
The Ford Ranger is slightly smaller on the inside
Ford’s Ranger SuperCrew cab is the biggest of the Ranger cabs. The SuperCrew has 39.8 inches of front headroom and 38.3 inches of rear headroom. The Ranger, ironically, is smaller on the inside than the compact Ford Maverick truck. The Ranger may not be the roomiest midsize truck, but it does have other perks, like its low price, towing capacity, and the gnarly 90s throwback Splash appearance package.
- Front Headroom: 39.8 in.
- Front leg room: 43.1 in.
- Rear headroom: 38.3 in.
- Rear leg room: 34.5 in.
- Shoulder room: 56.7/56.3 in.
The 2022 Toyota Tacoma is the widest
The 2022 Toyota Tacoma has long been criticized for its uncomfortable short seats and low headroom, according to CNET. The dimensions give the trucks a good, sporty look but cut down on headroom and legroom. But these trucks are wide and have the best shoulder room, meaning that if your head doesn’t hit the ceiling, you’ll feel like you’re in the roomiest midsize truck.
- Front headroom: 39.7 in.
- Front leg room: 42.9 in.
- Rear headroom: 38.3 in.
- Rear leg room: 32.6 in.
- Shoulder room: 58.3/58.9 in.
The 2022 Nissan Frontier is right in the middle
It seems like Nissan tried to benchmark the other trucks on the list when it designed the new-for-2022 Nissan Frontier. Its dimensions in Crew Cab form seem to mirror the others on the list. While it’s not the roomiest midsized truck, it’s not the smallest. The King Cab is the smaller of the Frontiers. In Nissan’s case, it makes a splash with a bigger standard engine than the others, a 310-hp 3.8-liter V6.
- Front headroom: 39.9 in.
- Front leg room: 42.3 in.
- Rear headroom: 38.6 in.
- Rear leg room: 33.2 in.
- Shoulder room: 58.2/58.3 in.
