The (Not-So) Little Guys: Three Great Small Pickups

Some of you may want a pickup that isn’t an absolute monstrosity. You’re not alone. The pickup market casts its net quite broad, and large pickups aren’t for everyone. If you’re not looking to accomplish major-league jobs and don’t need to do heavy-weight towing but are looking for a fun, recreational, and manageable pickup, we are the small pickup dealership for you. Because we want to spread the word about our favorite pickups, we have selected a few great small pickups to check out.

The Chevy Colorado

Well, of course, Chevy came through to provide one for you! The Colorado is an excellent pickup (you have to be if you’re a pickup from the same lineage as the Silverado!). Nothing says recreation like off-roading, which is why we suggest the 2018 Colorado ZR2. While the Colorado is in itself an excellent small pickup with profound performance, design, and technology features, the ZR2 takes the excellence of the Colorado and makes it a true off-road vehicle. The ZR2 stretches the limits of “small pickup” due to its intriguing and athletic design, but it still maintains a compact architecture, not reaching the dimensions of a large pickup.

The 2018 ZR2 is equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 engine, which allows it to excel at 308 horsepower and 275 pounds-feet of torque. If torque is the more important component on your radar screen, you can always switch over to the 2.8-liter I-4 Turbo-Diesel engine, which provides 369 pounds-feet of torque. The benefit of a diesel engine is heightened efficiency, as you’ll get more bang for each buck. You’re looking at a great engine, no matter which way you cut it. But these exciting engineering specs are only the beginning; the Colorado ZR2 uses these two engines as a springboard for its thrilling off-roading capabilities.

With a heightened suspension, front and rear electronic locking differentials, Multimatic Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve technology, rock sliders, and cast iron control arms, the Colorado ZR2 is ready to tear up the trail. In addition to its excellent off-road engineering and technology, there is something to be said for the benefit of the Colorado’s size when it comes to off-roading—while a large vehicle can provide a leg-up for clearing large obstacles, a smaller vehicle such as the Colorado can make for a more nimble, dynamic, and manageable off-roading experience. You won’t know until you try, so we encourage you to try it!

The Canyon

Ah, the GMC Canyon. As a GM company, GMC knows how to make a fantastic pickup, just like Chevy does. Now, a Canyon is not a Canyon is not a Canyon, if you know what we mean. In other words, no two Canyons are alike. Alright, we’ll get to the point—between the Canyon Elevation (and Standard Elevation), the Canyon AT4, and the Canyon Denali, you’ll be able to pick from a number of very different Canyon experiences. Something GMC does amazingly well is creating a clear distinction between trims, really leaning into the focus of each one. The AT4 provides an exciting, athletic, and off-roading-friendly experience, but since we covered off-roading with the Colorado, let’s focus on design this time and look at the Canyon Denali.

As you may (or may not) know, the GMC Denali trim can be found across the brand’s lineup and puts a special emphasis on fashion and design. The Canyon first picked up the Denali trim in 2017, so let’s look at where it all started. The 2017 Canyon Denali’s exterior appears a little more refined with a chrome grille and 20-inch aluminum wheels. Inside, the vehicle looks elegant in its dark complexion, leather-appointed seating, and Denali-stitched headrests. An available 8-inch diagonal infotainment screen serves as the central location for the vehicle’s fantastic entertainment and safety technology features.

The Canyon Denali fits the classy design of leading large pickups into a small pickup, making it personal and manageable. We think you’ll like the time you spend behind the wheel of the 2017 Denali Canyon—GMC is not messing around with the Denali trim, and you’ll see why.

The Nissan Frontier

Nissan does well with luxury vehicles. You may be familiar with their titan of a truck, aptly named the Titan. The Titan is a quality truck but it tends to take all of the attention away from the Frontier, which has the sought-after qualities of a Nissan but with a little less girth than the Titan.

No matter what year you are looking at, the Frontier has everything you could ask for in a small pickup–the performance, the design, the technology, and even the off-roading. The 2017 Frontier, in particular, stands out from its predecessors. The 2017 model hosts a 4.0-liter DOHC V6 engine, which provides the vehicle with the capability of reaching 261 horsepower and 281 pounds-feet of torque—certainly not bad for a small truck. The 2017 model offers some special features, especially in terms of the vehicle’s handling. 2017 Frontier 4X4 models provide a 4-wheel limited-slip system, which helps increase grip when traction is low. This, combined with hill start and descent assist, makes for a nicely-handled ride with excellent traction.

The 2017 Frontier is offered in a wide variety of trims, with different engineering features, dimensions, and packages. You’ll have an excitingly fresh experience with each one, so whatever your cup of tea may be, you’ll be able to find a used Nissan Frontier that caters to your needs. The 2017 model provides five exciting packages, but we will highlight two of them.

The Crew Cab PRO-4X models offer a luxury package with a special focus on design such as leather-appointed seating (including the PRO-4X logo), tilt and slide moonroof, and power-adjustable front seats (8-ways on the driver seat and 4-ways on the passenger seat). The moonroof alone provides a reason to get this package—whether you’re trying to soak up the sun on a summer day or get lost in the stars at night, the moonroof will provide a special experience.

The S Work Truck Package focuses on, you guessed it, work. This package is ready to get the job done with spray-in bedliner, bedrail caps, and more. The Frontier may be a small truck, but it truly is a work vehicle and it can be ready for the job if you plan ahead with the S Work Truck package.

The Frontier may not be the most talked-about truck on the market, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a lot to offer. Small trucks often get less notoriety than their big-truck siblings, but certainly deserve to receive more attention. Both sizes are not meant to cater to the same audience, and the smaller ones are well-designed for their place within the market.

Small But Mighty

Some of you may be set on a small pickup, while others may be on the fence. To those of you who are on the fence, we offer this fact—the small pickups we have discussed here may be small by pickup standards, but they certainly are not weak. If you’re purchasing a small pickup from a truly quality brand, the dimensions may be small, but the performance won’t be. So, if you’re looking for all of the excitement and capability of a pickup but are worried about being overwhelmed or spending too much money, we are confident that the trucks we have listed will fit in right where you need them. Don’t believe us? Come try one out!