Every New 2023 Compact and Midsize Pickup Truck On Sale in the U.S.

• Trims: Chevrolet Colorado WT, LT, Trail Boss, Z71, ZR2
• Starting Price: $29,900 (excluding delivery)

The Chevy Colorado has returned with a big redesign for 2023. Now in its third-generation, the Colorado is clearly interested in having fun off road but is still a work truck at heart. Chevy scaled back engine and chassis options for the new Colorado: all of them will be four-door, short-bed models powered by a 2.7-liter turbocharged in-line four engine. But different engine tunes and standard equipment across trims make each truck in the lineup feel worlds apart.

• Starting Price: $48,295 (excluding delivery)

The new Colorado ZR2 is not out yet, but is due for release this year. When it does make it to the market, the ZR2 will be at the pinnacle of Chevy’s off-roaders as well as the top model of the Colorado lineup. The ZR2 is more of a halo truck, an extremely capable machine that’s three inches higher than standard and features a 66.3-inch wide front track. It comes with exclusive Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers at each corner, and it makes the most power out of all stock Colorado trims: 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft. of torque.

• Trims: Ford Maverick XL, XLT, Lariat
• Starting Price: $22,595 (excluding delivery)

The Ford Maverick is either a small truck or not depending on your outlook, but it’s certainly the smallest truck drivers in the U.S. can buy new from Ford. Unlike its truck siblings from the Blue Oval, the Maverick is a unibody vehicle, which some take to mean the little ’Mav is not a “truck.” But the consensus is that the Ford Maverick is just as useful as so-called real trucks, and just as popular to boot.

• Starting Price: $30,070 (excluding delivery) 

The runaway success of the Maverick and surge in the popularity of off-road vehicles brought us the Ford Maverick Tremor, which is not a full-on trim or model in the lineup. The Tremor is an optional package that can be added to Maverick XLT and Lariat models with “Advanced 4WD.” The package boasts a 1-inch lift and other changes that make the Maverick more capable off-road, including unique springs and shocks, skid plates, and a twin-clutch locking rear differential, among other things.

• Trims: Ford Ranger XL, XLT, Lariat
• Starting Price: $27,400 (excluding delivery)

The current Ford Ranger is still on the generation that debuted in the U.S. for 2019, which came from the T6 platform. Once again, the Ranger coming to the U.S. is from a global platform, and it was developed in partnership with Volkswagen. That makes the upcoming Ranger the distant cousin of the VW Amarok, but the current truck makes this list until the new one is available.

• Starting Price: $42,865 (excluding delivery)

As in the case of the new Ford Ranger overall, the Ranger Raptor has already debuted in foreign markets. We just don’t know for sure if or when a new Ranger Raptor is coming to the U.S., while the Ranger Tremor is available in America as an optional package for Ranger XLT and Lariat. It comes with 32-inch tires and a small suspension lift for a total of 9.7 inches of clearance, as well as monotube dampers and an off-road focused suspension. Ford would be ceding the midsize off-roader crown to Chevrolet uncontested if it doesn’t sell the Ranger Raptor in the U.S. when the new Ranger finally makes it here.

• Trims: GMC Canyon Elevation, AT4, Denali, AT4X
• Starting Price: $36,900 (excluding delivery)

Since the GMC Canyon is the Chevy Colorado’s twin, the “professional grade” Canyon is sporting the same radical redesign as the Colorado. The Canyon will not be available with the lower output of the Colorado WT, however, which is fine given that the trucks from GMC are more upscale and subsequently more expensive. While the GMC version omits the bog standard WT configuration, it will borrow the Colorado ZR2's equipment for the new Canyon AT4X.

• Starting Price: $55,500 (excluding delivery)

The GMC Canyon is finally living up to its Chevy twin with the same performance as that of the Colorado ZR2. Previously, even the off-road focused Canyon couldn’t match the Colorado ZR2, but the Canyon AT4X will change most of that by borrowing the spool-valve dampers and other equipment that makes the ZR2 special. All of that performance will still be wrapped in a more luxurious package relative to the Chevy truck, but it’ll cost significantly more.

• Trims: Honda Ridgeline Sport, RTL, RTL-E, Black Edition
• Starting Price: $38,800 (excluding delivery)

Don’t let the Honda Ridgeline’s appearance and construction fool you. The Ridgeline is still solidly in the category of midsize pickup trucks, although its claim to fame is how unlike a truck the Ridgeline behaves on the road. Honda distilled the essence of a family SUV like the Pilot and gave it most of the utility of a truck. The product was a vehicle that some people can’t agree on, but rabid fans love. Despite the Honda Ridgeline’s HPD off-road package being fantastic (bronze wheels!), it leans on looks more-so than other midsize trucks here.

• Trims: Hyundai Santa Cruz SE, SEL, Night, SEL Premium, Limited
  
• Starting Price: $27,500 (excluding delivery)

By all rights, the Hyundai Santa Cruz shouldn’t exist in the U.S. but I’m happy that it does. It bears a passing resemblance to foreign market coup-utes, and bravely follows in the tire treads of the Subaru Baja. Like the Maverick, the Santa Cruz challenges the notion that a truck needs to be huge and impractical to have any appeal in America. It may not be as popular as the wily Maverick, but the Santa Cruz is just as unconventional.

• Trims: Jeep Gladiator Sport, Willys Sport, Sport S, Willys, Texas Trail, Freedom, Overland, Mojave, Rubicon, High Altitude
• Starting Price: $38,775 (excluding delivery)

The Gladiator is Jeep’s first pickup since the venerable Comanche. When Jeep finally decided to return to the segment, it chose one of its most enduring models to base its new truck on, the Jeep Wrangler. The Gladiator has been only mildly successful since its debut, though not for lack of trying. Jeep gave the Gladiator a competitive max towing capacity of nearly 7,700 pounds, and the company makes more trims than almost any other carmaker here. The Gladiator may even be the only truck among midsizers that tries to appeal to Texans — in much the same way as full-size trucks from Ford, GM and Ram.

• Starting Price: $51,490 (excluding delivery)

Given the many available models of the Gladiator, it’s no surprise Jeep would make a Gladiator Rubicon. That’s just one benefit the Wrangler platform gives the pickup truck from Jeep, which is just as capable as its SUV siblings to wear the Rubicon badge. The Gladiator Rubicon shares the top Wrangler’s upgraded transfer case, Dana 44 axles, and electronically disconnecting sway bar, among others. And to top it all off, the Gladiator Rubicon is also one of the few models here that can still be bought with a six-speed manual transmission.

• Trims: Nissan Frontier S, SV, Long Bed SV, PRO-X, Midnight Edition, PRO-4X
• Starting Price: $29,190 (excluding delivery)

The Nissan Frontier is a stalwart midsize truck that many overlook, but Nissan wants to change that. After letting the truck languish without a refresh for 16 years, Nissan finally gave it a much-needed revision and refresh. The fourth-generation Nissan Frontier finally brought the midsize truck into contemporary times, leaving behind its blast from the past styling and making the truck look as aggressive as its rivals from Chevy, Ford and Toyota. Unlike some of those rivals, however, Nissan still has options for the truck’s configuration with King or Crew Cab models available, a long bed and trims offering 2WD or 4WD.

• Starting Price: $38,720 (excluding delivery)

The Nissan Frontier Pro-4X sits atop the midsizer’s lineup and features actual mechanical upgrades that make it better off-road, rather than mere styling changes like its Japanese competitor from Honda. The Pro-4X gets Bilstein monotube shocks, an electronic rear locking differential, and skid plates for protection on the trail. It’s also a damn good-looking truck.

• Trims: Toyota Tacoma SR, SR5, Trail Special Edition, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, TRD Pro
• Starting Price: $27,750 (excluding delivery)

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: the Toyota Tacoma can’t be beaten. It’s the bestselling midsize truck by a wide margin, and it commands as much of a cultural premium as a monetary one. The undefeated Tacoma is held in high esteem among fans of midsize trucks. While the Toyota truck deserves its reputation for reliability and off-road prowess, the Tacoma is getting old; it’s due for thorough redesign any minute now.

• Starting Price: $47,185 (excluding delivery)

I want to say the TRD badge has lost some of its shine given Toyota’s overuse. There are three Tacoma models that bear the TRD sigil, but the Tacoma TRD Pro is no watered-down trim. It’s at the top of the lineup, and it represents what fans likely see when they picture the Tacoma roaming off-road utterly unfazed. And the Tacoma TRD Pro is available with a manual transmission. The stamped letter badging and glorious color are just icing on the cake.