Advice

Truck vs. SUV: Which Is Right for You?

By 07/09/2024 12:00pm
Toyota TRD Trucks and SUVs

Quick Facts About Trucks vs. SUVs

If your vehicle must perform multiple functions, including hauling people, cargo, or even towing, you may well be considering SUVs and trucks. Although SUVs provide an edge in hauling people, trucks would seem to do better at carting cargo and towing. However, depending on how many people, the size and shape of the cargo, and the weight of the tow load, there is an area of overlap where either an SUV or a truck makes perfectly good sense. In other words, unless your needs are extreme in one area or another, don’t dismiss trucks or SUVs out of hand. Odds are, either the right truck or the right SUV can fulfill your requirements.

Also, let’s consider whether a truck or SUV is the better vehicle when it comes to transporting the family and camping. Within this scenario, we can cover a wide range of vehicle functions like passenger space, technology, towing, fuel economy, and other variables. We’ll drill down into trucks and SUVs to determine what each vehicle class brings to the table. The goal, of course, is to help resolve the dilemma of which vehicle works best for you. We provide the jump links below to help you skip ahead, if you need to.

Comparing a Truck With an SUV: What You Need To Know 

Trucks and SUVs probably have much more in common than you realize; however, the differences increase or decrease based on the comparisons you make. Comparing the Ram 1500 truck with the GMC Yukon SUV or the Ford Maverick pickup with the Hyundai Santa Fe SUV will produce fewer differences than comparing the Ram 1500 with the Maverick or the Yukon with the Santa Fe. Wait. What?

That’s right. What we are talking about in our Truck vs. SUV debate, while it does concern size (full-size, midsize, or compact) and body type (truck or SUV), is more about a vehicle’s innate ability to fulfill your needs. Sure, all things being equal, a bigger vehicle can carry more stuff and people than a small vehicle. However, manufacturers make big trucks and SUVs, and smaller trucks and SUVs. There is more involved in what a vehicle can do than its size or body type. Only after you determine exactly what you require of your truck or SUV, can you zero in on size and body type. For this reason, we’ll stick to trucks and truck-based SUVs. Read on to find out why.

Body-On-Frame vs. Unibody Construction 

We need to veer off a bit into the weeds here to discuss why some trucks and SUVs are more capable hauling, towing, and off-roading vehicles than others.

What Is Body-On-Frame Construction? 

At the birth of the automobile, body-on-frame construction was the norm. That is, the car’s body and frame were two distinct components bolted or welded together. In fact, for the initial decades of car making, it was common for the body and frame of a car to come from two totally different builders. For instance, it wasn’t until the mid-1980s that “Body by Fisher” labels disappeared from General Motors products. By that time, Fisher was a subsidiary of GM, but it didn’t begin as such. The body-on-frame method allowed the same frame to be used for a wide assortment of models. Because the body can be separated from the frame, crash repair costs are often lower, too. Despite these features, as car-building technology progressed, a lighter, cheaper unibody alternative surfaced. Car manufacturers like lighter and cheaper; consequently, body-on-frame fell out of favor. Today, only a handful of trucks and SUVs continue to be body-on-frame.

Among the advantages of body-on-frame construction:

  • Higher towing capacity
  • Greater hauling capability
  • More off-road competence
  • Lower collision repair costs

What Is Unibody Construction? 

Nearly all vehicles today use unibody construction. With this method, the vehicle’s frame is the entire skeleton, to which body panels and other components become attached. This simplified approach reduces the cost of design and construction. Furthermore, the lighter weight of a unibody vehicle improves fuel economy, and its lower center of gravity enhances driving dynamics.

Among the advantages of unibody construction:

  • Cheaper to make
  • Better fuel economy
  • Improved driving dynamics

SUV vs. Crossover 

So what makes an SUV an SUV, and what makes a crossover a crossover? Some carmakers have muddied the waters, identifying certain crossovers as SUVs, trying to make them seem more capable. We, the automotive press, have also participated in using SUV broadly to include crossovers. However, there is a defining distinction between SUVs and crossovers, which must be understood when deciding between a truck and an SUV. That distinction: An SUV is a product of body-on-frame construction. A crossover has unibody construction. For its first four generations, the Ford Explorer was a body-on-frame SUV. With its fifth generation, launched in 2011, it became a unibody crossover. For our purposes here, any reference to SUV means a vehicle with body-on-frame construction.

Examples of Body-On-Frame SUVs

What Is a Truck? 

Every midsize and full-size pickup truck is a body-on-frame vehicle. However, manufacturers also make three smaller pickups (the Ford Maverick, Honda Ridgeline, and Hyundai Santa Cruz) with unibody construction.

What Trucks and SUVs Have in Common 

For the most part, just about any technology, convenience, or luxury feature you can find in an SUV, you can find in a truck, and vice versa. We’ll stick our neck out and claim that, in general, SUVs are probably more family-friendly than even full-size pickup trucks. For example, many SUVs offer available rear-seat entertainment systems (unavailable for trucks), along with more cupholders and USB ports than the average pickup truck. Furthermore, you can also get some SUVs with three rows of seats, which isn’t an option in a truck. Otherwise, in terms of comfort, quiet, and popular features, there’s not a lot of notable difference within the passenger area between a truck and an SUV. Granted, truck buyers may need to dip into the options to add some advanced safety tech typically found on SUVs as standard; however, most safety features are available.

Ultimate Overlanding Vehicles 

If you are caught up in the current overlanding craze, you may be on the hunt for the ultimate adventure vehicle. Well, you’re in luck because the trucks and SUVs we are featuring in this article are among the ultimate overlanding vehicles. Overlanding is extreme, out-in-the-wild camping with an off-roading component. If where you end up has campsites, RV hookups, or latrines, you’re not overlanding. Trucks and body-on-frame SUVs are ideal overlanding trekkers capable of customizing with aftermarket tents and other add-ons to make just about any outdoor adventure possible. Their tough construction, better-than-average ground clearance, and highly capable 4-wheel-drive systems can get you to those prized, less-visited areas.

How Are Trucks and SUVs Different? 

When contrasting trucks and SUVs, both have positive and negative points. So, for our truck vs. SUV family-hauler/camping which-is-better comparison, let’s consider the pros and cons of each. Any pricing we use is based on the latest manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), including the mandatory factory-to-dealer delivery fee (destination charge).

Full-Size Truck Pros 

  • Cost Less: At the end of the day, the cost of any vehicle we buy is a product of the choices we make. Trim levels, options, and our negotiating skills determine the final cost. However, when comparing the entry-level base price of full-size trucks and SUVs, trucks cost less. For example, the Ford F-150 SuperCrew Cab starts at just below $46K. Compare that to the Ford Expedition’s starting price of just under $58K, and that’s for the regular-length version. The Expedition Max goes for just under 65K.
  • Better fuel economy: Whether comparing full-size or midsize trucks with like classifications of non-hybrid SUVs, trucks tend to get better fuel economy than their truck-based SUV equals. With their base engines and rear-wheel drive, most full-size trucks get between 20 and 22 mpg in mixed city-and-highway driving. For example, the Ford F-150 SuperCrew gets 21 mpg, while the Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab delivers 20 mpg. With the exception of the Toyota Sequoia (21 mpg) with its hybrid powertrain and the Jeep Wagoneer (20 mpg), full-size SUVs post EPA estimates in the high teens. One contributing factor is that full-size trucks tend to weigh less than their body-on-frame SUV counterparts. For context, our Chevy Silverado tips the scales at about 4,740 pounds, while the Chevy Suburban weighs in at just over 5,600 pounds. You can find out more about truck and SUV mileage on the EPA website.
  • Maximum towing capacity: Big pickups’ ability to out-tow big SUVs is important for families tugging a trailer on their wilderness adventures. Be it a boat, RV trailer, or other heavy load, towing is a key reason many owners have a truck. Maximum towing specifications are tough to pin down or compare because the carmakers tend to play with the numbers. However, within the Chevy brand, the Suburban can pull up to 8,300 pounds, while the Silverado 1500 Crew Cab can tow up to 9,500 pounds. If we toss heavy-duty pickups into the mix, the Silverado 3500 HD Crew Cab can tug up to nearly 22,000 pounds. Furthermore, a pickup truck also provides the option for fifth-wheel towing, in which the hitch is inside the bed of the truck. You can learn more about towing and hauling capacity by checking out our Towing Capacity Guide: Everything You Need To Know.
  • Greater payload capacity: Payload is the total amount of weight a vehicle can haul. It includes the driver, passengers, luggage, and any other cargo. Plus, if towing a trailer, it includes the trailer tongue weight. Here again, full-size trucks can carry more payload than full-size, body-on-frame SUVs. The Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab has a maximum payload rating of 2,030 pounds, while the Suburban’s rating is 1,750 pounds. That 280 pounds can make the difference between inviting Uncle Augie along or leaving him at home.
  • More cargo options: No matter if the cargo meets an SUV’s weight restrictions, the shape of the cargo must fit through the rear liftgate opening and then fit inside the SUV’s cargo area. Pickup trucks allow for varying cargo shapes and sizes. Moreover, any dirt, mud, or other debris left behind in the cargo hold can be simply hosed out of a truck bed.

Full-Size Truck Cons 

  • Seating capacity: If you need to take more than five people (or possibly six, if the truck has a front bench seat) on your camping adventure, or anywhere else, for that matter, you’ll need at least another row of seats. In other words, trucks max out at two rows.
  • Cargo security: Let’s face it, anyone serious about making your stuff theirs will find a way to get it. However, the first rule of security is to make it tougher to grab your stuff than someone else’s. In this sense, cargo in the bed of your truck is easy pickings. Sure, there are locking tonneau covers; however, those defeat the cargo-shape advantage we discussed in the “pros” section. Likewise with cargo-box toppers.
  • Parking issues: Although a full-size SUV has its own parking disadvantages, full-size trucks can be 10-inches-or-more longer than the biggest full-size SUVs. Maybe another foot or so in length doesn’t mean much when you are already trying to park a 17- to 18-foot SUV, but another foot is another foot.

Full-Size SUV Pros 

  • More seating: A full-size 3-row SUV can have seating for up to eight people if fitted with a second-row bench seat — or up to nine in the case of Chevy and GMC models with a front bench seat. For larger parties booked on a trip, more seating is essential.
  • More family-friendly: We admit, you can find trucks that are every bit as luxurious and comfy as a high-end sedan. However, where trucks are ultimately engineered for work, SUVs, even body-on-frame SUVs, tend to be more sensitive to the requirements of families. This includes more conveniently located cupholders, USB data/charging ports, and child-seat LATCH systems. Another feature available on many SUVs is a rear-seat entertainment system. Not one pickup truck offers this option to help keep the kiddies entertained.
  • Better security: Sure, all it takes is a tire iron, a hammer, or a big rock to access the cargo area of an SUV, but breaking into an SUV is more involved and attention-grabbing than reaching over a truck’s cargo bed rail and snatching something. Moreover, an SUV with darkened rear windows or a cargo cover can pretty-well mask the cargo.
  • Second-row captain’s seats: Most 3-row SUVs at least offer the option of captain’s seats in the second row. More comfortable than a bench seat, captain’s seats are a better place to spend a few hours, particularly if you are bouncing around off-road. No pickup truck offers second-row captain’s seats.

Full-Size SUV Cons 

  • Less fuel efficient: Already discussed in the truck pros section, full-size, non-hybrid, body-on-frame SUVs deliver fewer miles per gallon than full-size trucks.
  • More expensive: The average full-size SUV has a higher base price than the average full-size truck.
  • Cargo restrictions: Only cargo of certain shape and size can be loaded into or fit into the cargo area of an SUV.
  • Difficult to park: Although not as tricky to park as a full-size truck, a full-size SUV is still a bear to maneuver in tight quarters and park.

Truck vs. SUV: The Results

The which-is-better question is really a subjective one. A full-size truck will cost less to buy and fuel, it has more flexible cargo solutions, can tow more, and haul more. A full-size 3-row SUV can accommodate more people, better secure belongings, offer more child-seat positions, and better service the requirements of today’s high-tech families.

In other words, it all boils down to your specific wants and needs.

Truck vs. SUV Scorecard

  Full-Size Truck SUV
Price X  
Towing X  
Payload X  
Passenger Count   X
Fuel Efficiency X  
Cargo Security   X
Family-Friendly   X

Things To Consider When Picking Between a Truck and an SUV

  • Price
  • Passenger count
  • Fuel economy
  • Cargo requirements
  • Towing requirements
  • Payload capacity
  • Advanced safety tech

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