Upgrade Your Pick-up: Top Trucks to Buy in 2021

Lately, Ram’s full-size pickup trucks have been generating a lot of buzz, including a few nods for “best in class” over the last couple years. The good news is, there’s more to Ram trucks than just good looks. Off-road enthusiasts will particularly appreciate the Ram 1500 TRX, which can dress up for a night on the town but is ready to leave the pavement in a snap. With one of the most powerful production engines out there, the TRX boasts almost a foot of ground clearance and tremendous travel on both the front and rear suspensions. The pickup boasts eight drive modes, including sport, snow, mud/sand, rock, and Baja modes. Between the suspension and the well-appointed interior, you may not even notice that you’re climbing over boulders.

There’s a reason the ford F Series vehicles are the best-selling pickups in the world. The F-150 XLT is a solid model with plenty of interior perks that come standard, including a four-inch productivity screen and a lane-sensing system. Plenty of options and packages are available, as well, like a 360-degree camera package and forward sensing system. But this is merely the cockpit for operating the truck’s rugged outdoor capabilities. Once you add the FX4 package, the Ford F-150 XLT becomes an off-roading machine that boasts three skid plates, an electronic-ocking rear differential, stiffer, off-road tuned shocks, and Hill Descent Control, and a Terrain Management system. In the F-150 XLT FX4, wherever you’re going, you won’t need roads.

The Sierra AT4, from GMC, is another awesome, full-sized pickup option for off-road adventure seekers—one that you can use to get around town, as well. The Sierra comes standard with a 277-horsepower, inline 6 engine, boasting 460-pound feet of torque, but it can be upgraded to a Duramax 3.0-liter turbo-diesel engine for better fuel efficiency or a 6.2-liter EcoTec 3 V8 engine for more power. The standard 18-inch which wheels are fitted with Goodyear’s Mud-Terrain DuraTrac tires, which, along with the factory-installed two-inch suspension lift, gives the Sierra AT4 plenty of ground clearance. Option 20-inch wheels will get you even more. The well-appointed interior will keep you comfortable, while the Rancho will take care of you on any terrain you encounter.

The Nissan Titan XD is already a formidable machine on the road and around town. But pair it with Nissan’s Pro-4X package, and the Titan XD becomes an off-road monster. The Titan XD is powered by a 5.6-liter, 400 horsepower V8 engine that boasts 413 pound-feet of torque to get you out of sticky situations. The Pro-4X package adds hill start assist and descent control, a front skid plate, and electronic locking rear differential. The interior is more reminiscent of a luxury sedan than a rugged, dirt-eating pickup, and exclusive Bilsten-developed shocks may belie the terrain you’re traversing. No worries, though: A look out the window will remind you just where you are.

Toyota pickups have long been favorites among both off-road enthusiasts and folks who enjoy overland adventuring. The Tundra TRD Sport is the manufacturer’s full-size pickup entry in the line, and like its brethren is renowned for its mechanical and off-road reliability. Designed to withstand decades of driving abuse, this Tundra will keep you smiling in the cab while its 381-horsepower, 5.7-liter aluminum i-Force V-8 does all the work. The Tundra powers over terrain with more than 400 pound-feet of torque, on 20-inch, six-spoke wheels. But you’ll hardly even notice, thanks to sport-tuned Bilsten shocks, as well as front and rear anti-sway bars. Optional packages include upgraded audio entertainment and terrain-sensing systems.