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$30K Truck Buying Guide: Colorado vs. Ranger vs. Frontier vs. Tacoma vs. Canyon

Can you imagine how much more different it must have been to go out and buy a brand new pickup truck 100 years ago? It might have been a pretty straightforward process, as opposed to the complexities brought forth by the 21st century and, subsequently speaking, by the changes in both supply and demand. People were looking at considerably fewer options and features, whilst today you might get dizzy just by reading the brochure.
GMC Canyon 24 photos
Photo: GMC
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The automotive industry has evolved in a way people back in the '20s or '30s might have not even thought to be possible. We are looking at autonomous driving, electrification, and several other technologies that are meant to make our day to day lives better. Passenger cars, trucks, motorcycles, trains, planes, they've all evolved, and we get to reap the results.

For this buying guide, let's assume you're on the market for a brand-new mid-size truck and that your budget is set at $30,000. For added flexibility, we will also assume that you've got an extra $2,000, just in case you come across something you'd really like to drive. Even for mid-size trucks, this is quite a tight budget, and we will be looking to get a mix of different capabilities, focusing on towing capacity.

In total, five trucks will fit the given budget. We're looking at the Chevrolet Colorado, the GMC Canyon, the Ford Ranger, the Nissan Frontier, and the Toyota Tacoma. While both the Honda Ridgeline and the Jeep Gladiator are normally considered to be mid-size trucks as well, for this exercise, they are just out of reach. Don't worry, we will consider them in a future purchasing guide.

Chevrolet Colorado
Photo: Chevrolet

Chevrolet Colorado

The 2021 Chevrolet Colorado comes with three different configurations. There is the Extended Cab with a Long Box version, and then there's also the Crew Cab version, which can come with either a 61.7-inch (156.71-cm) short box or a 74-inch (187.96 cm) long box. The MSRP before taxes and discounts will range between $26,395 to $30,595 (excluding a $1,195 destination charge). If you'd rather choose size over additional features, that means you'll be looking at the Crew Cab Long Box model.

A 4WD option is available, but you'd have to go back in terms of size if you want to stay within the budget. With the available incentives, you won't be getting the base version but the slightly better LT one. The only engine choice now would be the 3.6-liter V6, which is mated to an 8-speed automatic. That means you'll have 306 horsepower and 275 lb-ft (372 Nm) of torque at your disposal. There are six different colors available, three of which are considered premium.

There is a good selection of packages available, but we're already stretching the initial planned budget, especially if you opt for a non-base color. Although there is also an option for a more affordable 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine, the V6 unit will be better prepared for towing duty, with a maximum towing capacity of 7,000 lbs (3,175 kg) and a payload of 1,500 lbs (680 kg).

GMC Canyon
Photo: GMC

GMC Canyon

The GMC Canyon is often referred to as the Colorado's corporate sibling, so in many ways, these trucks are very much alike. The Crew Cab Long Box will no longer be an option, as it almost $4,000 over the budget, so the Extended Cab is the only choice we have. It has a net price of $30,195 after all the taxes and discounts applied (not including the $1,195 destination charge). Within that budget, you can access the same 3.6-liter V6, but with 4WD included.

Ford Ranger

The Ford Ranger is one of the main contenders on this list, but you might see the lack of engine diversity as a downside, as it only comes with a 2.3-liter Ecoboost with a 10-speed automatic gearbox. You can choose between a Supercab with a 6-ft (182-cm) box or a Supercrew with a 5-ft (152-cm) box. If you opt for the longer box and also choose the 4x4 option, you're looking at the XL base trim level, which will lead to a net price after taxes of $30,515 (excluding the $1,195 destination charge).

The Ranger offers more color options than the previous two trucks, which may or may not be a benefit for you, depending on your personal preferences. Even though the engine in the Ford is smaller, it still puts out 270 horsepower, and if you opt for the Trailer Tow Package, the maximum towing capacity is increased to 7,500 lbs (3,400 kg). The maximum payload can reach a level of 2,080 lbs (943 kg) in case of a Pickup Box Delete.

Ford Ranger
Photo: Ford

Nissan Frontier

The first Japanese (yet still American-made) truck we're looking at is the 2021 Nissan Frontier. From the moment you access the automaker's online configurator, everything seems slightly more confusing as opposed to the North American options. The most affordable option is the Frontier King Cab S, which comes with 2WD and a price tag of $27,090, before taxes (not including the $1,095 destination charge). The 4WD variant will be slightly more expensive, but still within the budget.

A 310 horsepower, 3.8-liter V6 can be found under the hood, which makes it similar to Chevy's Colorado. Torque figures are slightly better, at 281 lb-ft (381 Nm). But the Frontier suffers in both the maximum towing capacity and maximum payload departments, as the 4WD King Cab S can only pull a maximum of 6,370 lbs (2,889 kg) and can hold 1,340 lbs (607 kg). The 2WD version has slightly better ratings: 6,620 lbs (3,002 kg) towing capacity and 1,460 lbs (662 kg) payload capacity.

Toyota Tacoma

The last truck to make the list under the current given budget also hails from Japan and is built in America: it's the 2021 Toyota Tacoma. It may not be the prettiest truck on the list, but it's still worth looking at given Toyota's decades of experience in the automotive industry. If you select the SR5 2WD version, which comes with a 3.5-liter V6 engine making 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft (359 Nm) of torque, you're already looking at $31,185 before taxes, which means stretching the budget quite a bit (the destination charge adds $1,095 to the tally).

Toyota Tacoma
Photo: Toyota
Payload figures for the 2WD SR5 with an Access Cab come in at 1,525 lbs (691 kg), while the maximum towing capacity is up to 6,800 lbs (3,084 kg). If towing heavy stuff won't be your main focus, and you'd rather pay less for the truck, there's also a smaller 2.7-liter 4-cylinder engine that only has 159 horsepower. Still, you have to consider whether $3,000 will make that big of a difference to you at the end of the day, considering what you're giving up.

Our take on the buying process

As with all of our previous purchasing guides, we highly recommend you do your homework properly before pulling the trigger on any kind of vehicle. That means you need to figure out exactly what it is that you want your truck to be capable of doing. What's the maximum weight you plan on towing with it, for example? This should help cut down on the time you spend searching by a considerable margin. Will you need four doors or will two be enough?

Also, is 4WD a must, or will you be ok with just having 2WD? Try to consider the things you like and dislike about your current vehicle, and draw up a list of things you'd like to have on your upcoming purchase. It might come to be that some of the extras you need won't be available with certain manufacturers. Or you might be inclined to purchase a truck from a Japanese automaker instead of an American one.

Make a list of questions regarding your future purchase. Then write down the answers to those questions. After that, it's all a matter of looking at every single option on the market that appeals to you and checking the compatibility between the answers you've given yourself and the capabilities of the truck in question. If it were up to me, I'd probably choose the Ford Ranger, but it would be a close call with the Colorado.
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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
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The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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