With all sorts of new midsize trucks hitting the market, you might be wondering which one could fit all your needs — including hauling a family. So, we thought it would be worth creating a 2023 midsize truck legroom and length comparison.
For the 2023 model year, there is a new Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon and Ford Ranger hitting the market. Towards the end of the year, a new 2024 Toyota Tacoma will be hitting dealer lots as well.
While the midsize trucks have new styling, powertrains, tech and more, they haven’t really changed in length or legroom.
2023 Midsize truck legroom, length comparison
For this comparison, I focused on the crew cab, short bed configuration since that’s the most popular option. If you decide to go with a longer bed like with the Nissan Frontier or Toyota Tacoma, just add between 20 inches for Frontier and 12 inches for Tacoma.
| Truck | Overall Length | Front Leg Room | Rear Leg Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevy Colorado | 213" | 45.2" | 34.7" |
| Ford Ranger | 210.6" | 43.7" | 34.6" |
| GMC Canyon | 213.2" | 45.2" | 34.7" |
| Honda Ridgeline | 210.2" | 40.9" | 36.7" |
| Jeep Gladiator | 218" | 41.2" | 38.3" |
| Nissan Frontier | 210.2" | 42.3" | 33.2" |
| Toyota Tacoma | 212.3" | 42.9" | 32.6" |
As you can see the 2023 midsize truck legroom is all about the same around 210 inches. This is significant. Why?
The 210 inches translates into 17.5 feet long. An average 2-car garage is 18 feet long. This means all of these midsize trucks should fit in a standard garage.
Who cares about a garage? Buyers do. According to literally every automaker I’ve talked to, the term “garagability,” is either in the top five for buying reasons or in the top two. People buy midsize trucks because they will fit in their garage, period.
Now, since midsize trucks can’t be any longer than around 210 inches, automakers then try to maximize legroom for either the driver or split the difference with the rear passenger — like in the case of the Honda Ridgeline. It really is just a matter of inches difference on all midsize truck models.
Before hopping into the bottom line, I have to give a shout out to my friend Dale who stopped by to check out a 2023 GMC Canyon I’m reviewing. He is looking to downsize, yet is 6 feet, 6 inches and is usually hauling around 3-4 passengers. For him, he can fit in the front seats, but not the rear — and nobody can really sit behind him in the rear. It’s just too tight.
The bottom line
Midsize trucks are now taller and wider than ever, especially with off-road trims. However, they are not any longer. They likely won’t get longer, except with a slightly longer bed. The fact is, if you are looking at a truck to haul a family around, a midsize truck can do it, but it will be cramped. And don’t even try to put infant car seats in a midsize truck. It simply doesn’t work.
1 comment
mark in bc
Hi Tim
My 2022 AT4 , kids seat fit nicely.
MB other brands don’t.
My 2 cents…