10 Best Quad Cab Trucks

2016 Ford F-150 ・ Photo by Ford

From quad cab trucks to crew cabs to double cabs and more, today’s pickups provide a surprisingly wide variety of body styles from which to choose, especially since different cab sizes can come with multiple bed lengths, too. We’ll focus on quad cabs today, starting with the brand that showcases that specific term for its trucks—Ram. That company relies on the “Quad Cab” name for the full-size pickup style that offers more room than a regular cab, yet not quite as much as a double cab. No other pickup uses the same "Quad Cab" name, but a number use the same style. So read on to find the best quad cab trucks, by any name.

2016 Ram 1500

Dodge first debuted a “Quad Cab” model for the 1998 Ram, with that edition being able to furnish rear-opening back doors, a small back seat and an obvious increase in passenger space compared to single-row regular cab pickups. Fiat Chrysler’s current contender here, the 2016 RAM 1500 Quad Cab, continues with those advantages. It’s the sweet spot for owners who need more cabin space than a regular cab model, at a lower price than the Ram Crew Cab, which has full-size rear doors and accommodations. The Quad Cab is therefore ideal for owners who only need a rear seat occasionally, or who have smaller children. Further, it does have more rear-seat legroom than its Ford, Chevy, and GMC counterparts.

2016 Ford F-150

The Blue Oval also delivers a three-cab lineup for the 2016 Ford F-150, including Regular, SuperCab, and SuperCrew styles, and it’s the F-150 SuperCab that directly competes against the industry’s quad cab trucks. The F-150’s advantage in that configuration comes from its class-leading 40.3 inches of rear-seat quad-cab headroom. It’s over an inch more than in Chevy and GMC Double Cabs, and the same amount beyond what’s in the Toyota Tundra quad cab. The F-150 SuperCab can also be configured with the customer’s choice of three different box lengths (5.5, 6.5 and 8.0 feet). Shoppers at Chevrolet and GMC have to make do with just one—while paying more money.

Photo by Ford

2016 Chevrolet Silverado

The 2016 Chevrolet Silverado—and its corporate cousin, the 2016 GMC Sierra—go with the “Double Cab” designation for their quad cab trucks. Both brands benefit from a competitive 38.7 inches of rear-seat headroom and 34.6 inches of rear-seat legroom, but where they really distinguish themselves is up front. The Silverado Double Cab comes with 42.8 inches of front-row headroom, while no other truck has more than 41, and that’s complemented by a best-in-class 45.2 inches of front legroom. Mercedes’ full-size flagship sedan, the S-Class, can’t crack 40 inches in either measure. Of course, being a GM product, the Bowtie brand’s full-size quad-cab pickup also boasts premium technologies like mobile Wi-Fi and 4G LTE connectivity.

2016 GMC Sierra

The dimensions of GM’s full-size quad cab trucks are the same, yet there’s still plenty that’s different between the two. For instance, take the new 2016 GMC Sierra Elevation Edition. Created solely for the Sierra Double Cab, the Elevation Edition was designed as an affordable way to add both style and substance to the entry-level model. The exterior, for example, is highlighted by 20-inch black-painted aluminum wheels, body-color trim, and LED lighting for the cargo box and front fog lights. An automatic locking rear differential and remote locking tailgate are on board as well, as is the latest GMC IntelliLink infotainment system, complete with a 7-inch touchscreen, mobile Wi-Fi, 4G LTE connectivity, and smartphone integration with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Photo by General Motors

2016 Toyota Tundra

Though Toyota focuses its pickup energy in the light-duty pickup segment, meaning it doesn’t have the range of sizes as its domestic competition, the 2016 Toyota Tundra does match Ford—and beat out Ram, Chevy and GMC—by allowing customers to match quad cab trucks with a trio of bed lengths: a 5.5-foot short bed, the 6.5-foot standard bed, and a full 8-foot long bed. Also, that’s without sacrificing passenger space. The Tundra quad cab, aka a “Double Cab,” has just as much back-row headroom as the GM pickups and a tenth more of an inch in rear-seat legroom—matching the Ram’s 34.7-inch best-in-class mark. An additional class-best rating comes in the form of the Tundra’s newly available 38-gallon fuel tank.

Photo by Toyota

2016 Chevrolet Colorado

GM then throws a further monkey wrench in the gears—terminology-wise—with its midsize pickups, including the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The Colorado comes in two configurations: The first is an “Extended Cab” setup that’s more like that of the original quad cab trucks, with smaller, rear-hinged door and also-smaller back seats; next, the Colorado’s “Double Cab” has roughly the same interior dimension and door style as the current Chevy and GMC quad cabs—except that the Colorado Double Cab has 35.8 inches of rear-seat legroom. In other words, the midsize Colorado has more legroom than even the full-size quad cabs from the competition. And the Colorado joins the GMC Canyon in offering the only diesel in the segment.

Photo by General Motors

2016 GMC Canyon

As was the case with the Silverado and Sierra, the 2016 GMC Canyon shares its cab configurations and key interior dimensions with the Chevy Colorado. Another similarity: the Canyon stands apart from its Bowtie counterpart with unique models of its own. For instance, beginning later this year, customers shopping for quad cab pickups will be able to consider a premium choice in the Canyon Denali. The Canyon Denali is described as a “Crew Cab” pickup by GMC, despite it being the same size inside as the Colorado “Double Cab.” If that’s confusing, what’s clear is the Canyon Denali details its cabin with some impressive luxury cues, such as standard, leather-appointed, heated-and-ventilated seating.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

2017 Honda Ridgeline

There are a lot of ways that the all-new 2017 Honda Ridgeline doesn’t follow the template of typical quad cab trucks, from its unibody construction to its standard front-wheel drive powertrain and an innovative in-bed cargo trunk. The Ridgeline follows an innovative approach to pickup cabin design, too, thanks to its car-like levels of quietness and comfort. Moreover, an important factor in that comfort is the vehicle’s roomy rear seat. The Ridgeline is sold in a single cab style, but it’s one that serves up more back-seat headroom and legroom than any of the other midsize quad cab pickups, along with more rear-row legroom than all of the full-size quad cabs.

Photo by Ryan ZumMallen

2016 Nissan Titan XD

Some folks will no doubt be wondering where the oversized 2016 Nissan Titan XD matches up versus the traditional full-size quad cab trucks, and right now, not enough is known about the new Nissan to be sure. The company only has released specs for the Titan XD Crew Cab at this stage, with that model boasting full-size rear doors but relatively compact rear-seat cabin dimensions. Yet while the Titan trails when compared to the full-size Crew Cabs for back-seat spaciousness, especially in rear-seat legroom, it does have more second-room head and leg space than the mainstream quad cabs. Also, only the XD makes room for a turbodiesel engine that can pull more than 12,000 lbs.

2016 Nissan Frontier

The 2016 Nissan Frontier is a more old-school alternative to more modern quad cab trucks, yet it actually has a few dimensional advantages as well. Among them: additional second-row head room as compared to even the more modern GM competition in the size class; and more back-seat head and legroom than its direct rival, the Toyota Tacoma quad cab. It’s also worth noting that the Frontier can be ordered in a King Cab body style that brings a smaller rear-seat package, backed by two rear-opening rear doors.

Photo by Nissan