2004 Truck of the Year Interior Review

Interior
Ford clearly sought to up the pickup-truck interior-design ante with the all-new F-150. The stamp of Ford Design Chief J Mays is clearly evident in some of the Volkswagen/Audi flair you'll find inside. Actually, there's a whole family of interiors, each with its own custom environment (remember Audi's atmospheres?): workhorse XL, move-up STX, all-occasion XLT, metallic-look FX4, and wood-enhanced Lariat. The parchment-colored gauge faces and vertical metallic bands on the dash are particularly attractive. Says Chirico, "The interior is a work of art. And Ford's done an excellent job of balancing wear requirements and perceived quality." But beyond high interior style, the new F-Series offers some real improvements, such as six inches more room, front to rear, in Regular Cab and Super Cab models. Other nice touches include small rear doors on the F-150 Regular Cab to gain access to the area behind the seat, roll-down rear glass on the extended cab's rear doors, and an available power roll-down rear window.

Front-facing rear seat in new GMC Canyon sorely tests the limberness of Editor-at-Large St. Antoine.

As it did with its unconventional exterior design, Nissan broke new ground in the Titan's cabin. "A fresh, impressive design with lots of cubby space, grippy cupholders, clever foldaway rear seats, adjustable foot pedals, a nav system, gated shifter, and DVD entertainment, this truck is packed with innovation and value," cheers Brian Vance. The rear doors on the King Cab have dual-stage, articulated hinges that open almost 180 degrees. John Kiewicz comments, "Fantastic interior room and great ergonomics." Lassa feels that the Titan "seems like a smaller truck, in part due to its fast windshield and low, sloping hoodline that offers a good view of the road ahead."

With the Double Cab, Toyota gives its buyers four full doors and a roomy rear seat with a comfortably slanted seatback rake. Courtesy of about a foot more wheelbase, the Double Cab boosts rear-seat legroom nine inches over that of the Tundra Access Cab. And a taller roof section affords Double Cab front-seat occupants an inch more headroom, two more inches in the aft lounge.

The GM midsize twins also net impressive gains in interior space over their S-10 and Sonoma forebears, thanks to a dash and steering wheel moved forward by four inches, scooped-out doors, and less side-glass tumblehome slant.