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Mid-size pickups like the Toyota Tacoma are ideal for urban customers for whom maneuverability in traffic is key.

When Rick Lang drives Highway 2 between Edmonton and Calgary on a frosty winter day, he's developed a habit of counting the types of vehicles he finds off the road, axle-deep in snow, or worse. By his figuring, a disproportionate number of them are pickups.

That's not just because there are so many of them these days. To Lang, manager of operations at the Alberta Motor Association, it's also because a lot of those drivers don't understand that even pickups with electronic stability systems are different beasts than a family sedan.

"People think you can drive a hundred and ten on the QE II," he chuckles. But pickups, with a high centre of gravity and light back ends, respond differently when you brake hard on icy roads. "You can get yourself stuck in places you've never been before."

Everyone, it seems, wants a truck. Statistics reported by auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers show that 123,803 light trucks (including SUVs) were sold in July, 2017. And the lowly passenger car? Just 58,231 units. Fully two-thirds of the vehicles sold in Canada were some form of truck.

More and more, they're pickups – not just in a province where they are actually put to work on ranches and at oil rigs – but in the sleepy fishing towns of Nova Scotia, the verdant back roads of Vancouver Island and the suburban sea of rooftops in the GTA.

Lang worries about drivers who get behind the wheel of a pickup for the first time, noting that what has historically been a work vehicle still displays a poorer safety record (according to the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) than today's cars and SUVs. And there are more surprises for a first-time pickup buyer such as the higher fuel consumption, vehicle mass and compromised manoeuvrability.

Fear not. If you do your homework, you can find a pickup that fits your values and needs. And there are plenty of choices. All three North American manufacturers offer pickups here, as do Honda, Nissan and Toyota. Here are things to keep in mind:

SIZE

The choice between a full- or mid-sized truck depends on how much weight you intend to carry or tow and how much you drive in a city. If you are an urban customer looking to get around in traffic with ease, consider a mid-sized truck, like GM's Colorado, says Doug Kenzie, brand manager for Chevrolet. Other mid-size trucks include the Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier and Honda Ridgeline. Ford, Fiat-Chrysler and Hyundai have mid-sized products in the works.

The vehicle's size is also dependent on cab- and box-size choices. Cabs come in standard (two-passenger), extended cab (cramped rear seats) or crew cab (full rear seats). Consumers overwhelmingly favour family-friendly crew cabs. You also can opt for short (5.5-feet), medium (6.5-feet) or long (8-feet) boxes. The extra space is handy for hauling, but can be a nightmare in traffic.

MANOEUVRABILITY

Ever heard of the farmer's turn? It's a long, sweeping arc that takes into consideration the fact that your crew-cab, long-box pickup is longer than some yachts. "These things are massive," Lang says. If you have a full-size crew cab, you're going to get very familiar with the three-point turn. Backup cameras, parking sensors and lane departure warnings make life a little simpler. "Obviously, a larger vehicle takes up more space on the road," says Mike Szymkiewicz, head of product planning for Fiat-Chrysler. "That said, size doesn't mean ponderous driving."

And think about parking. City parking spaces are typically 2.6-metres wide and 5.4-metres deep. Full-size pickups with the popular crew cabs are more than two-metres wide (plus mirrors) and 5.8-metres long (with a mid-sized box). Those dimensions only work if you do all your shopping at Costco.

USE

If you primarily use your pickup as your daily commuter, then Lang advises you to think twice. In tight traffic, "Would you rather drive a Yaris?" he asks. On the other hand, Kenzie says, if you're hauling a fifth-wheel trailer or big boat to the wilds on the weekend, even a "light-duty" so-called half-ton pickup might not be adequate. Check the specs carefully to make sure your rig has enough power and weight capacity for the job. "It's all about having the right capability on hand when you need it," said Szymkiewicz, who notes that powerful V-8s are designed to use less fuel when not under load.

FUEL CONSUMPTION

Although pickups have improved their fuel economy, they'll never match a sedan, Lang says. On the other hand, both Kenzie and Szymkiewicz note that modern diesels, such as GM's Duramax and Fiat-Chrysler's Turbo Diesel (previously EcoDiesel), get great mileage. Even powerful V-8 engines now come with such fuel-saving technology as variable-valve timing and deactivation of cylinders when the power isn't needed. Ford offers 2.7- and 3.5-litre EcoBoost engines in the F-150, but gain little on fuel economy. After a squabble with regulators over emissions, Fiat-Chrysler said in a statement to The Globe and Mail that its EcoDiesel has received emissions certification and will soon return to the market. It is expected to have best-in-class ratings of 11.3 litres/100 km in the city, 8.0 on the highway and 9.8 combined. Six, eight and nine-speed transmissions further squeeze more kilometres out of every litre.

GM's full-size Silverado offers the eAssist hybrid option, which uses electric motors on all four wheels to supplement the big V-8's power, delivering a fuel savings of 13 per cent in the city over its gas-only kin.

COMFORT

Forget your first bone-jarring trip down a gravel road in Uncle Bill's Dodge D-Series; today's trucks are more car-like than ever. It may not equal the ride of a Bentley, but buying a truck tuned for comfort can save your back. Most pickups (except Honda's Ridgeline) have heavy body-on-frame construction and they tend to ride rougher than the unibody construction in cars and SUVs. Szymkiewicz points to Ram's cushy four-corner air suspension.

STYLE

Dressed-up pickups don't look out of place at the local country club. The pricier pickups (more than $70,000) come as well-appointed as any luxury sedan, with full leather, all the latest electronic toys and custom looks, such as GM's all-black Midnight and Ram's Tungsten editions. You can literally take them anywhere and not feel like the poor cousin.

With some common sense, Lang says, any driver can make the shift from car to pickup. You don't need to retake drivers ed. But he has two pieces of advice. First, rent a truck like the one you want to buy and drive it for a few days – long enough to understand the differences in the driving experience. And think hard about how you will use your next vehicle. He calls it getting the right "fit for purpose."

Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price.​​

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