Design Details: Pickup Truck and Ute Beds Edition

"Amoore100" (amoore100) 08/25/2016 at 22:12 • Filed to: Design Details, Ram, Honda Ridgeline, honda ridgeline

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With all the recent Jalopnik coverage of the new Honda Ridgeline, I figured this was as good a time as any for us to take a look at the different sorts of pickup and ute beds that automakers have offered over the years. Which are some of the most interesting and practical?

The Ram Box offers almost Studebaker-like rear fender storage

Both the old and new Ridgeline come with a lockable under-bed trunk/cooler, an excellent feature for urban truck owners

What are the best/worst/most distinctive pickup truck and ute beds in the automotive world?

OPPOsaurus WRX > Amoore100 08/25/2016 at 22:18

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that little tire in there looks like it would fit a Tata Nano

jkm7680 > Amoore100 08/25/2016 at 22:21

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I I always thought this side storage bin on the Nissan Titan was a nice touch.

The midgate on the Chevy Avalanche was always cool as well. There were storage compartments on the side as well.

CRider > Amoore100 08/25/2016 at 22:21

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Spridget > Amoore100 08/25/2016 at 22:21

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Old VW single cabs have a space under the bed where you can stash things. This is known as the “treasure box” in VW circles:

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Amoore100 08/25/2016 at 22:25

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I always thought RamBox was silly. There are several aftermarket boxes that fit in that space and they can be taken out if you actually need the extra few inches of bed width at some point

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Amoore100 08/25/2016 at 22:30

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Ford didn’t innovate with storage, they built a step.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Amoore100 08/25/2016 at 22:36

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Subaru brat!

facw > Amoore100 08/25/2016 at 22:40

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F-150 Tough Box:

Not clear that that’s really the best use of space though.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Amoore100 08/25/2016 at 23:10

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You forgot the dual action tail gate on the ridgeline.

ranwhenparked > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 08/25/2016 at 23:50

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That is awesome - it’s like an old Country Squire!

Amoore100 > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/26/2016 at 00:01

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Space-saving, yo!

shop-teacher > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 08/26/2016 at 00:06

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I wish that feature worked on my Roadmaster. It works like a door, but not like a tailgate.

shop-teacher > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 08/26/2016 at 00:08

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Yep. Plus the space in between the wheel wells and the tailgate is my favorite place to tuck things.

Amoore100 > facw 08/26/2016 at 01:34

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I’ve never even heard of those! It does seem to impinge on bed space but I would imagine having your own mobile filing cabinet would come in handy if you’re a job contractor.

Amoore100 > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 08/26/2016 at 01:44

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Wow, is that stock? It looks surprisingly useful.

Amoore100 > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 08/26/2016 at 01:44

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especially with some jump seats!

Amoore100 > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 08/26/2016 at 01:45

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True, but again, that’s that whole urban truck owners thing. More cubbies > better hauling capacity. I guess you’d just buy an F150 or Silverado if you needed your truck bed to be more useful.

Amoore100 > Spridget 08/26/2016 at 01:46

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Awesome! It’s almost like a mini class-A RV with the under-floor storage bins and the rear-engine RWD format.

Amoore100 > CRider 08/26/2016 at 01:49

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Nice! I had no idea that was a thing until now, definitely some innovation going on over at Ford. Also, electric tailgate? How many other ways can you spell “useless”?

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Amoore100 08/26/2016 at 01:51

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Yep, it’s an option on all Ford pickups:

Amoore100 > jkm7680 08/26/2016 at 01:51

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That was one of my favorite bits on the Titan although the compartment itself always seemed a bit too small to be truly useful for anything important (like a mini tire pump, tool kit, etc.)

The Avalanche was like the opposite of the Envoy XUV since it was a pickup-turned-SUV and not vice versa as in the case of the GMC. The final designs were slightly similar, though.

Amoore100 > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 08/26/2016 at 01:52

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Handy!

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Amoore100 08/26/2016 at 01:56

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Yeah, with as huge/tall as modern trucks are it’d be nice. I wonder how well it’d hold up to abuse.

Amoore100 > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 08/26/2016 at 01:57

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True, it doesn’t look like the most durable piece of kit.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Amoore100 08/26/2016 at 02:02

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I had a forklift put a pallet in the bed of my pickup. He bumped into the plastic cap on the tailgate, which flexed, but sprung back. I think this might have broken instead.

CRider > Amoore100 08/26/2016 at 02:11

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Possibly useful if your hands are full, though it’s definitely one of the more gimmicky parts on the truck. Although at the prices those trucks go for, it wold be expected on any other vehicle.

Amoore100 > CRider 08/26/2016 at 02:39

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True, and I don’t think having your hands full is going to let you even press a button; they should really implement the Escape’s ‘kick’ sensor although that might be a bit too delicate for a true work truck.

CRider > Amoore100 08/26/2016 at 02:50

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The Ram box is an option, they aren’t all like that.

Amoore100 > CRider 08/26/2016 at 03:25

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Ah, makes more sense now.

RT > Amoore100 08/26/2016 at 07:16

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The ‘Flying Huntsman’ pickup.

They extended the LR Defender platform, so the bed could get more space...

...Actually they didn’t, I lied. That went well.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Also might as well post this tailgate while I get the chance.

More of a tailgate than a bed, but you get the idea.

This was stock on Mazda’s rotary-engined pickups (REPUs).

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 08/26/2016 at 07:47

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And naturally GM goes the simple way (and the one that doesn’t block the bed access) by cutting holes in the bumper.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > facw 08/26/2016 at 07:53

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This one was aftermarket, but I had a thought. My truck isn’t a work truck anyway, so... Turn the tough box area into a fridge? 4wd and a built in fridge. That’s a recipe for a party. Or a disaster.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 08/26/2016 at 08:49

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I watched a lady use that step to gain access to the bed of a truck the other day. The owner of the truck said he’d had the truck for years and that was the first time anyone had used the step.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Amoore100 08/26/2016 at 08:49

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Because safety is irrelevant.

Pickup_man > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/26/2016 at 09:18

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While I like GM’s simpler approach, they are a lot higher than Ford’s and more difficult to step up on. It’s a great idea, but I don’t think the two are all that comparable.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Pickup_man 08/26/2016 at 09:29

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Really? I found it quite easy. Hand in the bedwall hole, foot in the bumper hole, up. far easier than the normal way of stepping in the middle of the bumper. Which I’ll admit I found odd.

And you don’t have to disassemble the tailgate to use it.

BigBlock440 > shop-teacher 08/26/2016 at 09:32

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You’d still have that space to tuck things, but now you can close that compartment too.

Pickup_man > Amoore100 08/26/2016 at 09:32

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Ford had a little under bed compartment on some trucks.

And this spare tire mount in the same area that I didn’t know about until now.

Some camper specials and other special F-350's had extended wheelbases as well.

Pickup_man > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/26/2016 at 09:40

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It’s not difficult to use, it’s just that it sits higher than Ford’s, making it just a little tougher. Having to pull the step out of the tailgate and upright the handle though makes it about a wash. When it comes down to it though I think Ford’s solution is slightly easier when it comes to bed access. Again, not saying that GM’s is bad. Quite frankly its a fantastic idea and I have no idea how it took this long for someone to think of it.

That and I’m a tall enough person that if I’m going to be using the side to step up anyway I have no problems just stepping on the top of the bumper usually.

Pickup_man > RT 08/26/2016 at 09:43

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Those tie downs were a great idea, the Ford Courier, which was a rebadged Mazda had them as well.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Pickup_man 08/26/2016 at 09:49

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Yeah, it’ll be a little easier to actually get in, but I think it washes out again with the fact that it limits access in other ways due to the fact that where you had a nice clean tailgate you now have two chunks of metal sticking out in your way. That and the fact that having it at the top of the tailgate leaves it pretty open to damage.

Pickup_man > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/26/2016 at 09:51

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All true

shop-teacher > BigBlock440 08/26/2016 at 10:00

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I’m talking about bigger things. I can’t fit my air compressor into a Rambox, but tucking it behind the wheel well keeps it from slipping to the front of the bed under braking. There’s a bunch of stuff like that. I’m just not feeling the Rambox, it’s not my thing.