Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008

It's that time of year again. We've collected the vital information on every pickup, sport/utility vehicle, crossover, and minivan and put all the data into charts for you to sift through. You won't find this information anywhere else on the planet and certainly won't get it broken down as it is in these easy-to-see head-to-head comparison categories. Every important vehicle sold in the U.S. is here, with all the pertinent specifications and prices as well as our choices in each grouping. We lean more toward those vehicles with the most capable four-wheel-drive systems, and highest tow ratings and payload capacities along with those that offer a variety of strong engines. Of course, those priorities may not be yours. That's why we've listed all this data in a single issue. If you think fuel economy or pricing is more important, you can weigh your decision accordingly and make a different choice.

All pricing is from the most recent "Kelley Blue Book New Car Price Manual (Third Edition 2008 Models)" with remaining specifications taken from the most recent versions of the manufacturers' press materials. To the best of our knowledge and the best of our abilities, all the columns line up properly and the information here is correct. Of course, that does mean some mistakes may have made it through the nets. Feel free to let us know of any you've found. For now, sit back, kick your shoes off (grab a magnifying glass), and wander through the specs and pricing numbers of every vehicle a truck guy (or gal) could ever care about. And if you think of a few categories we could include in our 2009 Best In Class Awards, feel free to drop us a line. Drum roll please...join us in welcoming the Class of 2008 winners.

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Classes

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: Work Truck Work Truck -- This class is about back-breaking heavy-duty work chores and abuse. As such, we look more closely than usual at things like price, GVWR, actual curb weight, and engine options.

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: Topline Power Puller This is the evolutionary equivalent of the biggest, baddest, meanest carnivore on the planet, but raw numbers is just one way we select winners. We've driven them all and graded them according to capability, function, and style.

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: Hardcore 4x4 If there's one segment that creates the most debate (a polite term) among our judges, it's this one. Jeep has many advocates with its basic technology and long 4x4 history, as well as its impressive Rubicon off-road package.

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: Midsize SUV We've arbitrarily designated SUVs with a wheelbase over 106 (actually 106.3) inches as midsize SUVs, which makes this the largest chart we've ever assembled. In fact, there are so many entries, we've chopped this category into three separate winners.

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: Ultimate Performance SUV This segment is all about arriving and driving in style, so the money issue isn't the primary consideration. Still, you can't just charge huge amounts and not have the plush comforts to back it up and the capability to separate itself from the pretenders.

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: AWD Crossover AWD Crossover -- This growing segment should get even bigger in the next few years. For manufacturers, the trick is to make sure these crossovers don't look too much like cars, even though they're typically based off some kind of car platform.

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: Compact SUV, AWD/4WD This was a tricky vote for us, because it essentially breaks down into two categories: those sport/utilities (with less than a 106.3-inch wheelbase) that can run a trail and those that probably won't ever need to.

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: Crew Cab PICKUP, 2WD This is a now huge category (one that didn't really exist 10 years ago) with prices all over the map.

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: Minivan You can almost hear the yelling over the loudspeaker: "Ding, ding, ding--the winner and still champion..." Yes, the Honda is still the winner of this humdrum people-mover category, mostly because of interior quality, quick throttle response, and (believe it or not) fairly good ride and handling char

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: Factory Power Runner There's no question that German manufacturers have a long head start in this category, and traditionally, American truck makers competed here by throwing a big V8 in a little truck.

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: Full-Size SUV Toyota has a winning formula right now: take every competitor's measurements in the segment and make a vehicle that beats it in each category.

Truck Trend's Best in Class 2008: Compact Pickup Admittedly, this segment of the auto industry hasn't been getting much love over the last few years. Prices of full-size pickups have been so competitive, salesmen are slotting buyers into bigger, stronger, more capable vehicles, sometimes for the same money.