The ability to hit the road in a personal vehicle is key to avoid going stir-crazy during COVID-19 social distancing. For people with trucks, it’s worth considering an upgrade before traveling.
If you drive a model even a few years old, its fuel economy could be reduced. Lower fuel efficiency means worrying about fuel costs at a time when money is tight for everyone. Nobody wants that—Taking a drive should give you a chance to relax.
It might be a while since you last had to consider whether you want a quad cab, a crew cab, or a regular cab on a new vehicle. Or, maybe you’re shopping for your first truck and you’ve never explored cab types before.
Don’t fret if you don’t know or recall the features of different kinds of truck cabs. Read this quick article for a refresher on how they compare.
Sorting Out the Types of Truck Cabs
Truck-buyers have the choice of three main kinds of truck cabs: regular cabs, extended or quad cabs, and crew cabs. If you’ve heard other names before, chances are they came from a particular automaker. Some brands want to stand out and don’t think that the standard names represent their brands well enough.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to those three options. That might be alarming information for people still trying to decide between a Dodge Ram and a Ford F-150. If there’s no one name for the cab style you’re looking at, how do you compare between brands?
The good news is that you can compare cabs to one another based on those three types’ characteristics. The main differences are between the number of doors on the respective cabs, their seating capacity and passenger space, and how much cargo capacity they offer.
You can prep for your next pickup hunt by reading a quick rundown of these cab types. With this information, getting the categories to line up with different automakers and their cab names is a breeze.
Why Might You Want a Regular Cab?
It makes sense to start with the kind of cab referred to as “regular,” that is, the most basic cab variety. That doesn’t mean that it’s more common than the other kinds of truck cab. What makes it “regular” is that it’s the most basic kind in terms of space and features.
Unlike quad cabs and the similar crew cab, regular cabs have two doors instead of four. They also have a single row of seating, not two. They’re best if you tend to travel by yourself and don’t carry too much inside the cab.
If you do have the occasional passenger, don’t rule out a regular cab yet. It does have comfortable-enough seating for three people, including the driver. You may also have the option to upgrade a regular cab’s features.
You could enjoy two bucket seats on an upgraded regular cab. That option has some added comfort without the full cost of a bigger cab. It could be right for you if you’re almost always alone in your truck or have no more than one passenger at a time.
When Is a Quad Cab Right?
A quad cab is Dodge’s name for what many automakers call an extended cab. Some categorize it as a “double cab,” but other automakers use “double cab” to refer to a crew cab.
It’s bigger than a regular cab and has a second row of seats. Consider something else if you want a standard backseat’s worth of passenger room, though.
The extra space you enjoy with an extended cab can turn into a big frustration when you realize the back seat is better for children than it is for a car full of adults. While this cab variety has four doors and two rows of seating, the back row of doors and seats are smaller than average.
For passengers to get in and out of the back seat in many cases, front-seat passengers have to exit the vehicle and fold the front seat down. Smaller passengers may be able to squeeze out the smaller back doors. In any case, an extended or quad cab doesn’t prioritize passenger space.
As if the idea of exiting and folding the seat down every time your passengers get out wasn’t daunting enough, there’s also not much rear-seat legroom. The amount of legroom in the backseat of a quad cab is less than that offered by some small cars. A long trip in the backseat of an extended cab is cramped for most adults and gets old, fast.
Buying an extended cab is best for people who carry a few passengers for short distances now and then. It’s also not a bad choice for drivers who need to bring extra gear in the cab with them. If you carry more stuff than you do passengers in the front, you might not care to spend more on a full-size seat or set of back doors.
The room in the backseat of a quad cab isn’t enough for truck drivers carrying major hauls inside their cabs. If you want the maximum cargo and passenger space, consider a quad cab’s big cousin: a crew cab.
How Do Quad Cabs Compare to Crew Cabs?
Quad or extended cabs are often confused with crew cabs. Both varieties have four wheels and two rows of seats. Crew cabs offer full-sized rear seats and doors. They’re bigger than quad cabs and cost more.
Crew cabs’ size means trucks featuring this option tend to get lower mileage than trucks with smaller cabs. Getting the most from this kind of cab requires tweaks to driving practices and the truck’s other features.
Balance systems, stability control, and custom wheels like the kind described in this post are valuable for crew cab drivers. Making the right modifications to trucks pushes their mileage to the max. Getting better mileage offsets the higher initial and regular costs of bigger cabs.
Make Informed Decisions About Your Ride
After reading this post, you know how to tell a quad cab apart from other kinds of pickup truck cabs. Knowing these industry terms is key to knowing what you’re getting when you buy your next truck.
Take a look around the site for more valuable tips and tricks for truck owners as well as information and advice for all kinds of car drivers. We have a ride range of articles to help you get the most out of your ride, so what are you waiting for?