The price of new trucks has gotten quite high, especially when you begin adding premium features. There was a point in time where buying a “loaded truck” meant that you got power windows, power seats, air condition and a CD player. Today’s loaded trucks offer unprecedented levels of luxury, but they also have price tags around – or over – the $100,000 mark. That leaves many people wondering what truck features are really worth paying for.
I have owned about a dozen trucks over the past 30 years and I have tested scores more for work. Having experienced the evolution of truck options over the years, I have put together a list of the top five truck features that are absolutely worth paying for in every new truck.
Drop-In or Spray-On, You Need a Bedliner
Most of the trucks that you see on the road today have some sort of bed protection, be it a simple drop-in plastic liner or a more permanent solution, like a spray-on bedliner. Most trucks have bed protection because the surface of the bed is very easy to scratch and if you use an unprotected bed to haul anything – even cardboard boxes – you will quickly find that the bed looks awful. Also, when that painted metal bed gets wet or icy, it becomes very slippery when you are climbing in and out of the bed. Fortunately, this is an easy problem to solve when you buy a new truck.
Every automaker offers at least one type of bedliner when you buy a new truck. Drop-in bedliners are typically less expensive and quicker to install while spray-on bedliner last longer, but often costs more and takes more time to install. However, a bedliner is absolutely one of the features worth paying for unless you literally never, ever use your bed.
A Rear Slider has Multiple Uses
Having a rear slider in your truck helps to get air moving on hot days while also adding more fresh air for rear-riding passengers. For many people, that extra air movement makes the rear slider one of the top five truck features worth paying for, but for other pickup owners, it is a point of added functionality.
If you do any of your own plumbing work, there has likely been a time where you have had to haul a bunch of 10-foot sections of very lightweight piping in a truck with a 5- or 6-foot bed. They are light enough to blow out of the bed, so you have to tie them down and even then, they extend well out of the bed and flex a ton while the truck is moving. The easiest way to transport them is to open the rear slider and run them into the cab. I affix them to the passenger side headrest and tuck the other end down into the corner of the bed, which keeps them nice and secure. There have also been times where Ive had to transport 16-foot boards and while hauling lumber through the rear slider takes much more care, there is no question that having the extra rear window improves the truck’s hauling abilities. That is what makes it a truck feature worth paying for to me.
An Above-Stock Sound System
While the base level sound system in today’s trucks have come a long way from the one-speaker setup in my 1978 Dodge D150, the entry level speaker systems today are pretty unpleasant to anyone who enjoys music. Frankly, most base speaker systems in today’s trucks kind of sound like the music is being broadcast through an old speaker phone. I love my music and while I am not saying that you need to pay for a $2,000 premium sound option – even the mid-level sound systems present a huge step up over the base option. For me, having decent sound system is a must, so an upgraded speaker system is definitely one of the top five truck features worth paying for.
You Want a Smoother Ride
Most people who buy a new truck expect that it will ride like a truck, but with today’s suspension technology, we really don’t have to sacrifice comfort for capability. There was a point in time where a truck could either tow and haul or offer a smooth ride, but with the adaptive and adjustable suspension systems being offered by most automakers, you can have a full-size truck that can go off-road, haul thousand pounds and still offer a comfortable ride with a truck full of passengers. However, those premium suspension systems are often an option or they are standard on premium models. If you are buying a truck that comes with a basic suspension system, but there is an upgraded suspension package, the premium suspension package is definitely worth paying for.
Always Get the Factory Towing Package
When you buy a new pickup, the factory hitch setup is one of the top features worth paying for. Even if you never plan to tow when you are buying the truck, simply having the hitch receiver in place from the factory gives you the option to help a friend or get into a new hobby. This is usually a pretty inexpensive feature and when you look at the cost of buying a hitch receiver, finding a place to install it, paying to have it installed and then paying to have trailing wiring installed, it is a much smarter move to buy that hitch setup from the factory. If you really don’t think that you will ever tow, avoid extras like a trailer brake controller, but trust me – get the basic factory towing package. It will make the truck more attractive in the resale market.
