Distance: 378km
Location: Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia
Date: December 25-29, 2022
Up front: This V6, mid-range, mid-size pickup could get you a top-of-the-line V6 Camry for the same money. With that in mind, the interior is best described as utilitarian with a couple of convenience features that fit the interior of a mid-2010s family van. There are a lot of half-good things like the flexible seats with an inflexible steering wheel adjustment, the supportive seats being made of cheap cloth, and the steering wheel and gear shifter being only partially leather-wrapped. But it shines where it matters with the dual-zone climate absolutely blowing, the armrests at the right place, and the Apple CarPlay being easy to connect with a wire.
In the back: The second-row seats exist more as something nice to have rather than something meant for long-distance travel. It’s nicer than third-row seats in a Chrysler Pacifica, but not quite as nice as the middle bench of a Chevrolet Tahoe. Three adults would fit snugly for trips of up to an hour, but even if children fit better they would have a hard time climbing into the cabin without a much-needed running board as standard.
The tailgate is light but isn’t well-made enough to latch on both sides at the same time every single time. There are uneven panel gaps in the rear, but that doesn’t annoy me as much as the lack of truck bed lighting to help me see what is where in the back. I’d still take the Camry because a closed boot is more useful, more often, for most people than an open bed.
Driving: Power from the V6 is lacking for such a large vehicle. It goes when you step on it, but the loud, laborious sound from the engine doesn’t inspire confidence. The point-and-shoot game from the steering wheel is intuitive, making it easy to throw around and park on narrow city streets, but I suspect that has more to do with driver skill than steering feel.
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