Which Pre-Owned Trucks Have The Best Ground Clearance?

There are many reasons to love driving pickup trucks, but not everyone has the same needs. Some folks love trucks for their ability to tow heavy loads and carry plenty of cargo. Others want a truck to go off-roading. Then are those who drive a truck because of what it means to them personally. One of the few things everyone can agree on is that they like driving a truck because of its ground clearance.

This ability to ride a little higher up in traffic gives you a better view of the road, as well as the ability to more easily traverse obstacles on and off the road. However, many drivers are reluctant to undertake the cost of getting more ground clearance through an aftermarket or factory lift. Not only can these be quite expensive. In some cases, they can void your truck’s warranty or, if not done right, can damage your vehicle. If you’re looking for used trucks for sale in Midland, you’ll want to partner with a dealership that understands just what you’re looking for in a pickup and can offer some great options.

This involves a process of comparing apples to apples, or in this case, trucks to trucks. As you probably know, there are midsize, full-size, and heavy-duty pickup trucks, each with its own set of abilities and benefits. So, it is vital to compare them based on the size of the truck. At Classic Honda of Midland, we offer drivers like you the ability to get a great deal on a used truck. We have a large selection of used midsize, full-size, and heavy-duty trucks from all the leading brands. This will allow you to find the right one for you and your lifestyle. But what are the best options when it comes to ground clearance? Let’s take a look at some notable models.

Midsize Trucks

One of the fastest-growing categories of trucks here in Midland is midsize pickups. There are just as many brands producing this size truck as any other, with six different companies offering a midsize truck to its drivers. While you might think there would be little ground clearance on this smallest of the three truck sizes, you’d actually be wrong. This is because many brands offer a specialized off-road model with a higher standard ground clearance than the regular model in the lineup.

The midsize truck with the highest ground clearance is actually a tie between two General Motors models. The Chevy Colorado ZR2 and the GMC Canyon ATX4X come with 10.7 inches of ground clearance. This tops other purpose-built off-road midsize truck models like the Nissan Frontier PRO-4X with 9.8 inches of ground clearance, the Toyota Tacoma TRD-PRO with 9.7 inches, the Ford Ranger Tremor with 9.7 inches, the GMC Canyon ATX4 with 9.6 inches, the Chevy Colorado Trail Boss with 9.5 inches, and the Chevy Z71 with 8.9 inches.

Many drivers would prefer not to have a specialized off-road truck. These folks want a used midsize truck that will deliver more towing and hauling capability. Nevertheless, they will still need to know which regular used midsize truck has the most ground clearance. In this case, the Toyota Tacoma is the champion, with an impressive 9.4 inches of ground clearance. This is an impressive number for a non-off-road model.

The used Nissan Frontier comes close to matching this with 9.3 inches of ground clearance. The Ford Ranger has a range of 8.4 to 8.9 inches of ground clearance, depending on the year and trim you choose, which is similar to the 8.2 to 8.4 inches of ground clearance on the GMC Canyon. The Honda Ridgeline offers up to 7.6 inches of ground clearance, while the Chevy Colorado will give you only 7.9 inches if you don’t choose one of its trail-ready truck models.

Full-Size Trucks

Not only are full-size trucks the most popular size of pickup, but they are also the best-selling passenger vehicles in America by a fairly wide margin. This is because full-size trucks are the most versatile category, making them ideal for work, family, off-roading, and a little of everything.

Just like the midsize pickup trucks, the dedicated off-road models of the full-size pickups are the ones with the highest ground clearance. So, if you are fine with a used full-size off-road model, then the Ram 1500 TRX will give you the most ground clearance, a truly impressive 11.8 inches in total.

This is significantly more than the next closest off-road models, the Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2 and the GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X4, each with 11.22 inches of ground clearance. The Chevy Silverado 1500 Trail Boss and the GMC Canyon AT4 are next with 10.8 inches. The Silverado 1500 Trail Boss is available with the Custom and LT trim level features. The Nissan Titan PRO-4X has 9.8 inches of ground clearance, while the Toyota Tundra TRD PRO and the Ford F-150 Tremor give drivers 9.4 inches of ground clearance.

If you are not looking for a used off-road truck, then the used full-size truck with the most standard ground clearance is the Nissan Titan with 9.7 inches. This is almost as much ground clearance as the PRO-4X model. It is also one inch more than on the other full-size trucks. For example, the next on the list is the Ford F-150 with 8.7 inches. The Toyota Tundra offers drivers 8.5 inches of ground clearance, while the Ram 1500 has 8.4 inches, the Chevy Silverado 1500 has 8.08 inches, and the GMC Sierra 1500 gives you 7.87 inches.

Heavy-Duty Trucks

Heavy-duty trucks are the largest non-commercial vehicles available from automakers. These are the most powerful models with the largest towing and hauling capability. However, even though these are the largest models, they don’t always offer the most ground clearance. In addition, some automakers have begun offering heavy-duty trucks designed for off-roading, like the Ram 2500 Rebel and the GMC Sierra 2500 AT4. However, these can sometimes be difficult to find on the used market since they are relatively new. Also, choosing one of these heavy-duty off-road pickup trucks can reduce the towing and hauling capability you may be looking for in this category of pickups.

The ground clearance range for heavy-duty trucks can be fairly broad. The GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD and the Chevy Silverado 2500 HD and 3500 HD made on the same platform offer between 7.87 and 10.1 inches of ground clearance, depending on which trim level you choose. Similarly, the Ram 2500 can have a ground clearance of up to 13.1 inches, and the Ram 3500 can have up to 11.5 inches. This is why it is difficult to name one truck brand as offering the most ground clearance in a heavy-duty truck.

Ford refers to its heavy-duty truck as the Super Duty, and there are three different sizes to choose from, each with its own range of ground clearance numbers. The F-250 can give you between 8.5 and 8.7 inches of ground clearance, while the F-350 has an even greater range of 8.1 to 9.1 inches of ground clearance. The largest of the three Super Duty trucks, the Ford F-450, has between 7.8 and 8.6 inches of ground clearance. The narrowest range for used heavy-duty trucks might be found with the Nissan Titan XD. While this is slightly smaller than most heavy-duty trucks, it still provides between 8.7 and 9.0 inches of ground clearance, depending on your choice of trim and drivetrain.

Need A Used Truck With Great Ground Clearance? We’ve Got You Covered

Finding the right truck involves looking at a large number of factors. This includes the category of truck, brand, model, engine type, drivetrain, cab configuration, payload bed size, and trim level. The amount of ground clearance should be factored in as well. In general, unless you are looking for an off-road model, the amount of ground clearance will vary fairly greatly between manufacturers. When you stop into Classic Honda of Midland, our expert sales staff will be able to walk you through all aspects of the used truck you are considering buying, including the amount of ground clearance. Stop in today and see why you should make your next truck a used model from us!

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