These 5 new 2023 pickups boast segment-best towing

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Various and sundry internet loudmouths are only too happy to take precious time between preparing a tofu pie and buying plastic-free peace sandals to whine that no one should be driving a pickup truck. “Unnecessary!” they’ll bleat whilst chowing down on discounted Clif bars, conveniently ignoring the fact they’ve spent the last five years schlepping around a ski rack on top of a knackered Subaru despite having sold their skis in a rummage sale the summer before COVID-19 hit.

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As for the rest of us, trucks often form part of the daily toolbox. Hauling a camper, towing recreational vehicles, or bringing a load of gear to the job site are part and parcel of Canadian life for many in this country. That’s why we’ve assembled a rogue’s gallery of this year’s hefty haulers, ones which top the charts in their respective size classes. Where necessary, we will mention the appropriate options or body style required to achieve these numbers.

Note well: for simplicity, we’re using the term “strongest” in reference to a truck’s maximum towing capacity when properly equipped. It’s on you to make sure yer pickup isn’t overloaded in terms of total payload, a figure which combines trailer tongue weight and the amount of stuff slung aboard the truck itself. Perhaps we’ll do payload listings in another post.

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Numbers here are accurate as of this writing, early in the second quarter of the 2023 calendar year, for the most recent model year available; prices include options required to achieve towing glory, and the non-negotiable destination fee. One should always make sure their vehicle is properly equipped for towing.

With those notations out of the way, our wet-blanket lawyers have been sated, and they can now return to their stale Clif bars.

Strongest Small Pickup: Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, or Jeep Gladiator

General Motors recently overhauled its twin Colorado and Canyon entrants in this segment, gifting them snappy styling and a revamped interior — plus copying a bit of homework from the half-ton Silverado and Sierra. Under their hoods is a version of the bigger truck’s 2.7L turbocharged mill, offered in three different states of tune in the Chevy. Selecting the one with 310 horsepower will grant a 7,700-pound towing capacity, so long as it’s paired with an optional trailering package and limited-slip differential.

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Selection is simple, since every GM midsizer now comes with crew cab/short box configurations. Yer choice is even easier at GMC, where every Canyon comes with the 310-horsepower engine. The only trim which can not haul this maximum is the dirt-focused AT4X. This one, like its Chevy ZR2 cousin, trades outright towing prowess for gonzo off-road suspension bits.

Those who would like a few bugs in their teeth whilst towing may choose the Jeep Gladiator. Despite sharing its looks and cabin with the Wrangler, this truck utilizes a completely different frame, which makes it much more than a Wrangler with a bed tacked on its rump. This frame, when combined with the proven 3.6L V6 engine, is part of the reason it can also tow 7,700 pounds.

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Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon

Jeep Gladiator

Alternatives: Remember the game of one-upmanship mentioned earlier? It’s alive and well in the small pickup category, evidenced by the fact both GM twins and the Gladiator outstrip their crosstown rival at Ford by just 200 pounds. A snazzy new Ranger is due sometime this year, and will likely leapfrog its foes by a similar value.

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The existing Tacoma can haul 6,500 pounds when equipped with four-wheel-drive and the correct packages, though the new model with its hybrid powertrain is likely to boost that number, and Nissan is in the same ballpark with its Frontier. The less said about the pathetic Honda Ridgeline, the better.

Strongest Half-Ton Pickup: Ford F-150

It was only a few short years ago that five-figure towing numbers were squarely the domain of heavy-duty trucks — likely ones powered by a smoky diesel engine. Those days are now in the rear-view mirror, just like the enormous trailers these pickups are capable of towing. It is now possible to build a Ford F-150 with the ability to haul 14,000 pounds, a figure far exceeding most family campers or recreational gear on flat-deck trailers. Ford says this number is good for both fifth-wheel and conventional towing.

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Shoppers will find this number in a two-wheel-drive XL trim, either a long-box SuperCab or a short-box SuperCrew. Critically, power must come from the 3.5L EcoBoost V6, and the truck must be equipped with the Max Trailer Towing Package. Tremendously, these configurations have extra passenger capacity compared to a regular-cab truck, so the rig can also be deployed to schlep the brood to a hockey rink for early morning practice. Four-wheel-drive, popular around these parts, dents the capacity slightly thanks to its heavier running gear.

Alternatives: Towns have been divided and families ripped asunder over the phenomenon that is blind loyalty to truck brands, so it is unlikely anything we say in this missive will be construed as a legitimate alternative to someone who has been bleeding Ford Blue ever since they rode home from the hospital in a rusty single-cab Lariat.

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Nevertheless, we are beholden to mention that certain configurations of the GM half-ton twins come close to Ford’s number, while Toyota has been neck-deep in five-figure towing capacity for some time now. It’s a similar story at Ram, though shoppers need be aware of differences between the Ram 1500 and Ram 1500 Classic, lest they find themselves comparing apples to oranges (and maybe even grapes, probably sour ones).

Strongest Heavy-Duty Pickup: Ford F-450 Super Duty

If we’re starting to sound like a broken record, it’s because engineers at Blue Oval HQ in Dearborn take their position at the pointy end of this country’s truck sales charts very seriously. There are few things on this earth pickup makers enjoy more than beating their rivals over the head in a constant game of one-upmanship. You can be assured the folks at GM and Ram are busying themselves to top Ford’s current towing maximums.

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What’s the magic spec? Look for a F-450 SuperDuty regular-cab powered by the high-output Powerstroke 6.7-litre V8 turbodiesel, equipped with two-wheel-drive and an eight-foot dually box. Find such a unicorn and you’ll be reqarded with a stunning 40,000-pound tow rating. Note that adding four-wheel-drive shaves a few pounds from this total, which is like taking a cup of water out of the Atlantic Ocean, really. As a word to the wise, Ford says this figure is limited to gooseneck-style towing; fifth-wheel hauling maxes out slightly less. Study up on yer towing terms if you’re unfamiliar with differences between the two.

Alternatives: Like in the half-ton class, it’ll take dynamite and the hand of Christ to move most truck owners from one brand to another. At present, the sturdiest HD-grade General Motors or Ram pickup are capable of hauling a few thousand pounds less than the Blue Oval brute. If you think these numbers will change by small amounts throughout the year as manufacturers try to one-up each other, you’re probably right.