Tailgate Usability

Tailgate Usability

When you buy a truck, you want a tailgate that’s not going to be a hindrance. We closely examined each of the truck’s tailgates and assessed how functional and user-friendly they were.

The Ford F-150 earned our best review for tailgate functionality. It was the only truck that came equipped with a retractable step and pop-up handle to make it easy to climb in and out of the cargo box. However, the F-150 got low marks for its tailgate’s weight. That easy access came with a heavy price: It takes two hands to safely raise and lower the tail.

The rest of the trucks had standard tailgates, perfect for sitting on or extending the box length. The big differentiator was weight and assistance raising and lowering the tailgate. The Nissan Titan’s tailgate had superior dampeners, so it only required two fingers to raise or lower it. The Tundra’s tailgate required only a little more effort than the Titan’s to move up and down, and the Silverado, Sierra and Ram were all about the same, needing one arm to position.

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