5 Pickup Truck Features That Are Worthless (5 Every Truck Should Have)

Nov 27, 2023

A far cry from their rugged ancestors, modern pickup trucks come equipped with high-tech features worth every penny, yet some don't add any value.

Pickup trucks remain top sellers in several markets worldwide due to their hauling power and towing capacity. But unlike classic trucks of the 1900s, modern pickup trucks serve various roles, from hauling farm and household goods to towing travel trailers for weekend recreation.RELATED: Why A Rivian R1T Owner Was Charged $115 For A Parking Ticket In New York As consumer needs evolve, automakers introduce new trucks equipped with revolutionary features and accessories. The best truck features serve the driver's needs; they are easy to use for navigating extreme off-road conditions or towing heavy loads. Even the simplest features, like infotainment systems, can make a big difference in the truck's everyday use.However, not all truck features available today are useful. Let's look at five pickup truck features that are worthless and five that every truck should have.

The auto stop/start feature shuts off the engine when the car is idling for improved fuel efficiency. While we understand that even pickup automakers want to deliver fuel-efficient trucks to their customers, many people find the auto stop-start feature a bit intrusive. And although this feature has improved in the last few years, the inconveniences it causes aren't worth the minuscule fuel savings achieved in a pickup truck – about 0.04 gallons for every tank, according to pickuptrucktalk.When the truck engine turns off, the HVAC system also halts, meaning that on a hot day, the A/C also shuts down. In some cheaper cars with the auto start-stop feature, the car often shutters when the engine turns off with a clunk, clunk sound, making you feel like you accidentally stalled your car. But the worst problem is the lag time experienced between the engine off and engine on process. Although most automakers claim the process only takes milliseconds from when you lift your foot off the brake pedal to when the engine turns on, the truth is that it's more like 2 to 3 seconds. So, if you have a turbocharged truck, you’ll need a few seconds to get full power. Luckily, most vehicles have a button to turn off this feature. Still, you can avoid it altogether by buying a full hybrid or electric truck, since the electric motor delivers instant torque when needed.

A 2WD pickup truck like the Ford Maverick may be cheaper and more fuel-efficient, but ask anyone around, and they’ll tell you they prefer a pickup truck that sends power to all four wheels. After all, the benefits of a four-wheel drive pickup truck outweigh its disadvantages.A four-wheel or all-wheel drive pickup truck has better traction in dangerous snowy, icy, muddy, rocky or wet driving conditions. This makes them better suited for off-road driving than 2WD pickup trucks. Additionally, the extra weight from the four/all-wheel drivetrain helps provide a better grip on the road. That means a 4WD truck is a better all-around performer than a 2WD one, which is why automakers should equip all pickup trucks with the four- or all-wheel drive feature.

Rivian lit up the automotive segment in 2019 when it demonstrated the Tank Turn feature and said it would drop in the R1S SUV and R1T truck. Mercedes also teased its Tank Turn version in the EQG concept car. Ford is the latest automaker to file a patent for its electric cars to perform this maneuver.RELATED: 10 Cheap Pickup Trucks That Will Last 500,000 Miles The Tank Turn feature is an innovative feature, but is it useful? According to Kelley Blue Book's Micah Muzio, "Tank Turn is a dazzling novelty, but its usefulness is questionable. The occasions where a driver would want to rotate within their vehicle's length and could do so safely are vanishingly small. In speaking with engineers at Rivian, they have the same trepidation, which explains why the feature hasn't been implemented." To add salt to injury, Muzio said that, "Something like Ford's brake-based Trail Turn Assist is far more useful, allowing drivers to make tight turns with ease off-road."

Owning a pickup truck means going off-road occasionally or driving in sandy, muddy, rocky, and icy conditions. Such conditions require precise steering inputs, tire placement, brake control and throttle touch from the driver. Many automakers understand this and have equipped their trucks with low-range trail crawling features to help experts and novices become better drivers on challenging terrains.Such systems that work on a "set-it-and-forget-it" basis assume control of throttle and braking duties, allowing the driver to focus on tire placement and obstacle avoidance. Toyota is one of the leading automakers with the crawl control feature available on the Tacoma and the Tundra TRD Pro.

Power liftgates and trunks have become so common in recent years that you’ll find them on all cars, from hatchbacks and sedans to minivans and SUVs. Today, automakers even offer a version of this tech on pickup truck tailgates. Like a power liftgate, an auto-drop tailgate opens or drops electronically by holding or pressing a button on the key fob or the dash.Trucks equipped with this feature include the Chevrolet Silverado, Ram 1500 and Ford F-150. While this feature adds convenience in other cars with heavy liftgates, it doesn't make much sense in a pickup truck. Let's face it, how difficult is it to drop or close your truck's tailgate with one hand? Again, automakers are forced to use lightweight material like aluminum to offset the extra weight added by the power-operated latches and motor, meaning the tailgate isn't sturdy enough.

One of the perks of owning a pickup truck is hitching up a travel trailer and going for a cross-country adventure. Sounds interesting, right? Well, it's all fun and games until mother nature kicks in with wind gusts tossing your trailer left and right. Improper weight distribution and over-speeding can also sway the trailer side-to-side, which becomes dangerous if not managed, leading to accidents.RELATED: 10 Best Pickup Trucks For Extreme Terrain To aid in keeping the trailer stable, major truck automakers like Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, Toyota, and Nissan equip their trucks with brake-based trailer sway control features that cut engine power when necessary. Although hardcore towers prefer hitch-based sway-control systems, these factory sway-control features help novice drivers remain calm every time they encounter bursts of wind, which is why all trucks should have the trailer sway-control feature.

Back in the early 2010s, the Honda Ridgeline introduced a trunk storage carved out beneath the truck's cargo floor. It's a seven-cubic-foot lockable and waterproof compartment accessible at the rear of the truck bed. Frankly, this feature only makes sense in a unibody pickup truck like the Ridgeline. Additionally, the truck bed has more than enough storage space, so you won't need the trunk for additional storage.Another almost identical feature is Ram's RamBox bedside storage. It consists of lockable storage cubbies that, unlike Honda's trunk, they run the length of each side of the truck bed. The problem with this feature is that these boxes eat up substantial inches of the truck bed's usable width.

The suspension system is among the most important truck components. Automakers engineer the truck's suspension system to handle expected and unexpected driving conditions. But unlike traditional trucks that came with stiff suspension systems, modern trucks are no longer single-purpose vehicles; they also serve as day-to-day family haulers.Although there are various suspension systems installed on trucks today, an adjustable suspension system is arguably the best overall. It can handle rough terrain during off-road driving, absorb shock, maintain stability, and even offer smooth, comfortable rides on paved roads. In other words, you can customize your suspension based on the terrain. Currently, only a few top-end trucks come with adjustable air-ride suspension, but we hope more will follow suit.

A sunroof or moon roof is a standard feature on luxury cars and has made its way on pickup trucks in recent years. It allows more light inside the truck cab and gives occupants the opportunity to gaze at the sky or stars as the truck cruises along the road.RELATED: 10 Possible Changes To The 2024 Toyota Tacoma's Interior And Redesign However, a pickup truck is not a luxury car, and a sunroof, which is more of an accessory, doesn't add any value to the truck's practicality. On top of that, a sunroof's additional overall weight makes the truck less fuel-efficient. Other disadvantages include reduced headroom, and it's more prone to leakage and vehicle break-ins.

When doing off-road driving, the suspension and body are not the only parts of your truck that take on some serious bangs. Underneath, rocks, and trees love grating crucial parts like control arms and the oil pan, which can cause severe issues for your truck.This is why undercarriage protection like skid plates is essential when taking your truck off the road. Automakers like Toyota understand this, which is why the TRD Tacoma came equipped with skid plates from the factory.Sources: Pickup Truck Talk, Top Gear, Kelley Blue Book, Consumer Reports, and Cars

Dennis Kariuki is a tech enthusiast who writes for Hotcars.com. Previously, he wrote for the.car .He likes covering the marriage between technology and cars. Besides that, he is big f1 fan. After working tirelessly through the week, you can be sure that on Sundays he is most likely enjoying and following motorsports events.