I need a vehicle that can off-road on forest service roads in British Columbia to get to hiking trails. I also want to put my bike inside the vehicle without taking the wheel off. My bikes are a ladies’ small. I ferry my bike to different trail heads in the province.
Alternatively, I can lay the bike flat in the truck bed and have it hidden under a cover. We have issues with bike theft in B.C. and I don’t want it visible on a bike rack.
I have a 2017 Ford F-150 that this will be replacing. I don’t want another Ford as the 2017 had transmission issues. My other car is a leased Nissan Ariya which is 100-per-cent electric and I love this car. I am 5-foot-3, so don’t want a monster truck. – Kim, Kelowna
Miranda Lightstone: Well now, this is familiar. As a five-foot-ish B.C. girl myself who visits a family cabin, lakeside, in the woods, on the side of a mountain as often as I can get out there, I understand Kim’s needs.
Mark Richardson: There are many different grades of forest roads – some are only accessible with highly capable four-wheel-drives, such as Jeep Wranglers and Ford Broncos, while many others are a softer, gentler experience. Let’s give Kim some options for whichever roads she’s comfortable driving.
Lightstone: The road to our family cabin requires significant ride height and 4WD along with good manoeuverability. The Wrangler has definitely done the job for me. But to store a bike full-time would eat into interior space. What about the Gladiator?
Richardson: The Jeep Gladiator is as capable as the Wrangler and will go almost anywhere – it’s built on the same frame and uses the same technology, but offers a box behind. It’s only a five-foot cargo bed, though. The question for pickups is how large of a box does it need to be to accommodate Kim’s bicycle, especially if she doesn’t want to remove the front wheel?
Taking a Jeep Gladiator through an off-road course in Bobcaygeon, Ont. in September, 2025.Petrina Gentile/The Globe and Mail
Lightstone: A quick search shows that the average length for a size S off-road bike, which for Kim’s height is recommended, is between 165 to 178 centimetres (or 65 to 70 inches), and the bed of the Gladiator is too small to accommodate that with the wheels on at just 60.3 inches.
Richardson: Bicycles are awkward things when they’re laid on their sides, too. I don’t know why Kim is reluctant to removing the front wheel – that’s normally a quick and simple thing to do to save plenty of space – but let’s assume any pickup she considers must offer a six-foot cargo bed. That should be large enough once the tailgate is in place and there’s a fixed cover over the bed to hide the bike from thieves.
Lightstone: While the Ford Ranger is slightly smaller than the F150 she currently has, it is available with a six-foot bed in SuperCab trim. And if I was going to go for any model other than an F-150, the Ranger would be it.
Ford RangerCourtesy of manufacturer
Richardson: Agreed, but she doesn’t want another Ford. That’s too bad, because I’d certainly recommend the Ranger. But I’d recommend the Toyota Tacoma before anything else. The six-foot bed is an extra $3,000 on top of the most basic $52,000 before taxes, and the compact Taco has everything she’s looking for.
The 2024 Toyota Tacoma SR5 with a six-foot bed.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Lightstone: Kim would have to dish out even more for a decent, solid, tonneau cover which could potentially set her back another $2,200. So, why not look for an already covered storage system for her bike with a Toyota 4Runner? Not only is it hugely capable for those forest service roads, but definitely has enough room in the back, 2,554 litres to be precise, to house her bike and potentially another, with all the rear seats folded.
Toyota has brought back the wrap-over quarter glass above the rear quarter panel.Doug Firby/The Globe and Mail
Richardson: True, but the price is going up. A standard 4Runner costs more than $58,000. For that money, Kim can get a Tacoma with a solid, folding tonneau cover over its six-foot bed and the TRD package that gives her better Bilstein shocks and a locking rear differential. The TRD will cost another $5,000 for the 4Runner.
Lightstone: If Kim wants to stick to the pickup world, but doesn’t want a Ford, the Ram 1500 Tradesman trim ensures the 6-foot-4 bed for optimal bike storage. I would recommend she option it to have Active-Level 4-corner air suspension that will make a huge difference in how comfortable she stays on those often rugged mountainside roads, which will set her back between $2,000 and $2,500 on top of the starting price of $59,495 before freight, pre-delivery inspection and taxes. Ram’s air suspension setup is one of the best in the truck segment, in my opinion.
2025 Ram 1500 TradesmanStellantis/Courtesy of manufacturer
Richardson: This is a good replacement for her Ford F-150, but it’s another full-size truck. It would be a shame for her to create such a large footprint just to carry a bicycle with its wheels in place. Maybe we should be thinking about smaller SUVs that don’t make so much of an impact, such as the Honda Passport.
The new 2026 Honda Passport has 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Lightstone: I have not driven the new Passport. Is it off-road ready and able to handle the same terrain as a Gladiator or Ram 1500?
Richardson: It’s a more rugged version of the Honda Pilot, built on the same platform but about 25 centimetres shorter. It will fit a fully assembled bicycle in the back when the second row of seats are flat. It’s no Gladiator, but it does have a beefed-up suspension and 21 centimetres of ground clearance. That may be plenty for what Kim needs. Plus, it’s comfortable to drive to the trailhead.
Lightstone: That’s good to know. But she may find it a bit small transitioning from an F-150. Because she has a Nissan already with the Ariya, perhaps Kim should consider the Nissan Frontier PRO-4X version, which can be optioned with a six-foot bed? It’s not as rugged as a Tacoma, but she’ll feel at home inside with Nissan design and onboard systems.
2026 Nissan FrontierCourtesy of manufacturer
Richardson: Kim has to decide if she wants a pickup truck or an SUV, and just how rugged she wants the vehicle to be. If she wants a pickup truck, I’d suggest the Tacoma first, then either the Frontier or the Ranger. I know she wants to avoid Fords, but that one bad experience shouldn’t deter her from a very good, smaller truck.
Lightstone: Agreed. But the benefits of an SUV should definitely be explored and the 4Runner and Passport are top choices for Kim. They offer truly closed and protected storage for her gear and the possibility of carting more friends up the mountainside, as well. And just to add a third in there, the Volkswagen Atlas is a capable SUV that will accommodate her bike easily and offers up 4Motion AWD.
Richardson: The Atlas is not as off-road-ready as the other two SUVs though, and it’s bigger, too. There’s an all-new generation that’s just been revealed at the New York auto show that I’ve obviously not yet driven. I’d be happy to drive the 2026 model to the cottage, but not so keen to take it to a more challenging trailhead.
For 2024, Volkswagen dumps the V6 option, meaning the only engine available is a two-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with 269 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque.Petrina Gentile/The Globe and Mail
Lightstone: I wouldn’t be too hasty to dismiss the Atlas. In the current generation’s Peak Edition trim, there is a specific terrain response for those dicier situations that will regulate throttle response, shift points and traction control. While the new 2027 model looks different outside and in, it has the same off-road capabilities.
It might be “soft” but it’s not incapable.
Richardson: Nonsense. It may be easier to drive, but that won’t help when it breaks a shock absorber. So which would be your first choice for Kim, for an SUV and for a truck?
Lightstone: First choice for an SUV would be the 4Runner. And while I know Kim doesn’t want to stick with Ford, I would hope she can give them another look and at least check out the Ranger as a pickup alternative. You?
Richardson: Toyota Tacoma every time for me as a pickup truck and either the 4Runner or Passport as an SUV, depending on how gnarly Kim wants her trails to be.
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