2018 Motor Trend Truck of the Year Introduction

Fancy suspensions, high ground clearance, and knobby tires. Our 2018 Truck of the Year competition bordered on Off-Roader of the Year, thanks to three entrants packing hardware aimed at rock crawling and desert racing. Although they're specially equipped, that doesn't entail a free pass from the rigorous towing drills or extensive judging criteria applied at every TOTY competition.
Chevrolet was eager to send two examples of its off-roading midsize Colorado ZR2 armed with Multimatic shocks—one featuring a new V-6 and new eight-speed auto under its hood and the other chugging along with a Duramax turbodiesel.
Long a formidable contender, the Ford F-150 was back this year with a whopping four variants showcasing the unmatched range of the half-ton's lineup. The F-150 XL work truck, for example, entered the fray with a new 3.3-liter V-6. The popular 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 and the 5.0-liter V-8 are in the competition after significant revisions, and the second-gen Baja-bruising Raptor brought off-road cred to the F-150 arsenal.
Rounding off the competition: GMC's 2018 Sierra Denali 3500 HD and its thunderous new 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel, now with 910 lb-ft of torque.
Each truck brought its own special set of skills and made a strong case to be Truck of the Year. But only one could secure our Golden Calipers.