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Midsize trucks make a lot of sense off-road. They can thread the tighter trails better than a full-sized truck, yet still can be outfitted with four-wheel drive, lifted suspensions, special engines, and more from the factory. For 2023, every manufacturer offers a special midsize off-road truck that will get you, and all your stuff, where you want to go.

So how can you spot the best from Ford, Toyota, GMC, Chevy, Nissan and Honda?

Ford Ranger Raptor and FX4 could be the ultimate 2023 midsized off-road truck

The new Ranger Raptor could be the most anticipated new off road truck of 2023.
2023 Ford Ranger Raptor | Ford

The most anticipated off-road truck for 2023 is the Ford Ranger Raptor, which will be the ultimate off-road Ranger. It will be easy to spot: like it’s F-150 cousin, it gets a grille that says FORD in giant capital letters, as well as big fender flares and a not-so-subtle Raptor bed decal. Under a new hood, you’ll get the Bronco’s 3.0-liter 392-horsepower EcoBoost V6, and special off-road suspension.

Those of us who don’t want to spend more than $50,000 on an off-road truck, look to Ford’s FX4 versions of the Ranger. Ford is launching a Tremor version of its popular Maverick truck, which gets a bit of a lift. The best way to spot a Tremor will be its orange tow hooks, as well as the blacked out logos, headlights and taillights.

The best midsize off-road trucks includes this 2021 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro
The 2021 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro | Toyota

How do you spot a Toyota’s small off-road trucks? The giant TRD badges on the bed are dead giveaways, but there are two different TRDs. The Tacoma TRD Sport is easily identified by the giant hood scoop. It’s a styling element that Toyota borrowed from American muscle cars of the 1960s, and it says “sporty,” even if it’s not functional.

The Sport has a sport tuned suspension for the street, while the Off-Road version has the off-road Bilstein suspension. On the Off-Road version you can get some extras like Crawl Control. All TRD Tacomas come with a 278-horsepower 3.5-liter V6, and four-wheel drive is optional. Also, this is one of the rare trucks that you can still order a manual, six-speed, transmission.

GMC Canyon AT4X and Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 are all new for 2023

A red 2023 GMC Canyon in AT4X Trim
The 2023 GMC Canyon AT4X | GMC

General Motors has released some details of its new ZR2 and AT4X versions of the GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado small trucks. You can spot the 2023 off-road versions of these two trucks by the factory 3-inch lift, as well as the wider track accented by fender flares. The off-road versions of these trucks also have several trail cameras mounted all over them, but they’re a bit discreet, so you may want to look for the giant push-bar style grille guard that gives an AT4X away.

Hidden underneath the factory lift kit, these trucks get the fancy Multimatic shocks that are tuned for tough off-road work. These two trucks are all-new for 2023 from the frame up and come with a novel 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes as much as 310 horsepower.

Nissan Frontier PRO trucks

Like Toyota, Nissan likes to advertise its off-road trucks with giant multi-color decals on the bed and giant fender flares. For 2023, though, there two giant badges you’ll see on new Nissan Frontiers PRO-X and PRO-4X. The PRO-X version takes over where the old Desert Runner left off as a two-door “pre-runner” version of the off-road truck, while the PRO-4X has four-wheel drive.

All Frontier trucks get a powerful 310-horsepower V6 and can be ordered in two-door King Cab and Crew Cab versions. The PRO versions get Bilstein off-road shocks, and you can order top-down 360-degree cameras that act like a trail spotter inside the truck.

Look for the HPD badges on the Honda Ridgeline

A white Honda Ridgeline in HPD trim.
2021 Ridgeline Sport with HPD Package | Honda

The Honda Ridgeline doesn’t really come in an off-road specific version. All Ridgelines come with a 3.5-liter V6 and all-wheel drive is an option, but you can order the Honda Performance Development version that adds fender flares, bronze wheels, and HPD decals. The Ridgeline got a redesign for 2021 that added reshaped bumpers, new trims, and paint.  

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.