Editors' Most Wanted Vehicles for 2007

Compact Truck

Winner: 2007 Toyota Tacoma

Nothing changed much in the compact segment this year, and neither did our feelings for the Toyota Tacoma. We'll admit it's not the most refined truck you can buy and the driving position is a little awkward, but in every other respect it's a class leader. The V6 runs strong, it's capable off-road and the suspension can take a beating for hours on end with no consequences. Inside, the cabin design is a step up from everything else in the segment, with solid build quality and upscale materials. And with 18 different configurations, the Tacoma offers just about every size and shape you could ask for in the compact segment. We drove a Tacoma side by side with a Nissan Frontier for a year — after more than 20,000 miles, the Toyota is the truck most of us would buy.

Honorable Mention: 2007 Nissan Frontier

As much as we like the Tacoma, the Nissan Frontier is a very close runner-up. Like the Toyota, Nissan's compact truck delivers all the capability you could ask for from a truck in this class. It has an equally powerful V6, good off-road manners and an on-road ride you can live with on a daily basis. We wouldn't mind a better-looking, high-quality interior, but the Frontier has all the features you need and a functional design. Nissan even added the option of a crew cab long bed this year, so if you need passenger room and extra cargo room you can get that, too.