Pickup trucks have become high-demand vehicles in the automotive industry since their advancement from being farm or construction vehicles. Most families now alternate their preference for family SUVs with extended or crew cabs.
As the demand for pickup trucks continues to soar in the market, vehicle enthusiasts have intensified the debate for the best truck between extended cab vs. crew cab.
Although both these cab sizes are produced by several manufacturers in the industry, they come with obvious distinctions. Let’s delve into discerning the major differences between them.
What is an Extended Cab?
An extended cab is a type of pickup truck with either 2 doors or 4 doors, having an extra passenger seat at the rear. The two-door extended cab’s front seat is fashioned in a way that they bend forward to allow access to the rear passenger seat.
Conversely, the four-door extended cab is designed with two back doors, popularly referred to as “suicide doors,” which grant access to the rear passenger seat without a need to bend the front seat forward.
The extended pickup truck comes with a carrying capacity of up to 5 passengers. This type of truck was commonly used by farmers and construction workers to convey farm products and construction equipment alongside a few passengers.
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Pros of Extended Cab
- Relatively more affordable than a crew cab.
- Offers more room than a regular cab.
- Relatively fair fuel economy.
- Spacious trunk for load towing.
Cons
- Relatively smaller rear leg room than crew cab.
- Limited use mostly for professional activities.
What is a Crew Cab?
A crew cab is an improved version of the extended cab pickup truck built with four equal-sized front and back doors, as well as two comfortable sitting rows. The crew cab pickup truck offers a wider interior space than its extended cab counterpart. It has the capacity to carry up to 6 passengers.
The crew cab pickup truck has a wider range of uses across personal to professional activities. Since it is designed with four large doors like regular SUVs alongside its spacious trunk, some people prefer to use the crew cab as a family car.
So, basically, a crew cab is both useful for work and family getaways or vacations. The large trunk allows users to transport large stuff, including construction equipment, farm crops or livestock, vacation luggage or bags, etc.
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Pros of Crew Cab
- Offers a wider interior space than that of extended and regular cabs.
- Provides maximum comfort for long trips.
- Easy and quick access to the rear passenger seat.
- Provides extra trunk space for towing loads.
- Applicable for private and professional use.
Cons
- Relatively more expensive than regular and extended cabs.
- Difficulty in navigating narrow roads and parking spaces.
Extended Cab Vs. Crew Cab Differences
Although Ford, Toyota, General Motors, and a host of other manufacturers produce both extended and crew cabs, these two come with varying architectures.
Identifying the differences will help you make a better-informed decision when buying a pickup truck for personal or professional use. Some of the extended and crew cabs from several manufacturers are differentiated in the subsequent sections below.
Chevy Extended Cab Vs. Crew Cab
The Chevy Silverado 1500 extended and crew cabs pickup trucks are built with several similarities, especially around the exteriors. However, these two trucks come with a couple of variations when you compare Chevy extended vs. crew cab interior dimensions.
| Chevy Silverado 1500 Pickup Truck: | Extended Cab | Crew Cab |
| Front/rear headroom | 43.03 in./39.88 in. | 43.03 in./40.12 in. |
| Front/rear shoulder room | 66.02 in./64.88 in. | 66.02 in./65.16 in. |
| Front/rear hip room | 61.18 in./60.24 in. | 61.18 in./60.24 in. |
| Front/rear legroom | 44.53 in./35.24 in. | 44.53 in./43.40 in. |
Ford Extended Cab Vs. Crew Cab
The front interior dimension of Ford’s extended cab and crew cab are pretty similar. However, the rear dimensions come with some slight discrepancies.
| Ford Pickup Truck: | Extended Cab | Crew Cab |
| Front/rear headroom | 40.8 in./ 40.3 in. | 40.8 in./40.4 in. |
| Front/rear shoulder room | 66.7 in./ 65.9in. | 66.7 in./65.8 in. |
| Front/rear legroom | 43.9 in./33.5 in. | 43.9 in./43.6 in. |
F150 Extended Cab Vs. Crew Cab
Just like most extended and crew cabs, the F150 extended cab (SuperCab) and crew cab (SuperCrew) are designed with the same front interior dimensions. The main distinction between these two can be spotted when comparing the rear interior dimensions. The difference is unveiled in the table below.
| 2022 F-150 Pickup Truck: | Super Cab | Super Crew |
| Front/rear headroom | 40.8 in./40.3 in. | 40.3 in./40.4 in. |
| Front/rear shoulder room | 66.7 in./64.1 in. | 66.7 in./66.0 in. |
| Front/rear hip room | 62.5 in./62.6 in. | 62.5 in./62.6 in. |
| Front/rear legroom | 43.9 in./35.5 in. | 43.9 in./43.6 in. |
Colorado Extended Cab Vs. Crew Cab
The table below depicts the difference between the 2021 Colorado extended cab and crew cab. Nonetheless, no variation exists in the front row dimensions of both cabs.
| 2021 Colorado Pickup Truck: | Extended Cab | Crew Cab |
| Front/rear headroom | 41.4 in./36.70 in. | 41.4 in./38.30 in. |
| Front/rear shoulder room | 57.5 in./57.30 in. | 57.5 in./56.20 in. |
| Front/rear legroom | 45.0 in./28.60 in. | 45.0 in./35.80 in. |
Tacoma Extended Cab Vs. Crew Cab
Tacoma is one of Toyota’s strongest pickup trucks with varieties in extended cab and crew cab respectively. Besides the physical difference in the structure of the doors, the following are some major differences between Tacoma crew cab vs extended cab.
| 2021 Tacoma Pickup Truck: | Double Cab | Crew Cab |
| Front/rear headroom | 39.7 in./34.9 in. | 39.7 in./38.3 in. |
| Front/rear shoulder room | 58.3 in./56.5 in. | 58.3 in./58.9 in. |
| Front/rear hip room | 57.2 in./51.7 in. | 57.2 in./56.3 in. |
| Front/rear legroom | 42.9 in./24.6 in. | 42.9 in./32.6 in. |
GMC Extended Cab Vs. Crew Cab
The suicide doors in a GMC extended cab are one of the major drawbacks of this particular pickup truck compared to its crew cab counterpart. However, the interior dimensions below are part of the reasons GM fans prefer the GMC crew cab.
| 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Limited: | Double Cab | Crew Cab |
| Front/rear headroom | 43.0 in./39.8 in. | 43.03 in./40.1 in. |
| Front/rear shoulder room | 66.0 in./64.8 in. | 66.2 in./65.1 in. |
| Front/rear legroom | 44.5 in./35.2 in. | 44.5 in./43.4 in. |
RAM 1500 Extended Cab Vs. Crew Cab
The Dodge Ram 1500 extended cab (a.k.a Quad can) and crew cab do not also have any variation in their front rows’ interior dimensions.
Apart from the physical difference in the rear door structure, the rear interior dimensions are another area where the Ram 1500 Quad cab and crew cab differs. Below is a typical analysis of the difference between the 2022 RAM crew cab vs. extended cab interior dimensions.
| 2022 Ram 1500 Pickup Truck: | Quad Cab | Crew Cab |
| Front/rear headroom | 40.9 in./39.2 in. | 40.9 in./39.8 in. |
| Front/rear shoulder room | 66.0 in./65.7 in. | 66.0 in./65.7 in. |
| Front/rear hip room | 63.4 in./63.4 in. | 63.4 in./63.4 in. |
| Front/rear legroom | 40.9 in./35.6 in. | 40.9 in./45.2 in. |
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FAQs
Q: Should I get an extended-cab or Crew Cab?
Functionality is a key factor that determines the type of cab you should get. For instance, an extended cab is designed with two front-hinging doors that bend forward to accommodate passengers in the back seat.
However, some extended cab trucks have two extra smaller doors known as “suicide doors” for accessing the back seat. Whereas a crew cab is built with 4 equal-sized front-hinging doors, as well as large front and back seats that can accommodate up to 5 – 6 people at one go.
So, typically, a crew cab offers more room and comfort for all passengers alongside enough load-carrying capacity. Therefore, this would be best if you need a comfortable truck for both people and goods.
Q: Is a Crew Cab larger than an extended cab?
Yes, a crew cab is larger than an extended cab and a regular cab. In contrast, an extended cab is larger than a regular cab. While regular cabs are designed with two front-hinging doors and a 2 – 3 passenger seat, extended cabs offer an extra back seat for more passengers.
Meanwhile, crew cabs are built with the capacity to offer more interior space and legroom for the tallest passengers. With the 4 front-hinging doors, crew cabs create a wider entrance and exit opening for the driver and every other passenger.
Q: Why are Crew Cab trucks so popular?
Crew cab pickup trucks are so popular because most people acquire them for private use more than professional use. Like family SUVs, crew cabs have also become famous for family use, especially for conveying small-large family members for vacations and other outdoor activities.
Due to their spacious rooms and wide trunk space, crew cabs do not only accommodate more people, up to 6 passengers. They also allow families to convey large children’s toys, picnic items, as well as vacation luggage with ease.
Q: What does Ford call their extended cab?
The Ford extended cab is called Super cab, while the crew cab and standard cab are pickup trucks known as Super crew and regular cab, respectively. Ford manufactures some of the strongest extended pickup trucks in the market.
The F-150 is an amazing pickup truck that most extended cab lovers would choose over and over again. The truck offers a powerful 5.0L V8 Ti-VCT engine, 6 available powertrains, polished solid aluminum wheels of 20-inch, and a super-advanced co-pilot assist.
No doubt, the Ford F-150 ranks among the top ten extended cab pickup trucks in the market. Others include Toyota Tundra, GMC Sierra, Toyota Tacoma, Ram 1500, GMC Canyon, Nissan Titan XD, and Nissan Frontier.
Q: What are the different cab sizes?
The different cab sizes include the regular or standard cab, extended cab, and crew cab. The regular cab pickup truck is built with a single 3-seater and two doors, while the extended cab pickup truck is structured with 2 or 4 doors (including the 2 back suicide doors), as well as front and back seats. The back row is usually smaller with minimal legroom.
Lastly, the crew cab pickup truck is well built to overcome the limitations of both regular and extended cabs. The crew cab is designed with 4 large full-size doors and two rolls with 3-seater each.
This cab size offers more legroom to both front and back commuters, also with maximum comfort. Typically, this is a major distinction between crew cab vs. quad cab.
Q: Which extended cab has the most room?
Ford F-150 pickup truck is the extended cab with the most room. This is followed by the CrewMax (Toyota Tundra).
The 2019 SuperCab (F-150) pickup truck features an interior dimension of 40.8 inches and 40.3 inches front and rear head rooms, 66.7 inches and 65.9 inches shoulder room, 43.9 inches and 33.5 inches front and rear leg rooms, and 62.5 inches and 64.7 inches front and rear hip rooms.
Conversely, the CrewMax (Toyota Tundra 2021) features an interior dimension of 39.7 inches and 38.9 inches front and rear head rooms, 62.6 inches and 60.4 inches front and rear hip rooms, 65.7 inches and 65.5 inches front and rear shoulder rooms, as well as 42.5 inches and 42.3 inches front and rear leg rooms, respectively.
Q: What truck has the biggest backseat?
The SuperCrew Ford F-150 comes with the biggest backseat from the factory. The rear seat dimensions are as follows; 40.3 inches rear headroom, 65.9 rear shoulder room, 43.6 inches leg room, and 64.7 inches hip room.
Meanwhile, the front seat dimensions of all three cab sizes of Ford F-150 are the same. The Ram 1500 Crew cab also features rear-seat dimensions of almost the same measurement as the Ford F-150.
However, the measurements are; 39.8 inches rear headroom, 45.2 inches rear leg room, 65.7 inches rear shoulder room, and 63.4 inches rear hip room, respectively.
Q: How do I know if my truck is a Crew Cab or Double Cab?
Ascertaining whether you have a crew cab or double cab (also known as an extended cab) is quite easy. The difference between these pickup trucks depends on the sitting capacity and door architecture.
So, if you’re wondering, “What is a crew cab?” A crew cab is fashioned with 4 equal large-sized doors and two sitting rows for the front and back passengers, having a carrying capacity of up to 6 people.
On the other hand, the double cab or extended cab is built with either 2 doors only or 2 large front doors and 2 small rear “suicide doors.” These trucks can only accommodate about 5 people for maximum comfort.
While the 2-door double cab front seat is designed to fold forward in order to let passengers into the rear seat, the 4-door (suicide doors inclusive) double cab allows access to the back seat through the small back doors (suicide doors).
Final Words
This article has just drawn the thick line between extended cab vs. crew cab pickup trucks from several auto manufacturer brands. One common factor across the various trucks compared above was the existence of similar front interior dimensions.
However, the back door architecture and rear interior dimensions revealed the difference between the extended cab or quad cab/super cab and the crew cab or super crew, respectively.
Undoubtedly, from the analysis above, the crew cab or super crew seems to be the best pickup truck for both personal and professional use due to its four equal-sized large doors and wider interior dimensions.
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