I require a manual transmission. I believe the only remaining fullsize truck with a manual is a 1 ton Dodge diesel. I don't want a diesel.
So ... I stick with my 2008 Nissan Frontier. It has pluses and minuses.
On-pavement, it's a good truck. Considering it has about 60 HP more than my dad's F150, it's no shock that gas mileage is not exceptional. On very long freeway trips on flat ground where I can run cruise control I approach 20 mpg. Flogging it around town, I get about 8-9. Long term average is probably about 18. Considering the truck's performance, I think that is ok. Good amenities, comfortable, reliable. Probably the only negative I'd say for on-pavement use is the turning radius is pretty bad for a truck its size.
Off highway, well, it's a good highway truck despite having Nissan's nismo offroad package ... 4 wheel limited slips, selectable locker, 4WD, skid plates, etc. All of the off-road features are poorly done. The 4WD is electronic, not manually select, and is quite slow to engage. Same for getting into 4Lo and engaging the locker. The limited slips are brake based rather than differential based so they work by slowing down the spinning tire, not by locking the spinning tire to the traction tire. The result is disappointing. The truck's wheel wells are tight front to rear so you can't add a small lift and bigger tires, you've got to either cut sheet metal or lift about 5 inches to put the whole larger tire UNDER the wheel well.
Basically, I'd say for primarily pavement use, where you don't have to parallel park a lot, and if you don't plan to modify it, the Nissan is a good truck. Otherwise, get something else.
If I didn't have that thing about hating automatic transmissions, I'd get an F250, then swap in taller but softer aftermarket springs.
