Pickup trucks have a lot of cargo space, but that space isn’t particularly well organized. Most truck beds are just one vast expanse, which is great if you are hauling plywood, but not so good if you have a bunch of smaller objects to carry with you, like tools or automotive parts. Sure, there are in-bed tool boxes that you can buy, but they don’t always use space effectively, and they can make it hard for you to install a tonneau cover – not to mention they’re somewhat inconvenient to access. Tool boxes also single your truck out to potential thieves and let them know you are carrying something valuable back there.
Ford’s new MidBox option for the F150 is pretty slick. Kudos.
Ford has come out with an idea that may replace the tool box (at least for some people). It takes advantage of the empty space between the sheet metal of the truck box and the frame rail in combination with using some space at the front of the bed. Called the MidBox, this factory-option from Ford essentially mounts an array of sliding drawers just behind the cab on the truck box. These drawers are accessible by a locking door that opens opposite the cabin doors. Arranged on both sides of the truck bed, a total of 26.3 cubic feet of interior storage can be added by this feature.
Interior storage in a pickup truck has been a relatively new factory option. The Honda Ridgeline offers a ‘trunk’ in the bed of their pickup mounted underneath the cargo floor directly in front of the tailgate. The tailgate swings open to the side to allow for easier access to the storage area. The Chevy Avalanche also offered a similar option for stowing away small cargo. However, what separates the MidBox from the Ridgeline’s trunk is ease of access – you can’t get at the trunk in your Honda if it is covered by a load of cargo. Not only that, but the Ridgeline trunk is like any car trunk – just an empty cavity, whereas the MidBox has an organized drawer system.
Toyota already offers a considerable range of accessories for the Tundra, and it is easy to see the benefits of Toyota adding a similar storage system to future versions of their truck. For one, it could be marketed to construction and outdoor workers looking for a safe and secure place to keep their equipment. It would also be great for people taking their Tundra camping – a side-mounted drawer system would be ideal for keeping food and perishable supplies like matches, flashlights and water away from both animals and the elements while you are snuggled in your tent or out fishing.
Here’s the MidBox option on a basic XL F150 - you’re typical commercial truck.
Will Toyota step up to Ford’s challenge and offer a similar system? No major manufacturer has acted to match the in-bed trunk found in the Ridgeline, but since Honda is such a minor player in the pickup truck market, this is unsurprising. When a company like Ford makes a move, however, the other companies in the game definitely take notice. Toyota is always looking for a competitive advantage, and this type of storage compartment could potentially lure new buyers into showrooms.
Learn more about the F150’s midbox. View our 2007 Tundra vs. F150 comparison.
Popularity: 5%
Other truck makers haven’t matched the Ridgeline’s in-bed trunk because the Ridgeline is the only pickup currently sold with an independent rear suspension. Deleting the live axle is the only way to gain the space necessary to do so. Not because Honda is a, “minor player.”
RamBox will be a much more popular option for storage than MidBox. And it has twice the cubic volume of the Ridgeline trunk. Toyota would do well to follow the Chrysler example.