Classic Auto Group’s Decoder to Automotive Terminology: Trucks and SUVs!

May 13, 2022

Summer is the perfect time to experience the best that Mother Nature has to offer! Whether you’re hauling some landscaping from the hardware store to your backyard to craft your at-home-oasis, or maybe packing up the truck with camping gear for a weekend in the great outdoors, you’ll need a reliable truck or SUV to get the job done. Today we’re going to share some automotive terminology with you that will help you better understand what your SUVs, Trucks, and Crossovers can do for you. So let’s get up close and personal to learn how to put your vehicle to work to the best of its ability!

We hope that these vocabulary words and key terms will help you navigate our next Truck, SUV, or crossover purchase by finding something with the right capabilities for all your hauls and towing needs.

Automotive Terminology:

Bed dimensions

The physical dimensions of a truck bed, consisting of width, height and depth.

Bed extender

A device that may be added to a pickup truck’s bed when the tailgate is open, that sits on top of the tailgate, and that forms an enclosure that permits items that extend past the bed and onto the tailgate to be carried without risk of falling out.

Bed features

Factory-installed, optional accessories that add functionality or longevity to a truck bed, such as a bed extender, tonneau cover or bed liner, that are typically available on trucks and SUVs.

Bed length measurement

The inside length of a pickup truck’s cargo box or “bed,” measured from the front wall to the face of the closed tailgate.

Bed liner

A heavy-duty plastic liner or spray-on coating that protects the inner painted surface of a pickup truck’s cargo box.

Bed type

Type of truck bed: long, short, flare-side, step-side, dually and flat beds for trucks, and dump beds and tanks for SUVs.

Liftgate window

The window integrated into the hinged lid of a hatchback, wagon, SUV or crossover that swings upward to provide access to the cargo area.

Payload

A vehicle’s carrying capacity (in pounds) of occupants and cargo, and equal to the vehicle’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) minus its curb weight.

Tow hooks

Metal hooks or eyelets, either fixed or removable, that are attached to a structurally sound section of a vehicles frame and used as pickup points for tow cables.

Towing capable

A vehicle with features and equipment that make it well-suited for pulling a trailer.

Towing capacity

The maximum amount of weight a vehicle is capable of towing (according to its manufacturer).