Compact pickups have gotten so much bigger and better equipped that they provide almost all the utility, comfort and power of full-size trucks.

No wonder they're usually called midsize pickups these days.

About the only thing that hasn't grown -- or hasn't grown as much -- is their price.

Choose one of our three favorite midsize trucks and you'll save at least $5,000 -- and probably closer to $10,000 -- over a full-size model.

If you don't carry five adults on a regular basis, we recommend an extended cab with two small, rear doors rather than the full-blown four-door crew cabs that have become so popular over the past few years.

They're a little shorter and more maneuverable yet provide easy access to the rear seats and a 72-inch long cargo bed -- just six inches less than the standard bed for full-size pickups.

We also recommend you skip the pricey option of four-wheel drive unless there's a lot of snow or mud in your life.

All midsize pickups with rear-wheel drive now offer, either standard or as optional equipment, some type of traction control that provides much of the safety and security of four-wheel drive without the extra weight and cost.

So what should you buy? You can't go wrong with one of these 2008 models:

Toyota Tacoma

This remains the gold standard of midsize pickups. You'll pay more up front, but Tacoma's resale values are legendary.

We think the best version is the two-wheel drive Access Cab PreRunner with the strong 4-liter dual-cam V6 and the optional five-speed automatic transmission, for $24,135 including destination charge.

We'd insist on the V6 because the Tacoma's base 2.7-liter 4-cylinder engine delivers a measly 159 horsepower, which is just too weak for a truck this big. The V6 makes a whopping 77 more h.p. and you still get 16 miles per gallon in the city and 20 on the highway.

That's respectable mileage for a midsize pickup. As they've gotten bigger, their gas mileage has declined until it's only a couple of miles per gallon better than full-size trucks.

Antilock brakes are standard, but traction control and a high-tech stability-control feature that helps to prevent the truck from sliding in corners and on wet or snow-slicked roads costs an extra $650, bringing the final total to $24,735.

Tacoma's interior isn't flashy or gimmicky. But the materials are first rate and there's a solidity to it all that underscores why Toyotas do so well at trade-in time.

Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon

General Motors Corp. knows a thing or two about building solid pickups. But these mid-size trucks weren't among our favorites until GM came up with a better engine.

Instead of offering an optional V6 in these trucks, GM gambled on a 5-cylinder inline engine that was too weak and weird. With just five smallish cylinders pumping instead of six, hitting the gas was an exercise in frustration.

GM's put that right by boosting the engine from 3.5 liters to 3.7 liters and a killer 242-horsepower that beats almost every V6 the competition has to offer.

That transforms the performance of these trucks and allows us to appreciate GM's longstanding virtues -- excellent, well-engineered components and appealing, if uncomplicated, styling.

Less than $22,000 will buy a two-wheel-drive, extended-cab Colorado LT with the 2LT option package that includes all the power goodies, the chesty 5-cylinder engine and a four-speed automatic transmission that deliver 16 m.p.g. in the city and 22 m.p.g on the highway.

Anti-lock brakes are standard, so simply add the optional traction control for $100 and the total sticker price will be $21,750. That kind of pricing leaves a little wiggle room for splurging on some options, eh?

Dodge Dakota

Redesigned inside and out for 2008, the Dakota's fenders and corners have been smoothed just a bit to create a more upscale look. Inside you'll find the materials aren't up to Toyota standards, but the roomy layout is a study in straightforward and pleasing design.

The Dakota offers the longest bed in the class (6-feet-6-inches for the extended cab versus the 6-foot-1-inch beds for Colorado and Tacoma) and it's the only pickup in the segment with an optional V8 -- also updated to produce a gaudy 302 horsepower.

If this thunderous 4.7-liter engine seems like overkill, consider this strange fact: it delivers better fuel economy -- 14 m.p.g. in the city and 19 m.p.g. on the highway -- than the 210-h.p. 3.7-liter V6 -- 14 m.p.g city and 18 m.p.g. highway.

Still, our choice is the Dakota SXT with extended cab and the V6 with a four-speed automatic transmission. The Extra Security package provides four-wheel anti-lock brakes and side-curtain air bags that cover both the front and rear seats for a reasonable $640.

Add the anti-spin differential ($295), which keeps the rear wheels from doing just that, and you've got a nicely outfitted Dakota for $23,750, including destination charge.

Two final things to consider.

There are lots of factory discounts on trucks. Click here to find our brand-by-brand links to all the rebates and cut-rate financing deals.

The Canyon, Colorado and Dakota come with one of the five best warranties you can get on all 2008 model cars and trucks. That doesn't mean they'll never break. You just won't have to pay to fix them if they do.

By Bill Visnic

Interest.com Contributing Editor

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