Is Mega Cab worth the extra cost?

[jughrad]

I am planning way ahead for a new Tow Vehicle. I am starting to look now so I don't make any impulsive decisions. I know what I want/need as far as tow rating and GVWR but I am still on the fence about engine and cab style and I have not ruled out Ford, Chevy or Dodge.

My questions for today are:

Does anyone have a Mega Cab and if it was worth the the extra money?
If so, is the short bed a problem for you?

Did anyone consider the Mega Cab but decide against it due to cost/availability but wish they had opted for the bigger cab?

Am I putting too much into the cab size?

Here is my issue. I love towing with the SUV but I have no weight capacity left for passengers. I wanted to take an adult couple with us on a Casino run but could not since we are at GVWR on the SUV with just hitch weight me and my wife. Therefore I want my new vehicle to be as comfortable to passengers as my SUV but have the ratings of a 3/4 ton. I can't seem to find a newer 3/4 ton SUV.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[Bama Rambler]

I have a MegaCab and if I had to do it over I would not pay extra for it. I like it and it gives you a little more storage behind the seat, but it's not easily accessible. It also adds another foot to the length of the vehicle and even though that doesn't seem like much, that truck is already long enough without it. The only real saving grace about it is that the back seats recline far enough to be comfortable, however that takes away a lot of the extra storage space.

As for the short bed, it's not a problem at all. I've towed a bumper pull and now tow a fiver. The fiver will make almost a 90º turn without activating the slider.

[schrederman]

I didn't get it... I didn't want it. My truck's too long as it is, but I can put child seats in the back and haul grand kids around, so I guess it'll have to be OK.

[B and B]

For the time being I staying with a Supercab so I can park. a 6 3/4 ft box is just fine for towing and leaves room for firewood or the generator etc.

[wyo700]

I have road in the back of a regular crew cab ram and I have a tundra crewmax which the sizes of the crewmax and the mega cab are very similar. If you are thinking about the comfort of your passengers then get the mega cab. It's worth it in my opinion.

[shorthorn]

My crew cab is very comfortable for passengers, including adults

[pt1655]

The length of your TT is where you can have problems. Too short a truck length and too long a TT you'll get sway even with a great WDH. I tow with a 2012 Ram 1500 4X4 quad cab, the 6'4" bed, which makes it like an extended cab from Chevy or Ford, not the 4 door. With this truck, I shouldn't tow more than 28' of TT to minimize sway concerns. Our trailer is 25' and it tows like a dream. Were we to get a heavier or longer trailer, I would get a 3/4 or 1 ton long bed truck. I found the length of truck/trailer formula on this forum a long time ago but couldn't find it today, sorry. When towing a 5th wheel, they tell me a long bed is good as well for turning radius. The folks who tow 5'ers might want to chime in. anyway, Happy Camping!

[gectisme]

This year, 5 years after I purchased mine, I wish I would have gone with the MegaCab. We are going on longer and longer trips and the kids complain on the long trips the seats aren't all that comfortable. For that reason and the full back seat, (no cup holder indent in the middle), if I was buying today, I would get a MegaCab.

[ependydad]

New or used? If 2012 or older, the MegaCab weight ratings are absolutely abysmal. 2013 and newer is fine.

From a comfort perspective, the middle seat is "short" in the crew cab but not the MegaCab. And the seats recline, but we haven't had complaints in our many traveling miles.

[aceinspp]

Seeing how I hardly ever have rear passengers. I would go with the Double cab with 8 ft box. Later RJD

[Kevinwak]

I haven't owned either the mega, or the crew cab ram, yet.....

We are going to be purchasing a new tow vehicle in the next year or two to replace the F150. Partly to the lethargic power of the 5.4L, but mostly due to the lack of cab space. We have a supercab, not the super crew and as a family with three and four year old boys we are really dreading any trips with all of us in the truck. So for my coming usage I am going to test drive a mega cab, and unless there is something glaring that I dislike about it then that would be the ram I buy (if I chose to buy ram, haven't made that decision yet, and it will partly come down to which of the big three the wife prefers to drive, and who gives us the best price for the options we want)

My kids are only going to get bigger, and I am hoping for a 10-15 year truck, so the biggest can possible makes sense. I am already used to a 6.5' bed, so no worries there. I did see a mega cab dually this afternoon, they are rare around here, but boy are they a sharp looking truck. Something about Those wide dually hips on that short box just works!

[CaptnJohn]

The 2015 F150 with the real short bed has a ton of back seat room which we use to haul groceries and stuff. The 2016 F250 SuperCrew carries few people and then only adults 4 hours or less at a time. They say it is comfortable ~~ I drive always so no personal opinion.

[hazmat91180]

I think this depends on the status of the vehicle outside of towing really. I like the super crew (F150 - 2015) because of the ridiculously large back seat. I'm 6'4" and can have my drivers seat all the way back and put my twins in convertible car seats with out them kicking the back of my chair.

I have the 5'5 box and honestly after the rolling cover, it just isn't large enough but then again neither is my garage. I def. feel the 145" wheelbase which is great when I am commuting, not so great when towing.

I'm going 6'5" box and 3/4 - 1 ton on my next one. Hope to have a garage built by then to fit it. Figure out the balance of time you'll be using the vehicle for towing compared to everything else.

[rvb]

Originally Posted by jughrad

Did anyone consider the Mega Cab but decide against it due to cost/availability but wish they had opted for the bigger cab?

yes, because of cost.
I wish I had gotten the bigger super crew instead of the super cab (f150).
6 years ago the $3-4k seemed like a big deal. now that the truck has been paid off for the last 3 years or so, I think a few more payments wouldn't have been the end of the world...

having to open the front doors for the back 'suicide' doors to open is a pain, especially with little ones we had to get into car seats. Now they can buckle themselves in, but still it's a pain. Makes getting in/out of the back in parking lots a pain; I tend to park way out to avoid being cramped or dinging cars.

-rvb

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by ependydad

New or used? If 2012 or older, the MegaCab weight ratings are absolutely abysmal. 2013 and newer is fine.

I have a 2008, Mega Cab and I am pulling a 2016, Cedar Creek 34RL with no issues at all. The only place I thought that could be an issue with the truck was the wheel/tire load capacity. But this would be true for most 17" E rated tires that are offered for that model year. So I upgraded the tires and rims to a higher capacity load rating. I now could not be happier with the truck and the handling of the truck when load.

[inspectorgf]

I have a 06 mega and love it. I tow a sierra 365saq 5th wheel and have never had a problem. I have a slider hitch and have never put it in the back position. I would buy another mega in a heartbeat because I have 3 kids and a dog that have to be in the backseat every time we take a trip. With that being said if I only had 2 kids I might consider a crew cab. The only advise I will give you is if you go mega cab get the 3500 SRW because the payload on a 2500 can be as low as 1600 pounds. The weight of that cab really eats into the payload. I just looked at a 3500 mega big horn and the payload was 4180 pounds. Other than that it just depends on how often you are going to need the extra space of the bigger cab but that will be the decision you have to make.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

I have a 2008, Mega Cab and I am pulling a 2016, Cedar Creek 34RL with no issues at all. The only place I thought that could be an issue with the truck was the wheel/tire load capacity. But this would be true for most 17" E rated tires that are offered for that model year. So I upgraded the tires and rims to a higher capacity load rating. I now could not be happier with the truck and the handling of the truck when load.

I don't know the payload on your truck, but I looked at more than a few 2012 Mega Cabs and they all had between 2,000 and 2,500 lbs. of payload. Which is remarkable when the equivalent crew cab/long bed/same year/same trim was 4,000+ lbs. (mine is 4,300).

Note, I didn't say it couldn't pull a bunch, but had I bought those *duallies*, I'd be 2,000 lbs. over payload capacity with my current setup. I know people pull my camper with it and with 2500 versions of it but I can't believe they're coming in under GVWR.

[jeepman71]

My current truck is a 2015 crew cab, my previous truck was a 2007 crew cab. I looked at the mega cab and the current crew cab and felt the increased size in the crew cab made for very comfortable seating for adults compared to the 07 it wasn't worth the expense.

[CTGREG]

I have a 2013 Mega Cab 2500 diesel. I replaced a earlier megacab 1500 with this one. I love it. Plenty of room for humans and dogs. No problem pulling a 16,000 gross weight 5er.

[MikeRP]

I had a 2008 MegaCab 2500 CTD and loved it. Wonderful and my passengers always appreciated the leg room and reclining seats. Over all it was 22 ft in length w the 6.4 ft bed.

I now have a 2016 CrewCab Ecodiesel 1500. I love it. It has the 6.4 bed also. The new CrewCab has great room and since we don't use it as much for passengers, I don't mind and it is 20ft in length.

If I was hauling folks regurally or on long trips w me and I had plenty of garage room, I'd pay the extra and get the MegaCab. I believe you'll get your money back on resale.

Mike