America's Most Expensive Trucks

When you think about pickup trucks, don't imagine a dirty jalopy sitting at a construction site. These days trucks are closer in feel--and price--to luxury sedans.

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Just consider the Icon FJ45, a military-style long-bed truck hand built by Jonathan Ward and company in Los Angeles. Ward, a former Land Cruiser restorer and special-projects consultant for Toyota, left to start his own company after Toyota produced the FJ Cruiser--a vehicle he felt wasn't true to the model. Now Ward focuses on building trucks with what he calls "classic styling, modern performance and timeless utility." The Icon truck's starting price? $120,000.

"There is not a single piece of plastic on that truck," says Mike Levine, editor of Pickuptrucks.com. "Everything is metal, and it's coated in Defense Department-quality materials. It is an indestructible truck if there ever was one."

The FJ45 has a V8 engine that gets up to 450 horsepower, an optional biodiesel-compatible turbo-diesel 4-cylinder engine and sport suspension package that comes with nitrogen-charged remote canister shocks, limiter straps and hydraulic bump stops.

Next to an FJ45, the $48,190 GMC Sierra 1500 Hybrid and $47,995 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition sound downright cheap, but they're still two of the most expensive trucks for sale this year.

To create this list we asked Cars.com to compile a list of the most expensive model-year 2011 pickup trucks in the country. Trim levels and special-edition versions could count toward price, but upgraded add-ons did not. We considered only pickups, not SUVs or commercial trucks, and took into account the manufacturer suggested retail prices, not incentives, discounts or destination charges.

The second-most-expensive truck in the country is the Cadillac Escalade EXT Premium Collection, which boasts a list price of $69,465. It's got all the accoutrements a worker (or weekend DIY warrior) could hope for: leather seats, premium satellite sound, Bluetooth capability, retractable running boards, a rear-seat entertainment system with 8-inch DVD screens and a huge power-tilt sunroof. There's even a heated steering wheel and remote start for those cold mornings on the farm.

Heavy-duty trucks dominate the list's top spots, including the $62,375 Ford F-450 King Ranch, $55,145 GMC Sierra Denali 3500HD and $50,645 Ram 3500 Mega Cab Laramie. The "heavy duty" distinction can significantly affect the price of a pickup truck, according Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports' head test driver, adding thousands of dollars to an already high MSRP.

Is the cost worth it? Not necessarily. Heavy-duty trucks often test poorly in performance criteria because of their immense size, which means they handle and brake much worse than their light-duty counterparts. And the more technology built into a car, the more potential that a gadget goes wrong: Trucks have some of the highest costs of ownership of any vehicle on the market today.

"There's kind of a sweet spot in the middle," Fisher says. "The [stripped-down trucks] don't do well, but the loaded ones often have stuff like navigation systems that can screw up the controls."

In this case, at least, money may get you little more than a shiny badge, Bluetooth connectivity and leather seats. Of course, after a long day at the job site, creature comforts like those make all the difference.

Top Five of America's Most Expensive Trucks

Icon FJ45

Style: Bespoke

List price: $120,000

2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT Premium Collection

Style: Light duty

List price: $69,465

2011 Ford F-450 King Ranch

Style: Heavy duty

List price: $62,375

2011 GMC Sierra Denali 3500HD

Style: Heavy duty

List price: $55,145

2010 Ram 3500 Mega Cab Laramie

Style: Heavy duty

List price: $50,645