Originally posted by azcummins
the doors look the same from a 1500. Look @ the size of the back door compared to the front door. It isn't close to a 1:1 ratio like on true crew cabs. It is maybe . 5 to . 75 the size of the front door.
I'll admit that the new body style has grown on me, similar to the current body style back in 93-94.
I sat in one of the new 4 door 1500 trucks with power seats. I'm 6'4" and always use seats in the full rearward position. When I put the fronts all the way back it was really too far way for me. This was a first. However, and I usually avoid power seats, the seats were adjusted up somewhat. I still had plenty of headroom, similar to what I'm used to in my 96, but the seat was not all the way down. So then I got in the back seat. Yes, my knees touched the back of the front seat, but I'M 6'4" TALL! I expect such. Normal sized people would have had okay room behind an above average sized person. A normal person in the front seat would have given them even more leg room. People like my wife (5'6") and small children should have no complaints back there.
Now that that was done, I reached up from the back seat and slid the front seat forward until my knees no-longer touched. I then got into the front seat to see how it felt. It was tighter, but I could have easily lived with it on a 2-3 hour trip. The up/down adjustment on the seats helped in finding a comfortable spot. If I was a passenger and the driver was under 6' tall, I could probably handle the same trip in the rear.
I'm not buying a new truck, but if I was, and I planned to frequently haul people around that were over 6', then I would probably consider a different vehicle. Since I don't do that, it wouldn't be a problem.
Having spent time in the back of a Chevy club-cab, I didn't get the feeling that it was the same size as somebody else has mentioned.
Since most of the people I see driving trucks would not need the front seat back all the way, I think it will work. And just because the B pillar is moved further back than you would expect doesn't mean there is less room in the rear.
Given my personal experience inside a 1500, I don't think 90% of the people who are complaining have bothered to sit in one.