Recognizing the five most fuel-efficient pickups is like choosing the bluest Smurf. Rarely are pickups praised for fuel economy. However, Bankrate has decided to highlight five midsized trucks that deliver solid fuel efficiency.

A good rule of thumb: Generally, smaller is more fuel efficient.

Basically, pickups are either midsize or full-size. Falling into the no man's land in between is the Dodge Dakota, usually lumped with the midsize bunch.

There are some exceptions to our rule.

We can't ignore the fuel-efficient, full-size cousins Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid from General Motors, and the full-sized V-6 flex-fuel Ford F-150 SuperCab that manages to get the same combined fuel economy as two of the midsize trucks on our list.

There isn't a lot of difference between the squad of today's midsize pickups. Using the EPA's definition of combined miles per gallon, which is 55 percent city and 45 percent highway driving, all five trucks on this list are within 2 mpg of one another when equipped with a four-cylinder engine.

They are all extended-cab versions, and all but the Ford Ranger have small rear-access doors.

EPA-estimated fuel economy numbers are presented as city mpg, highway mpg and combined mpg and are for manual transmissions, except for the Suzuki Equator. Towing and weight capacities are based on models with automatic transmission.