In the last couple of years, the roll-up tonneau cover market became very interesting and competitive. If you take a look at the roundups I have published earlier this year, you will see that I covered some pretty exciting newcomers more than worthy of your attention.
Still, in spite of all these challengers, Truxedo – the company that started making best tonneau covers back in the early 2000s and single-handedly overtook the market – managed to stay on top of the food chain.
Pro X15 – one of Truxedo’s most popular products – is probably the cover to blame for this situation. But, is this affordable unit really that good, or are we dealing with a serious case of hype and herd mentality.
Well, there is only one way to find out.
So, let us go together through this Truxedo Pro X15 review, where I’m going to break down this bad boy to its atoms and see what it’s really made from.
Fasten your seatbelts, we are taking off.
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TruXedo Pro X15 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover | 1445901 | fits 09-18, 19-20 Classic Ram 1500 5’7″ bed
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Highlights Reviews of Truxedo Pro X15 Tonneau Cover
The Materials and Build Quality
Ok, what is this cover really made from?
In this regard, Truxedo Pro X15 really stands in the upper segment of the market. Most of the soft roll-up covers you can find in the stores are made from waterproof canvas held in place by Velcro straps. Truxedo Pro X15 is no exception.
It is the variety and quality you get in this package that sets it apart from the rest of the bunch.
You see, the tarp that makes the main star of this cover is made from superior-grade, woven fabric graced with a stylish matte finish. All the things I have mentioned create one excellent combination I don’t have a choice but to sing praises about.
For a start, the material is very durable and lets zero water pass through – even if you leave it out in the rainstorm, you don’t have to worry X15 will break or tear apart. The matte finish makes sure you will not experience some unpleasant scratches that can compromise the material’s integrity.
As for the side rails, clamps, and all other things that keep this cover in place when installed on the car, the best way to describe them would be as pretty standard for the product of this price. The people from Truxedo haven’t upped the ante in any relevant area I can think of, but everything holds up very well.
What’s most important, the mechanical parts feel secure and durable, and that is probably the only thing you want to hear about a piece of attachments designed to keep the cove safe from rain and heavy wind.
The Design
Speaking of design, I have to admit that Truxedo Pro X15 looks and feels pretty nice. When I get to choose between matte and shiny, polished covers, I always lean more towards the side of the matte units. The fact they are more scratch-resistant is only partially to blame.
Truxedo Pro X15 is a perfect example of deep black done right. In this case, matte finish creates one clean, tidy, and gratifying impression that towers over similarly price shiny, aggressive, and soon-to-be smudgy alternatives.
So, kudos for how this cover looks.
Now, what can I say about its functionality and design choices? In short, they aren’t lagging behind all too much. Although the cover doesn’t break any new and exciting grounds, the low profile design didn’t interfere with the aerodynamics of my trucks.
The thing I am not too fond of is that the previous iterations of this product sat a little bit lower than this one. As a result, the latest model of Truxedo Pro X15 allowed more water inside when exposed to direct stream – like, for instance, when you take the vehicle to a car wash.
The other thing I would like to point out is that in the case of some trucks, you will need a foam strip installed at the head of the bad to fill in the gap between the body and the bed rail cover. But, finding “one size that fits all” is very hard, especially in this price segment. Also, the problem was present only in some vehicles.
All in all – not bad. The low profile is streamlined and unobtrusive, the rails and clamps strong and durable, and, in spite of a couple of drawbacks, the overall design gets high marks.
Ease of use
One of the main advantages of the soft roll-up tonneau covers over their more robust and more expensive cousins is that they are far easier to install and roll up when needed. So, the value of one of these units can, to a great extent, be judged based on how easy they are to use on a daily basis.
This is yet another area where Truxedo Pro X15 does its job with ease and grace.
First and foremost, this is one of those “no drilling required” covers, meaning that the side rails are attached to your vehicle with nothing more than a couple of simple C-clamps. The manufacturer claims the whole thing can be pulled off in less than 30 minutes. Since I gained a fair share of experience working with these things, I managed to assemble the cover in far less time.
Once on the vehicle, Truxedo Pro X15 doesn’t lose any of its convenience.
Namely, the cover can be easily opened with nothing more than one finger. You just need to find the small trigger latch located at the right side of the tailgate, unlock the tarp and then easily roll up the fabric toward the head of the bad.
The Velcro straps located at each side of the cover proved to be very cooperative while I was doing all of this. Although they do an excellent job of keeping the surface safely sealed when in use, they don’t offer any excessive resistance when you need to access the cargo located in the bed.
Overall Performance
Finally, let’s see how this bad boy performed when I put it into action.
For the most part, I was very pleased with how Truxedo Pro X15 behaved. Soft roll-up covers are made to provide only the primary protection against debris and elements. This unit gave me much more than that.
In the case of physical damage, the unit works near flawless. Of course, sharp objects will be able to cut through the fabric and tear it apart with enough force, but the chances that you will encounter something like that are very slim. I even tried dropping some nasty rocks and branches on the bed, and the fabric came out as good as new.
The protection against water is not that stellar, but you get more than enough of it to deal with light rains and occasional storms. As I already mentioned, when I talked about the cover’s design, the fabric could be sitting closer to the bed. As it is, the design leaves some slight space for water to crawl under to the cargo.
However, this problem is not excessive, and the clever self-leveling top-mount design does a lot of heavy lifting to mitigate this problem.
The other issue I would like to point out is that the material the cover fabric is made from is not very pliable. Sure, it provides excellent protection against the elements, but it also becomes very stiff in extremely low temperatures. That takes away a lot of its usability and practicality.
Keep this in mind if you are living in an area that sees a lot of frosty days during the winter season.
Pros
- Reasonably affordable price
- Top of the game in the roll-up cover segment
- The fabric is very durable and water-resistant
- Beautiful-scratch resistant matte finish
- Easy to install
- Rolling up is quick and effortless
- Velcro straps provide excellent sealing
- Functional low-profile, top-mount design
Cons
- It becomes very stiff in low temperatures
- Not suitable for all truck models
- You may need to use foam strips to fill in some gaps
- Clamps could be a bit more durable
- The cover could sit closer to the bed
Conclusion for Truxedo Pro X15
And we are finally at the end of this in-depth Truxedo Pro X15 review, and what can I say – I am happy with how this cover performed. During testing, I did my best to put this package through all imaginable troubles you can face outside.
In most cases, the level of protection I got was way above the price I was asked to pay. Bottom line, I can do nothing but recommend this cover.
Sure, it has some flaws, but nothing you can’t ignore at this price point.
I am Dave McCurdy I am the content developer on the ecodrivingusa.com website. I have 6 years of experience in marketing as an automotive major.