At some point, the designers of the
Dodge Dakota must have thought of the story of the
three bears. It is smaller than a full-size pickup, a bit larger than a compact,
designed for people who want the power, room and toughness of a full-size truck with
the value, style and maneuverability of a compact.
The Dakota became the first midsize pickup--self-anointed--when it was introduced as a
1987 model. It still holds that distinction today, though compact pickups--Ford
Rangers, GMC Sonomas and Chevrolet S-Series--have gotten bigger.
Dodge is so bullish on its midsize truck that it does not even sell a compact. That
makes business sense, because sales of compact pickups have recently been declining.
Compact pickups were bought by millions of baby boomers in the 1970s and 1980s, people
who wanted the utility and image of a truck without the higher prices and bigger
parking requirements of a full-sized model. Compact pickups in those days came with
low prices and competed with subcompact sedans.
Nowadays the price of a loaded compact pickup truck puts it in the same territory as
lower-priced sports cars, mini sport-utility cars and midsize sedans. Many compact
trucks still have an attractive base price, but the average transaction prices are
much higher. A modestly equipped compact pickup truck typically tops $15,000.
The higher prices have driven many of the all new generation of entry-level buyers away.
And the baby boomers are now older, raising families, making more money and are
driving roomier, higher-priced sport-utilities and luxury sedans. Auto makers blame
the higher prices on increasing safety and emissions regulations. This has left
manufacturers with three basic choices: Wage the price war with stripper models devoid
of profit, market loaded high-end trucks with strong image, or get out of the compact
truck business.
Ford, Chevrolet and GMC are fighting in the trenches with their competitively priced
compacts. Toyota has gone upscale with its sporty Tacoma 4wd trucks. Nissan's compact
truck is showing its age, Mazda's B-Series trucks are Ford Rangers with a different
front end and Mitsubishi has given up on the segment.
The Dakota straddles the fence. It competes with the compacts in terms of price, while
offering a little more size, as well as the only V8 engine option south of a full-size
truck. While a Dakota can be appealing to small businesses that do not need a full-size
truck, most of them are bought for personal use. People use them to haul snowmobiles,
personal water craft, surf boards. Or they buy the 4X4 Sport model and turn it into an
image machine.
The Dakota has been around for nearly a decade now and its boxy styling is starting to
show its mileage. Dodge will launch a totally redesigned Dakota this fall with new
styling--probably derived from the full-size Ram--a new interior and significant changes
to the powertrain.
Meanwhile, the current model still attracts attention. Young guys look at it and
immediately start talking about lift kits and other modifications. They see it as a
sport truck. Older buyers seem to like its no-nonsense looks, so Dodge managed to
strike a good balance between these two groups.
Like the full-size trucks, the Dakota offers a vast range of drivetrains, cab
configurations and bed lengths: There's 2-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive, a choice of a
2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, 3.9-liter V6 or 5.2-liter V8, standard or regular cab,
6.5-ft. short bed or 8-ft. long bed. There are 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic
transmissions, three rear-end ratios with or without limited-slip, three wheelbase
lengths and three tire sizes.
We drove a regular cab 4X4 Sport model with the 5.2-liter Magnum V8 engine, 4wd and a
5-speed manual transmission. At the end of the test, we decided we might have equipped
this truck differently had we ordered it for ourselves.
First, There is the engine choice.
Power has been increased by 20 percent on the 2.5-liter 4-cyl. engine for 1996 to 120
hp and 145 lb.-ft. of torque. This setup is greatest for those who do not need a lot of
power and are looking for economy. All three of the Dodge engines burn regular 87
unleaded, but as you'd expect, the 4-cyl. gets the greatest fuel economy--21 mpg city/25
mpg highway, according to the EPA. This compares with 17/23 for the V6 (16/20 with the
automatic transmission, 15/19 for 4wd), and 15/20 for the V8 (14/18 with the
automatic, 14/17 manual with 4wd, 13/17 automatic with 4wd).
Small businesses and buyers looking for light utility may be attracted by base prices
ranging from $11,075-$13,170 for the 4-cyl. model, available only with regular cab
with 2-wheel drive. Most are based on the 112-in. wheelbase, but a Work Special model
is available in the 124-in. wheelbase.
The V6 model strikes a balance between 4-cyl. economy and V8 muscle, with 175 hp and
225 lbs.-ft. of torque. It is a good compromise for buyers who need to haul heavier
loads on a regular basis or those looking for a lower-priced 4X4 Sport model.
The V8 produces 220 hp and 295 lbs.-ft. of torque, good for hauling heavy loads. A
properly equipped Dakota offers a payload capacity of 2600 lbs. and a towing capacity
of 7100 lbs., and both are impressive numbers. We recommend ordering the automatic
transmission with the V8 engine, to help tame the beast.
The standard cab comes with a short box or a long box. The short box has a 111.9-in.
wheelbase, while the long box has a 123.9-in. wheelbase. The Club Cab stretches to a
130.9-in. wheelbase. A longer wheelbase provides more stability and ride comfort,
while a shorter wheelbase provides more maneuverability in tight places and better
ground clearance over rough terrain.
