When we first locked eyes on the 2008 Dodge Dakota at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, we were breathless. The reason for our inability to process oxygen had everything to do with the ungainly sheet metal that covered the latest iteration of Dodge's midsize truck offering. The new Dakota is boxy with an awkward, Pug-like front end, and the interior is Dodge-tastic.
Not all is wrong with the Dakota, however. It's the largest of the midsize pickups, has the only optional V8 in its class, and thus can out-tow and carry larger loads than its competition. We wanted to see for ourselves if the Ram Lite could overcome its visual shortcomings with affordability and clever packaging, so we took a blacked-out KITT look-a-like version for a week in the Autoblog Garage. Hit the jump to see how the Dakota fared.
Our 2008 Dakota was a 2WD extended cab Sport model with the available 4.7L V8 and 18-inch black-painted aluminum wheels. It carries a hefty price tag of $27,945, which effectively eliminated our preconception that the Dakota was an inexpensive alternative to the Toyota Tacoma. At the same time, the Sport treatment coupled with the nice-looking jet black 18-inchers made the Dakota look a bit more interesting than what we saw at the Chicago Auto Show.
Each iteration of the Dakota seems to get a bit further away from the design of its big brother, the Dodge Ram, and as the latter is beginning to look more refined with each new redesign, the Dakota becomes rougher around the edges. But whether or not you like the looks of the 2008 Dakota, it definitely holds true to the Dodge design philosophy. The in-your-face cross hair front grille, bulging hood and aggressive body flares on each fender scream, "I'm a guy's truck," even if the all-black exterior of our tester screams, "I like David Hasselfhoff." And the interior of the midsize pickup tells the same story.
The Dakota's insides are very basic, with a straight forward layout displaying few buttons and knobs. We actually appreciated the Dakota's simplicity, as it's easy-to-use controls left our brain to concentrate on the road. Our Sport model also came with very comfortable, well-bolstered bucket seats that reminded us a bit of the butt-holders in the SRT lineup, but just a bit.
The Dakota's interior wasn't without fault, as cheap plastic abounds throughout the dash, center console and doors. While the extended cab doors swung open 170 degrees for easy ingress/egress, a very large subwoofer that came with the six-speaker Alpine audio package occupied all the usable space. The subwoofer would be a cool add-on for those who don't need to stow people or things behind the driver's seat, but the obtrusive bass-maker didn't add significantly to the acoustics in the cabin. Besides, its turquoise casing looks like a Power Mac G3 case mod.
While Dodge boasts best-in-class interior room in the extended cab model with 30 cubic feet of space, we'd suggest to anyone with a family to consider the crew cab with four full doors. The back seats are nearly useless in the extended cab thanks to the utter absence of leg room.
Most people buying a truck in these times of $3 per gallon gasoline are looking for capable towing and a usable pickup bed, and this is where the Dakota excels. The Dakota's standard 6.5-foot bed on extended cab models is the largest in its class, and since it's a midsize truck, getting things in or out of the bed is much easier than with the larger and taller Ram. Dodge also boasts best-in-class towing with a max of 7,050 lbs when your truck is properly configured with the Magnum V8 engine. While we didn't pull anything during our snowy week with the Dakota, the stiff chassis and 302-hp 4.7L V8 left us with little doubt this Dodge is up to the task.
We're not sure if we enjoyed driving the Dakota because power slides are easy with a rear-wheel-drive truck in six inches of snow, but there are a few complaints when behind the wheel. The stiff, fully-boxed chassis teamed with large P265 Goodyear rubber and traction control helps the Dakota stay composed in most any driving condition, but it's still a truck and feels like a truck when hitting potholes, turning too fast or accelerating with some axle hop. Acceleration from the Magnum V8 is very strong, however, even though the Dakota tips the scales at 4,500 lbs.
The five-speed automatic that comes standard with V8 models was a little rough through its shifts. We also noticed that when we weren't opening up the throttle, the five-speed would shift a bit early for our tastes, though we suspect that has a to do with engineers trying to squeeze out better fuel economy. During our week with the Dakota, we achieved 18.5 mpg in mixed driving, which we consider impressive since we spent a lot of time in the snow just spinning the rear wheels.
We've come to the conclusion after a week with the 2008 Dodge Dakota that this truck is like the girl down the street that loves baseball, beer and having a good time, but no makeover in the world could turn her into Cindy Crawford. If you can just get past the looks and the cheap interior, the Dodge Dakota will likely make you happy pickup owner. It has most of the power, size and capability of a full-size pickup, but can cost less less when configured properly, and it'll give you better fuel economy because of its weight advantage. As an added bonus, if you decide to enter into a union with the Dakota, the dowry is already $3,000 in incentives and rebates, and it's likely to go up by summer.
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Selasa, 27 Oktober 2009
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Dodge Dakota Sport
1952 Dodge Pickup Truck
Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. It's Truck Monday once again, and I've finally got a really old non-General Motors truck to show you- not that we don't love rattly old GMC and Chevy pickups with beer cans rattling around in the bed, of course, but we mustn't forget that The General had some competition back in the 1950s..
From what I can tell, this truck could be a 1951, 1952, or 1953 model, so I'm choosing the middle year. Any of you who can find some distinguishing feature that nails down an exact year, please share it with us. We haven't had many Dodge trucks from the 1950s; just today's, the '50, and the Air Force ambulance.
Look, it's the '60 Cadillac just across the street! This block has been a real DOTS cornucopia, producing the '65 Mustang GT, '78 Datsun 280Z, and '86 AE86 Corolla. I might have to shoot the early-80s Buick and T2 VW Transporter that live on the block, just to make this East End block the King Of DOTS.
Fluid Drive! Job Rated! This truck has some great emblems, including a cool "MADE IN USA" on the middle D in the hood emblem.
1998 Dodge Dakota Pickup Front Right
| Allen Robertson Beloit, Wisconsin 1998 Dodge Dakota As you can see, this rig's had more than a few modifications. Starting with the 20-inch Structure wheels, a Belltech air ride suspension was added to help the look and ride. The audio system also gets an upgrade with Xtant amps and subs, Voodoo capacitors, Pioneer deck, and multiple TVs. Throw in a flamethrower exhaust, and you've got yourself one hot ride. http://www.trucktrend.com/features/consumer/163_0501_readersride/photo_27.html |
1956 dodge pickup
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1997 Dodge Ram Pickup SST
| 1/4 Mile ET: | 8.010 |
| 1/4 Mile MPH: | 174.000 |
| 1/8 Mile ET: | 5.140 |
| 1/8 Mile MPH: | 138.000 |
| 0-60 Foot ET: | 1.210 |
| Temperature F: | 0.0 |
| Density Altitude (DA): | DA Calculator |
| Timeslip Scan: | |
| Car Make: | Dodge |
| Car Model: | Ram Pickup |
| Car Type: | SST |
| Car Year: | 1997 |
| Driver: | Chris Cadotto |
| E-Mail: | Click HERE |
| Videos: | Click HERE for a Video |
| Web Site: | |
| Engine: | 588 blown HEMI |
| Turbos: | no |
| Supercharger: | 14-71 high helix |
| Boost Control: | no |
| Boost Pressure (psi): | 12lbs |
| Intercooler: | no |
| Nitrous Kit/System: | |
| Nitrous Shot: | |
| Pistons (rotors): | JE 11to1 |
| Port: | |
| Rings (seals): | Hel fire |
| Heads: | stage V |
| Connecting Rods: | GRP pro mod |
| Camshaft: | solid roller |
| Throttle Body: | |
| Intake & Air Filter: | indy |
| Headers / Downpipe: | 2 3/8 |
| Exhaust: | 5 inch |
| Carburetor: | 2 1150 cfm Quick Fuel Dominators |
| omputer ECU Chip Upgrade: | EGT data logger |
| Battery: | 16 volt |
| Ignition: | msd 10 plus |
| Spark Plugs: | ngk 9 |
| Fuel Injectors: | |
| Fuel Pump: | mechincal belt drive Aermotive |
| Gas: | Aolchol |
| Pulley: | |
| Transmission: | bruno/Jeffco 3 speed |
| Clutch/Torq Conv: | 3000 Neal chance |
| Differential: | DANA/MOSER 60 |
| Radiator: | |
| Flywheel: | |
| Shifter: | levers |
| Gears: | 4.10 |
| Suspension: | 4 link |
| Wheels: | aluma stars 2.0 beadlocked |
| Brake Rotors/Pads: | wildwood |
| Tires | 10.5W 33 |
| Weight with driver (lbs): | 3650 |
| Track: | Milan Dragway, MI, USA |
| Record Modified: | March 26th, 2008 |
All New 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 & 3500 HD
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| First and foremost, the new 2010 Dodge Ram is about capability. In fact, its many features-including powertrain, towing and payload capacities, driving dynamics, premium amenities and styling-truly make it the ultimate heavy-duty pickup truck.
 The Dodge Ram Heavy Duty will be available in U.S. dealerships in regular, Crew Cab and Mega Cab versions in five trim levels-ST, SLT, TRX, Laramie and Power Wagon-in the first quarter of 2010.  Ultimate Hauling and Towing Capability  The other choice for 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy-Duty customers is the standard 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 gasoline engine, which delivers 383 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 400 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm. The 5.7-liter HEMI was redesigned for 2009, with several new and improved technologies, including: * The New Crew: the 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty is available for the first time      |
1965 Dodge Factory Altered Wheelbase
The 1965 Dodge Factory Altered Wheelbase Coronet and its Plymouth counterparts were the ultimate production-based muscle cars and were in effect missing links between the Super Stock factory lightweights of the early '60s and the all-out Funny Cars that were just over the horizon.
With proper exhaust systems, these renegade cousins of showroom models would have been street-legal. Clearly, though, they were intended for competition, and their target was the premier showcase for the hottest manufacturer equipment: the NHRA's Factory Experimental class.FX was a zone beyond Super Stock. Super Stockers were basically models sold to the public. FX cars need only use factory optional equipment -- they need not be showroom available.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Drag Racer "Bud" Fauhel in a 1965 Dodge Factory Altered Wheelbase Coronet, pictured here as it came out of the Dodge assembly area. |
Hemi engines and lightweight body parts already were optional in midsize Mopars. The next frontier was weight transfer to optimize traction off the line. Chrysler's solution was to design six Dodge Coronets and six Plymouth Belvederes that put maximum weight on the back axles. The front and rear wheels were moved far forward of their stock position, and the wheelbase itself was shortened by 5.5 percent.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Altered Wheelbase Dodges were virtually identical to the Plymouth version pictured here. In both, axles were relocated to put about 56 percent of the car's weight over the rear tires. See more muscle car pictures. |
Viewing the first of these cars prior to the '65 season, NHRA inspectors recoiled. Chrysler had gone too far. A wheelbase-alteration limit of two percent was quickly instituted, effectively banning the new Mopars from NHRA FX competition. It didn't much matter. The Dodge and Plymouth factory drag teams did an end run around the NHRA. The cars became a sensation running as AHRA Factory Experimentals and in lucrative exhibition matches nationwide. Capacity crowds turned out to see such popular drivers as Dick Landy, Roger Lindamood, Dave Strickler, and Bud Faubel at the wheel.
Factory Altered Wheelbase Wheelbase, inches: 110 Weight, lbs: 3,050 Number built: 6 Base price: NA Standard Engine Type: ohv V-8 Displacement, cid: 426 Fuel system: 2 x 4bbl. Compression ratio: 12.5:1 Horsepower @ rpm: 550 @ 5000 Torque @ rpm: 490 @ 4000 Representative Performance 0-60 mph, sec: 4.5 (est.) 1/4 mile, sec. @ mph: 10.20 @ 138 |
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