We found the Dodge Dakota surprisingly quiet, smooth and civil in its behavior, more like a car than a truck. Thick glass, big mufflers, and generous sound insulation throughout the body and firewall help reduce noise. Still, the Dakota drives bigger than it looks, with a hefty, Ram-like way about it, a nicely muscular street swagger.

The optional V8 is worth every penny. In standard tune, the 4.7-liter V8 generates 230 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque. And with 15/20 mpg in 2WD manual models, and 14/19 with 4WD and an automatic, there's almost no penalty in fuel economy. And in most states it now runs on gasoline or up to 85 percent ethanol (E85).

Our Quad Cab with the standard 4.7-liter accelerated with uncommon vigor and a wonderful exhaust note. At highway speeds it settled down to a nice background burble in overdrive fifth gear. Its strong torque means plenty of low-down grunt for pulling payloads of up to 1,660 pounds or towing up to 7,150 pounds.

The 4.7-liter High Output V8 is rated 260 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, thanks to higher compression and more aggressive valve timing. Fuel economy drops to 14/18 mpg either 2WD or 4WD.

The base V6 feels a bit light on power for this big, heavy pickup, and it doesn't offer a big fuel economy advantage. The 3.7-liter V6 is rated 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque. It's been upgraded for '07 with electronic throttle control and exhaust-gas recirculation. Fuel economy ratings range from 15/19 city/highway with automatic and 4WD to 16/22 with 2WD and the stick-shift.

The automatic transmission has perfectly spaced ratios for trucking, and worked without complaint, roughness or harshness, even in high-rpm full-throttle upshifts. With only two occupants and no load, it really scoots from the stoplight despite the nearly 4800-pound weight of the Quad Cab 4X4. For towing, there's a Tow/Haul setting that alters the shift pattern of the automatic transmission.

Dakota's rack-and-pinion power steering is a bit over-assisted for our taste, but the chunky steering wheel feels great in the hands. The truck tracks extremely well, responds quickly to inputs, and stays hunkered down during mountain road playtime. Its 265/70R16 B.F. Goodrich Wrangler tires gripped corners yet were quiet at highway speeds, adding a measure of plushness to the ride quality that we really appreciated. We liked the ride and handling, though like all pickup trucks it can get choppy over small, high-intensity bumps and ruts.

The Dakota comes with rear-wheel anti-lock brakes as standard safety equipment, but four-wheel ABS disc/drum brakes are optional. We deliberately tried the rear ABS on a straight, flat, dry road for several maximum-g stops with no load and no passengers, and it worked well, keeping the unladen, light-in-the-rear pickup straight and coming to crisp stops four times in a row without locking the rear wheels.