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, especially with the 2008 upgrade. Power is up this year to 302 horsepower, 31 percent better than last year's base V8, and torque has been increased to 329 pound-feet (a significant increase from the previous 290).
Fuel economy from the V8 is improved for 2008. Two-wheel-drive manual models get 16 mpg City and 22 Highway. Those numbers drop slightly to 15/21 with 4WD and an automatic. When compared to the standard 3.7-liter V6, there is almost no penalty in fuel economy. And in most states, it runs on gasoline or 85-percent ethanol (E85).
The Crew Cab accelerates with uncommon vigor and emits a wonderful exhaust note from its V8. At highway speeds it settles down to a nice background burble in overdrive fifth gear.
The 4.7-liter V8's strong torque means plenty of low-down grunt for pulling payloads of up to 1,520 pounds or towing up to 7,050 pounds.
The V6 feels a bit light on power for this big, heavy pickup. The 3.7-liter V6 is rated 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy ratings range from 15/19 mpg City/Highway with automatic and 4WD to 17/22 mpg with automatic and 2WD.
The automatic transmission has perfectly spaced ratios for trucking, and works without complaint, roughness or harshness, even in high-rpm full-throttle upshifts. With only two occupants and no load, the Dakota really scoots from a stoplight despite the 4800-pound weight of the Crew Cab 4x4. For towing, there's a Tow/Haul setting that alters the shift pattern of the automatic transmission.
We liked the ride and handling, though like all pickup trucks it can get choppy over small, high-intensity bumps and ruts, and it has more body lean than most any car. 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 Dakota tracks extremely well, responds quickly to inputs, and stays hunkered down when driving quickly on mountain roads. Its 265/70R16 tires gripped corners yet were quiet at highway speeds, adding a measure of plushness to the ride quality that we really appreciated.
The Dakota comes with rear-wheel anti-lock brakes as standard safety equipment, but four-wheel ABS disc/drum brakes are available. We deliberately tried the rear ABS on a straight, flat, dry road for several maximum-g stops with no load and no passengers; it worked well, keeping the unladen, light-in-the-rear pickup straight and bringing the truck to crisp stops four times in a row without locking the rear wheels.
