Short Take Road Test
The word “superb” often fits our adjectival needs. Excluding references to the Škoda Superb, a search of this site returns more than 1500 pages that include at least one instance of the word. We use it to characterize handling, ergonomics, and entire vehicles. But when something’s not superb—or particularly awful—what is it? Sometimes we need to describe the middle-of-the-road, neither-here-nor-there vehicles, the simply unremarkable. The Dodge Dakota is one such example, a vehicle that led us to coin a new term: perb.
Strongest V-8 Among Little Trucks
Dodge redid the Dakota for 2008, adding fresh sheetmetal, a restyled interior, and some extra horses for the optional V-8. We tested a top-of-the-line Laramie crew cab with the 4.7-liter V-8 (a 3.7-liter V-6 is standard). That engine sends 302 hp and 329 lb-ft of torque through a five-speed automatic and, in this case, on to an optional part-time four-wheel-drive system. (Dodge offered a full-time system in 2008 but has since discontinued the option in the Dakota.) Those power numbers are at the top of the non-full-size heap, besting the V-8s available in GM’s Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins, the Hummer H3T, and the Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Then again, the Dakota V-8’s output falls well shy of that cranked out by Dodge’s own 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, offered in the Ram, which puts down 88 more hp and 78 more lb-ft than the 4.7.
The Dakota’s V-8, however, is plenty strong for this mid-sizer. It’s mostly smooth and quiet, with the dim-witted five-speed automatic being our only drivetrain quibble. Again, by virtue of its mass and endowment, the Dakota sits between the 800-pound-lighter GM compacts and half-ton-heavier Ram in straight-line performance. It accelerates to 60 mph in a respectable 7.2 seconds. Its fuel economy, at 14 mpg in our hands, is slightly lower than we had hoped. Call it “subperb.”
The Dakota’s interior is functional and comfortable if not terribly stylish—the epitome of perbness. Cubbies and cup holders abound, as does plastic that’s neither cheap-feeling nor rich-looking. We found the driver’s seat to have too much lumbar even when set at its most unobtrusive setting. Flip-up rear seats make way for stuff, revealing integrated and removable cargo carriers.
The rest of the truck’s dynamics are—you guessed it—perb. Steering offers little feel but at least does so consistently with no slop on-center. Body roll is plentiful, unlike with the Ram and its new coil springs. Mushy brakes stop the Dakota from 70 mph in 195 feet.
At What Price Mediocrity?
The options added up to a not-so-mid-size price of $37,005. Instead of focusing on what’s included on this nearly maxed-out Dakota, let’s instead look at what you can’t get: automatic climate control, a sunroof, the bigger and better Hemi V-8, and—the most glaring omissions—stability and traction control. All of those items, incidentally, are available on the newer Ram. (Yes, it always comes back to the Ram.) Before factoring in the rebates of the week, a Hemi Ram with basically the same content as this Dakota runs about $2500 more and sacrifices only 1 mpg in EPA city and highway ratings, thanks to variable valve timing, a cylinder-deactivation system, and an additional forward gear ratio.
The Dakota is an also-ran that still manages to fill an ever-shrinking gap in the pickup market. Perb in nearly every respect, it makes few friends and few enemies. If the bigger and better Ram fits in your budget and assigned parking space, buy it.
