Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

[cobra1476]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

Thanks for all the responses!! I had a 06 F150 which I traded for my wife's new car. Was hoping to get a smaller truck since I really just use it to pull the boat. Unfortunately I think my boat is just too big for a compact type truck.

I'll just have to find a full size again.

Thanks again!!

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

rpsloan in SHT might have an idea for you.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

Yep..... TYPO. 230HP
Chrysler introduced the Magnum 318 in 1992 that came with a new block and heads...

And that 230hp stayed through 1993 (my sister bought a 2dr shortbed Sport that year). That truck was a fun little toy! In 1994 it went down to 220.

 

[dlngr]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

My '05 has the 4.7 .Rated at 230 hp.

 

[mrdancer]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

My '05 has the 4.7 .Rated at 230 hp.

The '92-'93 trucks were much lighter and smaller than the '05 trucks, so your '05 was probably much more docile than the earlier body style (unless you had something non-standard, like 4:10 gears)

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

The '92-'93 trucks were much lighter and smaller than the '05 trucks, so your '05 was probably much more docile than the earlier body style (unless you had something non-standard, like 4:10 gears)

And I *think* 3.92 was the lowest gear you could get.

I drove a 2001ish model Dakota with the 4.7 and it ran Good. I can't imagine it would have ANY trouble pulling the boat described in the OP's first post.

 

[briangcc]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

I've had a couple as loaners. I think the first was in '01-'02 with the V8 and quad cab. It was a fairly stout vehicle. I had (2) of the 2011 as loaners and let me tell you they absolutely cannot get out of their own way. I wouldn't tow with any of the newer Dakotas.

As for servicing the Dodges, yeah our dealers up here are nothing to write home about.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

... '01-'02 with the V8 and quad cab. It was a fairly stout vehicle... 2011, they absolutely cannot get out of their own way. I wouldn't tow with any of the newer Dakotas...

That's odd, considering the 2001's 4.7 was rated at 230hp, the 5.8 was rated at 245-250, yet the 2011 4.7 is rated at 302hp? Were your 2011 loaners actually 3.7l V6's?

 

[briangcc]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

Don't honestly know. They were (2) different Dakota's from (2) different Enterprise rental companies. I thought they both had V8 badging on the sides. In any event, they were horrible.

I know the (2) loaners I had got absolutely abominable gas mileage - worse than my 5.7L Tundra. This was non-towing as its against Enterprise rental agreements to tow with their vehicles. I'd wager I was in the 13-15mpg range. And they sure as heck couldn't get moving, let alone sustain speed in a head wind.

 

[briangcc]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

Found the writeup I did on a car forum. You're correct, it was the V6 model. Here's my complete review if you're interested....

For a week I had a 2011 Dodge Dakota Big Horn as a loaner from Enterprise. Here are the specs:

Quad cab
V6 w/4spd automatic
4x4
Base stereo - single CD/MP3 player with Aux in
Cloth seats
White face gauges
AC
Cruise
PW/PL - remote entry
Fog Lights

I put about 300 miles on it before I turned it back in.

Pros:
*Liked the white face gauges.
*AC was rather quick coming on and cooled the cab off quickly.
*Good ground clearance - although I didn't offroad it at all (don't think I'd want to with the V6).
*Cruise was at your fingertips on the steering wheel.
*Integrated fog light controls with the headlight switch.

Cons:
*Sunvisors sucked - very flimsy and didn't block the sun when needed.
*V6 - anemic to be polite. I was expecting Matt Rolloff to pop out from under the hood and ask that I lighten up on the throttle because he was peddling as fast as he could.
*4x4 selector switch was burried under the dash. You couldn't see what it was set to unless you got out of the vehicle or asked the rear seat passenger to tell you what it was set to.
*Stereo had little/no bass whatsoever.
*A little breeze put the truck into another lane.
*Body roll unlike any other truck I've driven. Forget taking an offramp at speed or the posted speed.
*Non-height adjustable seating.
*Very little leg room in the back.
*Very stiff suspension. You felt every bump in the road.
*Very angular dash - looked like it was slapped together instead of a coherent design.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

Ok, I feel better now. I have heard stories that the 3.7l V6 is a gutless (non)wonder!

 

[dlngr]

Re: Dodge Dakota ....any owners here?

And I *think* 3.92 was the lowest gear you could get.

I drove a 2001ish model Dakota with the 4.7 and it ran Good. I can't imagine it would have ANY trouble pulling the boat described in the OP's first post.

I don't drag race my '05,but I do pull my boat with it. The 05 is 4 inches longer and about 3 inches wider than the '99,and as I've read,several hundred pounds heavier. The nearest comparison I have was my 93 with 318,auto,and 3.50 rear end. This one is every bit as powerful as the 93,no better or worse than the 93 in handling or comfort. It pulls my 2000 lb boat just fine. I've had 9 Dakotas in a row,and 1 f-150. The only serious problem I've had was a front transmission seal on a 92 4x4-at a little over 200k.
The only bad thing about the 05-BAD gas mileage. 15 mpg around town,slightly better on the highway.