2008-06-19 10:52:35
The Dodge Dakota has been one of my favorite trucks for a long time, because I like the way it handles and its size seems right. I really liked the old 360 cubic-inch V8 for its torque and deep exhaust note, something you can’t find nowadays (though it's still cool, even Paul Newman says his favorite sound is the rumble of a big V8). It was a gas hog, but it didn't much matter then. I’d still take it over the V8 in the 2008 Dakota. That’s Chrysler’s SOHC 4.7-liter, now making 302 horsepower with 329 pound-feet of torque. It’s rated at 14-19 miles per gallon, with AWD.
The Dakota doesn’t come with the powerful 5.7-liter Hemi V8, which is too bad, because the Hemi’s fuel mileage is only 1 or 2 mpg less than the 4.7-liter. However, the Dakota can use E85 ethanol fuel, which I was able to purchase for $3.20, about one dollar less per gallon than regular (that week), and that saved a lot.
The Dakota is rated to tow 6700 pounds, and I used it to tow my trailer and racing car (see the Bandit Blog), a load of about 6500 pounds. You would think that 329 pound-feet of torque would be plenty, but the Dakota struggled to accelerate. It worked hard to maintain 55 mph over the hills, and the suspension was maxed out with this load, allowing the trailer to sometimes sway a bit. The rig required a lot of attention at 60 downhill.
Remember, this was pushing the load to its limit, with the 20-foot trailer, containing a 3000-pound car. The Dakota should do jst fine with a mere boat. And that suspension is just right, when you're not towing--which for most midsize pickup truck owners is like 95 percent.
And I should say that a lot of my miles were into a headwind, driving through the Columbia River Gorge that’s like a wind tunnel. Whenever I could, I just drafted a semi at 55-60, to save gas. The trailer mostly swayed, lightly, In the gusts, or when a big rig passed me. But I still drove carefully, easing off the throttle through some of the freeway bends.
I drove the Dakota for about 460 miles, towing most of the way, listening to the NASCAR channel on Sirius radio--I listen as a journalist and interviewer, and the drivers say great candid stuff on the radio, especially Tony Stewart. The best motorsports journalism is on the radio, out of the drivers' own mouths.
I kept the five-speed transmission in its tow/haul mode. For some of those 460 miles, the trailer was empty, so towing was easier. Other times the Bandit was in the trailer, but without its 700-pound engine, which is now being rebuilt by Guy Mitchell at Paolo Custom Engines in Oregon City. I could feel the 700-pound difference the Dakota's acceleration and the way the rig handled.
Bottom line: If you're towing 6500 pounds very often, get a one-ton Ram with a Hemi. Then you'd have yourself a tow truck .
The Dakota gets five stars in its frontal crash ratings. The base price of my rig was $28,060, with a total price including options of $34,175. That’s a lot of money to pay nowadays, for 16 or 17 miles per gallon, and Dodge, under new ownership, knows it. So there are deals galore at dealerships.
Sam Moses
Previous Blogs:
Navigation Nightmares (rant part 2)
2008-06-19 08:24:36
If I were a screenwriter, I’d write a scene that could be taken verbatim from one of many conversations I’ve had with cars. Voice Command, haha. And that “haha” could be literal, at least when it comes to the Command part....
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The Big Rant, part 1: Land Rover LR3
2008-05-20 12:27:19
I should get this all over with in one blog, but it’ll be three. Too bad I have to pick on the Land Rover LR3, Toyota Sequoia, and Infiniti EX35, because so many upscale cars nowadays have the same issues: high tech for the sake of being high...
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Jaguar XF Leaps to the Front
2008-03-31 11:58:08
I make a promise in the intro that this blog will go places regular reviews don’t go. For example the following, which proves itself objective (assuming I didn’t make it all up), because being a personal email it’s evidence...
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Bueno Baja Breakdowns
2008-03-16 07:13:52
I’m living down here in my trailer in an RV Park on the Sea of Cortez in Baja for a couple more weeks, working on “Senor Madre, the Joy of Homemaking, My Life with the AngloArabAsian Brothers,” or whatever I’m finally going...
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Top 10 High Performance Cars
2008-03-14 13:00:47
I’m proud to admit that I’m a track-time hog. One of the reasons I’m an automotive journalist is to get on the track with the latest high-performance cars. Every minute I’m on the track makes me feel a day...
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Perfect Catalina Day in an 09 Forester
2008-03-13 20:21:57
I know that people don’t drive around off-road all day in their Subaru Foresters, but I gotta tell you how good the Forester is in the dirt. It’s fantastic in the dirt. How they get a suspension to work that well both on the road...
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The General Scores an Ace with Pontiac G8
2008-03-11 05:13:59
I flew straight from the Phoenix launch of the Mercedes C63 AMG to the San Diego launch of the new Pontiac G8. It’s the GTO of today, and better than ever. Lots of things to say about the G8, all of them good. And it’s great to...
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Mercedes C63 AMG, a Badass Benz Totally Built by AMG
2008-03-10 07:59:56
On February 25 I flew into Phoenix from Baja, where I live in a 29-foot trailer in an RV park on the beach in winter. It had been a great six weeks, kitesurfing by day and writing by...
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Ferrari 333SP Prototype at Daytona
2007-01-01 18:52:51
Here's the trouble with life: You sometimes don't know whether you should do a lot of preparation or none, or whether you should listen to a lot of people or nobody. Not that the opportunity to drive a Ferrari 333S P at Daytona could ever under any...
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