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Dodge Dakota mid-size pickup reborn as powerful 'Son of Ram'
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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In the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains, a rugged off-road path rose up the stone-cluttered slope -- rough and lumped and jagged in stair-step sequence -- which loomed like a military barricade to challenge the track of a pickup truck outfitted with muscular V8 power and sure-footed traction of 4-wheel-drive.
Several yards to the right, the terrain cascaded thousands of feet down to a scenic Utah valley dotted by aspen and pine. Past the tailgate, a bumpy path over lumpy boulders, silting chutes and slick grades had led to this dicy spot high on a mountain where air was thin enough to starve an engine and wind whipped sand against a windshield.
A driver had no choice but to tackle that wall.
It was a daunting incline, several stories high and far too tough for conventional vehicle, so steep in fact that a pedestrian would be challenged without climbing gear.
Yet it wasn't too steep for Dakota.
Shifting to bottom gear in lowest range of 4-wheel-drive, a driver applied foot to accelerator as hands gripped the sporty steering wheel.
Then that torque-monster engine took over as nubby off-road tires clawed into loose dirt, and Dodge's mighty truck scampered up the hill.
It plowed that slope, tilting upward in severe angle, smothering sand and stone with deep-tread rubber while mustering an armory of low-gear torque and applying the force of 230 horses to move almost two tons of metal to the top of the Rockies.
You had to be there to believe it.
With Dakota, designers at the Dodge Division of Chrysler have revamped this pickup for 1997 models as a versatile workhorse that delivers best-in-class power, payload and towing capacity, plus impressive cabin space.
Introduced in 1987, Dakota always steered a different course in pickup design. Neither full-size, like classic American pickups, nor compact, like itsy-bitsy Asian models, Dakota measured somewhere between these extremes.
As a result, it provided benefits of both.
Dakota's bed with long-box option extended to eight feet -- standard length of many types of building materials.
It was wide, too, so much so that it could carry three adults on the conventional cab's bench seat. A Club Cab optional extension added room for rear bench to expand seating capacity to six like the big trucks do.
Yet Dakota's wheelbase, only 112 inches in regular version, was not much longer than wheelbases of compact trucks that maneuver so easily. Thus, it gained an edge in the handling department when compared against full-sizers.
Dakota's ultimate allure came down to an interesting point: It fit into a class of its own -- and so was dubbed the mid-size pickup.
For the 1997 make-over, Dakota gains sophisticated new components in nose-to-tail treatment which compares to radical revisions in 1994 for Dodge's full-size Ram.
Even the new sheetmetal shapes of Dakota reflect styling clues of Ram with that unique prow whose design cues come from streamlined Dodge workhorse trucks of the 1940s and those huge semi- rigs.
The new Dakota look is, in a word, macho.
It so mimics the larger Dodge truck that you could call Dakota's new execution the Son of Ram.
Like Ram, Dakota provides impressive power choices, carves out superior cabin space and fills it with pleasing people features, then casts all concepts in the stance of a serious work truck.
And there are so many Dakota versions now, counting two cab sizes, three powertrains, three wheelbases, two box lengths, two traction options, five payload capacities and as many as three trim levels -- base, Sport and SLT.
Space does not permit a complete accounting, but the following defines major variations, plus highlights of the three essential types of Dakotas tested recently on pavement and off-road courses winding through Utah and Wyoming.
Start with Dakota's regular cab, rigged with 3-person split bench or optional twin bucket seats. It's available with standard 111.9-inch wheelbase and regular 6.5-ft box., or a long box stretched to eight feet with wheelbase of 123.9 inches.
Dakota in regular cab conformation may be ordered with either rear-wheel-drive traction or Dodge's 4-wheel-drive system with shift-on-the-fly capability from 4x2 to 4x4-high and also a 4x4-low variation.
Dakota's Club Cab option expands the cabin rearward to forge space for a split/folding 3-person bench in back. This cabin stretcher creates a third wheelbase of 131 inches with 6.5-ft box size.
Club Cab also shows up with either 4x2 or 4x4 traction.
Power choices begin with Dakota's base 4-cylinder engine, a 2.5-liter in-line-4 equipped with overhead valving and electronic fuel injection. Horsepower only totals to 120, but EPA fuel efficiency numbers look good -- to 25 mpg.
The base engine, hooking to a 5-speed manual stick, becomes the entry power pack for Dakota's regular cab 4x2.
All 4x4s and 4x2s with larger payload ratings draw power from either V6 or big V8 engine.
Dodge's V6 3.9-liter Magnum plant produces 175 hp and links across the line with either 5-speed manual or automatic 4-speed transmission.
A 5.2-liter Magnum V8, pumping muscle to 230 hp, mates with a heavy-duty 4-speed automatic for all models.
That Dodge V8, massive in scope, applies tremendous torque -- up to 225 lbs/ft at 3200 rpm. It's what you need to extract the highest work level from Dakota, such as hauling big payloads or towing a trailer, since tow ratings extend as high as 6,400 lb capacity.
Even the barest Dakota contains excellent handing equipment like rack and pinion steering, power brakes with front discs and rear drum anti-lock action, and independent front suspension in responsive wishbone design.
New features include dual airbags for safety, superior insulation for a quiet cabin, wider track for more room and stability in motion, plus that new macho face as Son of Ram.
1997 DODGE DAKOTA
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1997 DODGE DAKOTA Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size pickup truck |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size pickup truck |
| Wheelbase: |
Regular/6.5-box: 111.9 inches
Regular/8.0-box: 123.9 inches
Club Cab/6.5-box: 131.0 inches |
| Overall Length: |
Regular/6.5-box: 195.8 inches
Regular/8.0-box: 215.1 inches
Club Cab/6.5-box: 214.8 inches
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| Engine Size: |
OHV 2.5-L I4
OHV 3.9-L V6
OHV 5.2-L V8
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| Transmission: |
I4: Manual/5
V6: Manual/5, Auto/4
V8: Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Rear, 4x4 |
| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
I4: 21/25 mpg
V6: 16/22 mpg
V8: 14/20 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 12,000 to $ 22,000 |
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