V-8, 4 Doors,
DaimlerChrysler AG's Dodge division appears to have good reason to feel confident about the all-new '05 Dakota small pickup it is launching this fall. Like most of Dodge's increasingly competitivetrucks, the new Dakota has more than its share of enticing features. High on the list is a price that is $1,000 less than a comparable version of the outgoing Dakota. Dodge engineers say reducing the '05
September 1, 2004
DaimlerChrysler AG's Dodge division appears to have good reason to feel confident about the all-new '05 Dakota small pickup it is launching this fall.
Like most of Dodge's increasingly competitivetrucks, the new Dakota has more than its share of enticing features. High on the list is a price that is $1,000 less than a comparable version of the outgoing Dakota. Dodge engineers say reducing the '05 Dakota's build complexity — largely by eliminating the 2-door body style and adopting a single wheelbase for the Quad Cab and Club Cab variants — helped reduce the cost of building the new model.
Plus, the '05 Dakota comes to market with the segment's only available V-8. At launch, a 4.7L SOHC V-8 with 230 hp and 290 lb.-ft. (393 Nm) of torque joins the base 3.7L V-6 that delivers 210 hp and 235 lb.-ft (319 Nm) of torque. Early next year, a high-output version of the 4.7L will be added to the mix. The high-output 4.7L V-8's figures are tentative, but Chrysler says it will produce at least 250 hp and 300 lb.-ft. (407 Nm) of torque. But the Dakota will not offer Chrysler's popular Hemi.
Dodge executives say the '05 Dakota will be the only 4-door, V-8 pickup sold in America for less than $20,000. The new pickup with the standard 4.7L V-8, the entry ST trim and the Club Cab body will cost $19,995 including destination charges.
Dodge planners have a bed full of boasts for the new Dakota, including:
Best-in-class towing. With the optional 4.7L V-8, the Dakota has a maximum tow rating of 7,150 lbs. (3,245 kg). Tow capacity far exceeds General Motors Corp.'s new Chevrolet Colorado, with a maximum of 4,000 lbs. (1,815 kg) and Toyota Motor Corp.'s '04 Tacoma — which is being replaced by an all-new model this fall (see p.52) — with a maximum rating of 5,000 lbs. (2,259 kg).
More interior room — 55.3-55.8 cu-ft. (1.6 cu-m) of space for the Dakota Club Cab and Quad Cab, respectively — than any other small pickup.
A class-exclusive fulltime 4-wheel-drive transfer case that requires no action from the driver to engage 4WD. The system also features a lock setting for high-range 4WD.
Both the '05 Dakota's Club Cab and Quad Cab variants ride on a common wheelbase of 131.3 ins. (334 cm). “The 2-door midsize pickup is going away,” says Troy Branch, Dakota brand manager. Branch says buyers in the segment, which as a whole has been in decline since 2000, show little interest in the less-versatile 2-door body style.
The new Dakota comes with one of two cargo-bed lengths, depending on body style. The Quad Cab has a cargo box length of 64 ins. (163 cm), and the Club Cab gets a longer 78-in. (198-cm) box.
Inside, the Dakota blows away anything we've seen in a compact pickup — particularly the instrument cluster with genuinely premium-looking gauge faces.
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