2007 Chicago Auto Show: 2008 Dodge Dakota gets a makeover—again!
The Dodge Dakota has been struggling in the market ever since it got redesigned a few years ago. That version (v.2.0) was flat out awful looking, so the fact that it did so poorly was no surprise. It got a facelift (v.2.1) not too long ago, which was a slight improvement, but still no real gains in terms of market acceptance.
So now we have v.2.2 for 2008, which is considerably better looking than either previous efforts...
It also gets a more powerful 4.7 V8 and an upgraded interior. So, do you think this is enough to grab some of those Frontier/Tundra/Ridgeline customers?
The new Dakota will be introduced at the Chicago auto show.
Full story here.
- Permalink | Comments (6)
- Posted by: Bob Holland February 5, 2007, 5:00 AM
- Categories: All Auto Shows, Chicago Auto Show, Dodge, Trucks
The sides stayed the same, and that was the only part I really considered ugly for this generation. (the difference between the bulged fenders front and rear versus the tapered waistline on the cab / doors)
And I see they've managed to bugger up the taillights now. Those round things look especially out of place with the new squared off headlights and front end treatment!
The interior looks okay to me though, if not necessarily outstanding.
looks a lot better....but still....come on. It's like Dodge hasn't taken a look inside a Tacoma.
Poor Dodge...they really ruined the Dakota & Durango this time around. I don't think this helps.
I'm a Ford guy but I can't deny that DCX has been putting out some very handsome rides lately. I fell in love with the Magnum (inside and out) when I checked it out at the L.A. autoshow, but the Dakota has always interested me. I've always thought it looked decent all around except for the snooty front end, but now it looks 100% better! I just read that they put more storage features inside which is a great plus...kudos to Dodge because this is something often overlooked in many rides I've examined. To top it off they finally put a competitive V8 in it! Looks like a winner in my book.
The extra horsepower and torque sound good, just hope they dont hurt the mileage too much. I really like the new look, but I wish they had paid attention to the interior like Nissan did with its new trucks and SUVs. The interior of the Dakota and many Chrysler products is pretty bad.
Thank you Chrysler! For the engine at least... I know first hand that the current 4.7L V8 is very underpowered, with only 230 hp, despite lots of torque. This new V8 will hopefully give these trucks some real go. I just hope they apply it to the Ram trucks and the Durango/Aspen.
Also its about time the Dakota got a little differentiation from the other Dodge trucks, cuz they were all pretty much cheap clones before... hope the interior is improved.