2003 Dodge Dakota Sport Plus review from North America

I am picky about brakes, and I was quite excited Dodge put 4-wheel discs on the 2003/2004 models as an option. Unfortunately all four rotors warped over time, but I replaced them with slotted rotors and ceramic brake pads and they are STRONG and no warping in over a year and 15,000 miles. Awesome.

I'm really impressed with my Dodge Dakota. I have a 2x4 normal cab with the 4.7L V8 and a 5sp manual transmission. I've gone through driving like it like a race car to hauling over 2000 lbs in the bed (a bit too much actually). It has never skipped a beat. I have only had the truck in the shop once for a warranty repair and never since. I get 22.5 mpg on the freeway if I keep the speed at 60mph. It has a surprising amount of power, power that you can easily get used to until you drive a different vehicle and realize how weak the other vehicle is. I wish the seats were a little better, but I can deal with them. The fit and finish is surprisingly good and even when I take the truck up very rough gravel roads it rarely has a rattle. I've done all the maintenance myself and I never burn or leak any oil from anywhere. I love it!