2004 Dodge Dakota SXT review from North America

So far, nothing has gone wrong with my truck.

I am noticing a bit of noise when I shift, though. Hopefully this doesn't materialize into something worse.

I bought my Dakota in 2004 and have put it through its paces. It's a solid, reliable truck, but I have a few minor gripes about it which will probably make me get rid of it within the next year or two:

Comfort: lacking. It's a regular cab, and even being 5'7'' I feel a little cramped on the inside. I often have to store my gym bag in the bed because I have no room in the cab, and that's rather annoying.

Seats aren't bad, but could use some more padding.

Power: Not a whole lot. The new 3.7L V6 is enough to pull around this 4,000-lb truck, but it can be a bit of a dog in traffic.

Gas mileage is 17MPG in-town, 22MPG on the highway.

Standard Features: Not many. I have a CD player and A/C in my truck. That's about it.

Quality: Decent. Dodge has had relatively spotty build quality with the Dakotas, but mine seems to be decent.

Fit and finish is good, but the interior feels cheap and plastic-y.

As mentioned before, the transmission has been acting a bit funny lately. It's sometimes hard to shift into 2nd and 3rd gear, and will make strange noises on occasion.

Overall: An average truck, designed for those who need basic A-to-B transportation with the ability to haul a few things around.

It's not a crappy truck by any means, but I want to upgrade within the next couple of years to a Nissan Xterra 4x4 (I don't haul anything, so what's the point of having a truck again?)