2004 Dodge Dakota SXT review from North America

Mostly minor issues. 1) The check engine light came on about 280 miles. The computer needed a remap. Dealer had a bulliten about the issue and knew what to do. Been fine since. 2) The blinkers recently developed a funny quirk. After a few hours of highway driving, if they are used the lights will blink and then turn off, but a constant buzz in inside the dash will continue. Problem does not seem to surface in the routine city driving. All is well now.

Actually this is my dad's truck. I feel qualified to write a review because I bought it for him. I work in the auto industry and got a better discount. He paid for the truck. He lives 10 hours away so in the 3 months it took for him to make the trip, I broke the truck in before the hours of interstate driving.

Regarding the interior cabin, the truck is much nicer than the 1989 Dakota. (I drove that truck as a teen ager.) I felt the roof line was at the lowest position without starting to compromise the field of vision. It does however give a commanding view of the road. I felt like I was driving a bigger truck than it is.

The features on the truck are pretty base, but everything he wanted... mostly. The notable omission was cruise control. The previous Dakota did not have cruise either, but we felt a 15 year new truck should come with cruise. The plastic is cheap, but the craftsmanship (how well the parts fit together) was well done. One other thing I thought ignorant was the lack of a tilt-and-slide for the driver seat. The RH seat has the feature, but not the LH seat. Crazy! The notable additions over the '89 are the quieter cabin, nicer seat cloth and more space. There where many more cubbies in which to put stuff too. The bucket seats are convenient over the bench although the seat position is a bit high.

It is an extended cab. The extended portion is adequate for 1 adult or 2 kids under 11 yrs old. Dad mostly just want space for a gym bag, briefcase and a 2nd passenger. It works quite well in that case.

The engine was well suited for the 2-wheel drive and manual transmission. It does well with no load to light load. It does rev easily, but with a medium load or more, it begins to bogs in any gear higher than 1st. For a man who has no aggression, it is way more power than he knows what to do with! For the average driver, you will find the engine works exceedingly well for the vehicle. I can recommend it to anyone.

The transmission gets the same accolades. It does not feel like a truck transmission, but clearly not a car tranny. Shifts can be put in as desired with out much effort. No bad noises came from the tranny, engine, clutch or any other part. Clutch effort is perfect. The only thing to be sure to get is a limited slip differential. It is worth the money.

The Dakota has a decent bed for the truck class. Dad would have like to have the bed rail stake holes, but few compact trucks have these now-a-days. (Ford may still have them.)

In short, the Dakota is a very worthy competitor in the compact market. Check one out today if you are in the market.