The Dodge Dakota is a mid-size pickup truck that Chrysler first sold in the 1987 model year. In three generations of production
the dodge Dakota has been an also-ran in a class where the Toyota Tacoma is a perennial best-seller, and where the current Nissan Frontier is our choice as the best in class.
The dodge dakota gave Chrysler a unique pickup truck to market against the compact Ford Ranger, Chevy S-10 and the Toyota and Nissan pickups when it was introduced in 1987.
The first-generation dodge Dakota came with a choice of four- and six-cylinder engines, rear- or four-wheel drive
Midway through this model life, Dodge dakota added a longer-cab model that still only had two doors, a halfway solution to the Dakota's competition and their four-door models.
V-8 engines were added as well, and the dodge Dakota gained a driver-side airbag as standard equipment before its final model run in 1996.
The second-generation Dakota could be spotted easily in showrooms: it adopted some of the fender flares of the bigger Ram pickupand became the best-looking pickup in its class.
Mostly a reskin of the existing truck, the Dakota's new look was joined by some uprated powertrains. A four-cylinder engine borrowed from Jeep had carried over
The big news came with the addition of a Quad Cab model, a true four-door, in the 2000 model year. A new interior arrived in 2001; the four-cylinder's last year was in 2002. Dodge Dakota
The final year of this body style came in 2004. During this generation, Chrysler also introduced the Dodge Durango, a mid-size SUV that shared much of the Dakota's platform.
In its third generation, the dodge Dakota stepped back from its curvy influences and took on more straight-edged styling. Still riding on the same platform and offering the same V-6 and V-8 engines
Dodge ended production of the Dakota in the 2011 model year. Chrysler has proposed building a smaller unibody pickup truck in the past