Dodge Dakota Overview

The introduction of the Dakota pickup nearly a decade ago marked Dodge's first serious incursion into the light-truck market in years. Once a major force with entries such as its highly valued Power Wagon models, Dodge's truck efforts languished through the '70s as Ford and Chevy fought for sales leadership. When Lee Iacocca took over Chrysler, a priority was to examine the company's position in the light-truck arena.

The full-size Dodge Ram badly needed new life. However, it w4s felt that a better immediate opportunity lay in the midsize-truck market, where Ford and Chevy were just beginning to establish themselves. Enter the Dodge Dakota. Midsize, all right, but just a little bigger in payload and interior. The timing was right as pickup sales began to surge: Dakota was a solid sales hit. And Chrysler kept fine-tuning it with a new V6 engine, trim packages, an extended cab and 4WD versions. Then the 318 CID 5.2-liter 220-hp Magnum V8 was added to the mix. Another hit.

Our test model was the 1994 Dodge Dakota Club Cab with the Sport SLT trim package and the optional 220-h V8. The standard engine was the very respectable 3.9-liter 175-hp V6. Our truck had a base price of $14,042 and a delivered MSRP price, plus taxes, of $17,846-this after a $2,722 Dodge factory discount. While this may seem pricey, it is competitive with the other midsize pickup offerings.