I couldn't help defending the Dakota line with the following reply to Paul
and Anita. I know many of you will find this a little light on the venom,
but hey, I'm just not a venomous guy.
Dear Paul and Anita:
I'd like to respond briefly to your article on the Dodge Dakota R/T. Many of
the complaints Anita made about the Dakota apply to most pickup trucks;
stiff ride, small cab, etc. It sounds mostly as if she’s disappointed that
her truck acted like a truck, and not a sedan (or luxury SUV if she felt
like “roughing it”).
By a long shot, small trucks have made enormous gains over the past few
years in terms of cabin comfort, roominess, performance, and so on. Compare
the Dakota Regular Cab (RC) to a 1989 Chevy S10 and you’ll see what I mean!
Even head-to-head against other current small trucks, the Dakota is the
roomiest out there. The Regular Cab Dakota is my everyday car and I’m happy
with the room -- and I’m over 6’2”! Sure, I’d have preferred the Club Cab,
but the budget bows to no man – and I was delighted I could buy such a
wonderful truck for $13,000. And no, it doesn’t handle like my Volvo did,
but I don’t expect it to… it’s a different kind of beast.
The bottom line is that trucks are for truck people, for sport, work and
play. If you don’t like trucks, you may choose not to ride in them, but don’
t criticize them for being what they are. You’ve done a disservice to your
readers by shortchanging the Dakota simply because it’s not the kind of car
you want to drive, rather than identifying any relevant issues that your
readers might use to make real-world judgements when considering trucks.
Thanks for your time,
J. Alex Harris
2000 Dakota SLT
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