Don't forget... the Dakota R/T didn't come out until 1998, one year after
the re-design. DC may just want to hold off a year to get the bugs out of
the redesign, or they may kill the R/T after this year (they shut down the
plant that was making the 5.9L earlier this year according to
Car-truck.com). With the way emmissions standards keep getting stricter, DC
may just want to make the SRT-10 the only "performance" truck from Dodge
(although i think there should be at least a 4.7HO option for the Dakota).
As for the F'ed-150... it's still going to be the "most purchased new
vehicle" next year. been the same way for the last 20 years. However, if
someone is actually interested in a truck that will pull more than just its
own weight, the word HEMI has a lot of drawing power. from what i had
heard, they are fitting the new F-150 with a 3-valve/cylinder 5.4L Triton
(so the "tri" in triton will finally be true). but it still doesn't match
the power coming from the HEMI... so, who really cares about the F.O.R.D.?
here's an idea for DC... use the 4.7HO as the standard V8 in the Rams, that
way, the "fuel conscious" folks out there have the ability to get a fuel
efficient V8 that has as much power as the competition's big engine.
Gabe Couriel
http://frontpage.tripod.com/fijigabe0
--- 1998 Dodge Dakota Club Cab 239ci V6 - 175hp 5 speed - AX15 8.25 Rear-end w/ 3.21 open differential- Modifications -
Flowmaster 40 Cat-back Exhaust K & N Drop-in Air Filter w/ front shield cut-out Autolite 3923 Spark Plugs Mopar Performance 7.5mm Spark Plug Wires Mobil 1 15W50 Synthetic Motor Oil w/ Mopar Performance Oil Filter
-----Original Message----- From: owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net [mailto:owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net]On Behalf Of jon@dakota-truck.net Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2002 7:05 PM To: dakota-truck-moderator@bent.twistedbits.net Subject: DML: Truck Trend: No HEMI Dak
I was in Wal-Mart this evening to pick up some cat food and wandered by the magazine rack. There was a picture on the cover of Truck Trend of this green pickup that looked like a new Ram. I picked it up and it was the upcoming redesign of the Ford F-150! This is becoming a real trend - Dodge redesigns their trucks and Ford copies it as closely as they dare! It actually looked like someone cloned a Ram and changed the side windows a bit! What threw it off was windows and the little oval logo on the grill. Just amazing! :-P If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, I guess Dodge owes Ford a word of thanks. ;-)
Anyway, the cover story was the pickups which will be coming out shortly (redesigns, etc.) They had a blurb in there about the new Dak and Durango. I think they said the Durango would get the 5.7 HEMI, but about the Dak they said (paraphrasing) "Although the tech engineers say the 5.7 HEMI will fit in the new Dakota's engine bay, there are no plans to date to offer a performance package for that platform."
If true, there are going to be a lot of dissapointed future Dak owners out there! From the statment above, it could be construed that not only will the Dak not get the HEMI, but the R/T will be killed as well - "no performance package".
A pretty stupid move, if true. Doesn't affect me too much; I don't buy new Chrysler products because of the MB takeover fiasco, but I know a lot of people are looking forward to HEMI Daks. (Granted, the source *is* Truck Trend (Motor Trend) so I guess you have to take it with a grain of salt, but still...)
Just wanted to pass that along.
--
-Jon-
.---- Jon Steiger ------ jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com ------. | I'm the: AOPA, DoD, EAA, NMA, NRA, SPA, USUA. Rec & UL Pilot - SEL | | 70 Cuda, 90 Dak 'vert, 92 Ram 4x4, 96 Dak, 96 Intruder 1400, 96 FireFly | `------------------------------------------ http://www.jonsteiger.com ----'
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