tom you should email this letter to dodge. it may not get any where, but
they will know what customers are thinking bout the new dak. afterall when
is the last time you seen a german auto maker build a truck ? they dont have
a clue, and i think that they could care less about the dakota. i think they
designed fugly on purpose so it wont sell and they can then kill the dak.
JMO.
>From: Terrible Tom <SilverEightynine@aol.com>
>Reply-To: dakota-truck@dakota-truck.net
>To: dakota-truck-moderator@bent.twistedbits.net
>Subject: DML: I Took A Gen IV For A Spin Today
>Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 12:35:05 -0500
>
>
>I'll never buy one.
>
>How's that for a start to a road test review?
>
>I took a 2005 Dodge Dakota Club Cab, 4x4, 4.7V8, auto, SLT trim... in
>Mineral Grey Metallic (bastards changed it - the color is different
>slightly, from that of the Graphite Metallic. Looked lighter to me.)
>
>Number ONE BIG BIG complaint. The roofline is sloped down far more than a
>Gen III - I was hitting my hat and head on the door frame above my head.
>That really pissed me off.
>
>Next, I do not like where they placed the 4x4 control knob. It is low
>under the dash behind the cup holders. Also the aux power outlet and
>passenger side air bag switch are also recessed behind there. Not easy
>access at all.
>
>Complaint number three... I crawled under the truck in the show room and
>saw up close what they did under the Dak. The new front suspension has a
>very flimsy looking thin crossmember that stretches between the rear
>control arm mounting points. That thing is the lowest part of the
>undercarriage. It would be the first thing to get ripped up with even mild
>offroading.
>
>I don't like the instruments very much. I don't like the tach positioned
>on the right - and the lack of additional instrumentation was annoying. I
>like to see that I have oil pressure and good voltage. I don't like an
>idiot light coming on telling me "something" isn't right.
>
>Next up on my list of gripes was what Bernd was saying about the auto
>tranny shifter. What the HELL were they thinking? They changed the
>movement of the lever to make it rotate backwards as well as move down. I
>do NOT like that at all. It also hit my knee in the low range position.
>Very poor design change.
>
>While I do not like the layout and set up of the interior controls, they
>did have a very good fit and finish quality to them. They did not look or
>feel cheap. Nothing rattled and it looked well made - - just badly thought
>out.
>
>Previous exterior design complaints still stand. Doors carved too much,
>front end too low, grill dished into the bumper too much - ass end is A++
>wonderful. Kudos to the new V8 Magnum engine badge on the tail gate. Me
>like that!
>
>Cosmetically I like it but I don't love it.. they could have done much
>better. Park a Gen III next to a Gen IV - and I really like the looks of
>the Gen III better. Same thing happened to me with the Ram. After some
>time you get used to seeing a certain model on the road and it no longer
>excites you the way it did when you first saw it. That lull of a feeling
>happened with me and the Gen III Daks and the 94-01 Rams. Then the new O2
>Rams came out - and I look at them compared to my 01 Ram - and I love the
>older design - compared to the newer design. That's the same feeling I had
>when I look at the remaining Gen IIIs next to the new Gen IV's. I find
>myself appreciating the older designs more now.
>
>Performance - - the truck seemed slower than I expected with a 4.7L behind
>it. I was treated to the now familiar high revving sound of the 4.7L -
>which from past BBQ's has now been burned into my long term memory. ----
>"It feels like we're at a boat race!"
>
>Wasn't able to get the tires to chirp from a stand still - disappointing.
>Cornering and handling is MUCH improved. Truck can corner very very well.
>Brakes grab nice and stopping distance is good for a truck of its girth.
>Very quiet at highway speeds up to 85 mph <evil grin>.
>
>Sound system sounded damned good - better than the set up in my Ram. Kudos
>to the rear suicide doors on the club cab - that was a good move.
>
>One other gripe is that the fuel economy rating for the 3.7L is the same -
>slightly worse - than the 4.7. (when in a 4x4 with an auto) Granted - the
>3.7 has a 4 speed auto - while the 4.7 has the new 5 speed auto - so that
>might make a difference. However to have a V6 at 15 city, 19 highway - and
>the V8 at 15 city 20 highway - is disgusting. That's NOT saying "The V8
>gets the same great MPG as our V6!" That's saying "The V6 gets the same
>crappy mileage at the V8" - however we all know how inaccurate the EPA
>figures can be - so its all to be taken with a lump of salt.
>
>I had the usual encounter with the sales guy - he didn't know much about
>the truck really. I griped about the knob control for the transfercase -
>he said he would go inside and check to see if they offered a shift lever
>option - I shook my head and said nope - this is all they offer. I get off
>on the fact that I can go into a dealership and show up these guys. I was
>lecturing him on the design changes between the old torsion bar 4x4 set up
>and the new coil over set up... he just stood there and listened. I
>honestly think he knew nothing about them. He also never even heard of the
>Power Wagon Ram - said they had not received any info about it yet.
>
>I mentioned that I belong to a Dodge truck club and most of my "colleagues"
> call the new Durango the "Durvango" (he laughed at that) - and most
>probably won't like the new Dakota. He got defensive and started saying
>well there are small groups like that who won't be pleased by change - and
>that they have to make a vehicle that will appeal to the majority vs. the
>minority. I nodded and said I understood - but that the loyalists like
>myself and my associates - are still going to be upset. I don't think he
>gets it heh.
>
>My final take on the new truck is that I am disappointed in general. It is
>a very nice truck and I'm sure it will sell well. But I won't buy one.
>I'd take one if someone gave it to me - but if I was to make a new truck
>purchase, it would hands down be a Ram Power Wagon. With any luck - Dodge
>will refreshen the look and feel of this new Gen IV Dak in the next few
>years - and maybe then I'll like it more.
>
>--
>Terrible Tom -- AIM & Yahoo Name: SilverEightynine
>http://members.aol.com/silvereightynine/
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Oct 01 2004 - 11:38:59 EDT