>Yes, the Vortec V6 beats the Magnum V6 by at least 20 hp last time I
>checked. And, whereas my 1993 Dakota is much roomier than any regular cab
>S10 or Ranger of the same model year, the new Dakota traded some interior
>space for the sleeker look, with the result that the cabs are now pretty
>comparable among the three.
Just like a chevy, bring a V6 to a V8 fight...
As far as room, I've been in an S-10 and a Ranger. They aren't even close
in the interior room category. You can't stretch out, my head bumps the roof,
the dash's both lack serious functionality. There is no comparison here.
>I think that Dodge has to continue to improve its trucks -- and the faster
>the better.
Iff'n ya want speed, buy a sports car. While the R/T's and all this
preformance talk is nice, we are still talking trucks here. They are meant to
haul more than a$$. You may feel free to try and tow a 5000lb trailer with
your Chevy or Ford Compact truck, you may put 2000lbs of payload in the bed at
the same time. Getting the thing to move without shredding the
transmission/differential/engine will be your next major obstacle. A Dakota
can do that without any problems and still retain the factory warranties.
Let's stay to comparing Apples to Apples please. This isn't a "Full Size"
truck list, nor is it a "Compact" one. I agree with the original post. There
is no comparible truck to a Dakota. It is the only "Mid-Size" truck on the
market and it's a great vehicle.
>Unfortunately, now that Daimler Benz is taking over Chrysler, it seems that
>less and less resources will be made available for new development for
>Dodge.
Daimler-Chrysler (remember, it's a merger: not a takeover) is fully
committed to improving the preformance of it's vehciles. The reasons for the
merger were not to "gut" either company, but since each company didn't really
overlap in it's vehicle lines, it was a perfect match. Chrysler dealers will
likely be able to start selling Mercedes commercial trucks here in the US, and
Mercedes will likely export many Chrysler vehicles to Europe and introduce
more luxurious cars to the Chrysler line. This is all still theorehtical
though, Diamler has only said "Hi" to Chrysler employees and is still letting
them run autonomously. Dodge is not impacted by the merger as of yet and
nobody had heard of any major changes on the horizon. All of this makes the
next statement silly:
>Mighty Mopar may face extinction soon, I'm afraid.
Not as long as GM executives think that you can run a car company from the
golf course, and Ford thinks that they can toss any old crap out on the road
and have people buy it forever. Anyone notice how all Ford trucks now look
like the Dodges? I wonder how that happened. Anyone noitice how GM hasn't
improved the appearance of their vehicles since the mid-eighties? They all
look bubbly, and their trucks still look boxy. Dodge now has 30+% of the
Truck market, in 1990 they had 5%. Who is heading for extinction? My bet is
on the companies that don't change their attitudes. Chrysler has a totally
forward thinking committment now. I hope to see it continue for a long, long
time.
Shaun H.
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