The word “superb” often fits our adjectival needs. Excluding references to the Škoda Superb, a search of this site returns more than 1500 pages that include at least one instance of the word. We use it to characterize handling, ergonomics, and entire vehicles. But when something’s not superb—or particularly awful—what is it? Sometimes we need to describe the middle-of-the-road, neither-here-nor-there vehicles, the simply unremarkable. The Dodge Dakota is one such example, a vehicle which led us to coin a new term:Perb.
Strongest V-8 Among Little Trucks
Dodge redid the Dakota for 2008, adding fresh sheetmetal, a restyled interior, and some extra horses for the optional V-8. We tested a top-of-the-line Laramie Crew Cab with the 4.7-liter V-8 (a 3.7-liter V-6 is standard). That engine sends 302 hp and 329 lb-ft of torque through a five-speed automatic and, in this case, on to an optional part-time four-wheel-drive system. (Dodge offered a full-time system in 2008 but has since discontinued the option in the Dakota.) Those power numbers are at the top of the non-full-size heap, besting the V-8s available in GM’s Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins, the Hummer H3T, and the Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Then again, the Dakota V-8’s output falls well shy of that cranked out by Dodge’s own 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, offered in the Ram, which puts down 88 hp and 78 lb-ft more than the 4.7.
Keep Reading: 2009 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab V8 4x4 - Short Take Road Test
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