Dakota Quad Cab SLT Plus is "Boss"

This review is on the 2001 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab Plus not on the regular 2001 Dodge Dakota, this was as close as I could get under the Dodge truck category..my apologies.

My husband was looking for a truck big enough to take on hunting and fishing trips and still roomy enough to fit our fourteen year old daughter in the back seat comfortably on family outings. He was talking SUV's but they are so expensive these days that he decided to look for a comparable truck that was more in our price range.

So off he went with my father-in-law to purchase the perfect truck for our family. It was dangerous sending those two off together especially considering the last time they came home with a used 1993 Chevy Blazer that was a real lemon, but I decided to give them another chance. My only stipulation was that it be in our price range and that it not be purple in color..yes, one time he came back with a purple Ford Ranger truck..it was hideous to say the least, he insisted that the color was called blue mist, whatever! it sure looked purple to me.

I was anxious to see what the dynamic duo would bring home with them this time, be still my heart.

Well the husband and father-in-law did good this time around because lo and behold when my husband turned into our driveway I knew right away I was hooked on this vehicle. My daughter couldn't wait to have Dad take her for a ride and neither could I. He purchased a 2001 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab SLT Plus and it is jet black in color with silver two tone at the bottom and it has chrome in the front grill, I love chrome..it takes me back to the days when they really made cars and trucks. Needless to say I was impressed and I couldn't believe these two actually picked out a vehicle that I approved of and it wasn't purple!

About the vehicle

"Magnum" 3.9 L multipoint fuel injection V-6 engine
4-speed automatic transmission,42RE

Dakota Quad Cab 131"WB

Power rack and pinion steering
Heavy duty suspension
Front stabilizer bar
Power disc/drum, rear anti-lock brakes
Spare tire-full size/winch carrier
24 gallon fuel tank
Tilt steering

2nd row 60/40 bench seat, folding
Power windows and locks
Keyless entry
AM/FM cassette radio
Air conditioning
Cruise control

16 X 8.0 cast aluminum wheels
P255/65R16 OWL all season tires
5'3" double wall, 38 Cu. Ft. capacity cargo box

For all of you truck experts out there here are the performance levels:

Peak Horsepower

175 h.p./4800 rpm

Peak Torque

225 ft-lb/3200 rpm

I just know that it has get up and go power!

My daughter fits perfectly in this truck just as if she were a regular back seat passenger in a four door car, she even has extra room for her feet.

My husband has hauled roofing materials and other assorted manly things in the Dakota with plenty of room to spare.

When I drove it for the first time I started the engine up and turned on the stereo and Bruce Springsteen's Thunder Road came on..my favorite Springsteen song..and the sun was out and it was a wonderful day for a ride..I nicknamed the Dakota The Boss from that day on:)

The Ride

This truck handles so smoothly you would think you were driving a car and not a truck, it picks up and accelerates nicely and negotiates turns effortlessly. I drive it when I can but it is mostly my husband's dream truck and he is like a little kid with it.

We have already purchased a bug shield, bed liner and cover and are mulling over whether to purchase running boards or not. While we like the looks of running boards they are sometimes hard to keep clean as we have experienced with other trucks we have owned.

The only draw back that I see is gas mileage and that could be a real pain with the rising gas prices.

Gas Mileage

Between 13 and 19 mpg in the city
and between 17 and 23 mpg on the highway

It takes a good thirty dollars these days to fill the tank up so that will be a concern with the gas prices expected to crest to new highs this summer.
At least it has better mileage than the V-8 does, I guess I can be thankful for that.

We were coming home from an outing last night and it was very windy and because it sits up a bit high he had a fun time steering it through the storm. We also have never had the pleasure of driving it through a snow storm yet and that could be quite interesting because we couldn't afford four wheel drive and instead took the two wheel drive. I'm sure we will survive, I have been driving a 1990 Ford Mustang for eleven years now through these Cleveland winters and the key is snow tires and sand bags in the back, so The Boss will do just fine.

Conclusion

All in all I am quite happy with our purchase and I can't wait to really test it with our fishing trip to Canada in June. I think the boys did good in picking out this truck and the only regret I have is that my father-in-law died one week after they picked the truck out and he never was able to ride in it.

You did good Dad:)