2009 Dodge Dakota TRX 4x4 Crew Cab 131.3 in. WB Review Summaries

What reviewers liked most about the Dodge Dakota:

The new interior was designed for comfort, and options like plush heated leather seats, steering wheel audio controls and satellite radio make the Dakota more carlike than ever.

-- Edmunds.com

The designers have added in more brushed sheetmetal accents around the cockpit, and the whole design works very well in terms of usability, convenience, and reach.

-- New Car Test Drive

The intersection of the front fender, multi-element, twin-lens headlamp and grille makes the whole design work beautifully.

-- New Car Test Drive

The Dakota has fast steering and an almost carlike ride, although bad roads elicit some choppiness with 4-wheel-drive versions.

-- MSN Autos

...the ride was quieter [than the previous Dakota], because of extra sound insulation that includes better door weather stripping, thicker glass on the front doors and twice-as-thick insulation on the floor and dashboard panel.

-- MSN Autos

What reviewers liked least about the Dodge Dakota:

...club cab's backseat offers barely passable comfort for adults.

-- Edmunds.com

The new rack-and-pinion power steering is a bit over-assisted for our tastes but will probably be okay for most customers.

-- New Car Test Drive

[the interior] suffers from drab colors and too much hard shiny plastic.

-- MSN Autos

Dodge Dakota Comparisons:

...extensive wind-tunnel development makes this one of the most aerodynamically efficient pickups ever built.

-- Edmunds.com

The Dakota is now the largest and by far the most powerful pickup in the segment.

-- New Car Test Drive

Dakota's biggest advantage, other than its larger size, is the availability [of] V8 engines, not one, but two of them.

-- New Car Test Drive

Best one-liner about the Dodge Dakota:

On the road, the word refinement springs to mind.

-- Edmunds.com

It drives bigger than it looks, with a hefty, Ram-like way about it, a nicely muscular street swagger.

-- New Car Test Drive