Had to take my truck in for inspection today so I though while I was at the dealership I would look at the 08 dakota. Nice truck. I really liked the interior with the darker slate gray color than what came in my 05. I did notice that the trucks with the 18 inch wheels sat up a little higher than the trucks with the 16 inch wheels. Has anyone with the 18 inch wheels have the leveling kit and did it make a bigger difference than if you had the 16 inch wheels? I know with 18 inch wheels you would get a little more height but the tires required are a lower profile.One thing I also noticed is the new front end doesn't look as good in person as it does in the pictures.
One dissapointment is in the latest issue of 4 wheel and off road they gave the 08 dakota bad marks for off road performance but said the truck is well suited for hauling.
Didn't get to test drive one they only had 7 on the lot and only one had a V8. The biggest thing that caught my eye though was the interior. I think its a big improvement over the 05, 06, and 07 trucks. I have read the interior seems to get a bad rating but I like it.

 

Well as far as off road it’s ashamed that Dodge just won’t give the Dak a Tacoma "Dakcomma" off road ability. The Dak will never be as a Gen III an off roader unless a bunch of money is dumped into it. And if you can find a real lift system for it. I also noticed that the Frontier comes with rear disc brakes. The Dak is being eaten alive by the competition for a truck that has so much potential and a manufacture who shoots it in the foot.

 

Yea it really is a shame. The dakota has so much potential to be a great truck and dodge seems unwilling to make it better. But I guess dodge wants you to buy a ram. Which brings me to this point why the hell spend money on developing and building the dakota if you are not going to market it properly and trying to push people to a ram. I like the ram even with the new 4.7L V8 but I don't need a full size truck. They are having some good deals on the ram though. $6000 rebates.

 

Speaking of marketing, has anyone ever seen a commercial for the Dakota other than that one totally ridiculous spot where the guy came home with a bike in thebed and his wife was about to flip until she saw that he had her table in the back of the cab?

That's the ONLY Dakota commercial I've ever seen and I probably haven't seen it in well over a year. I have yet to see one for the 08 model either.

They don't market our trucks at ALL.

 

It’s always been that way for the Dak. It never got the star marketing “EVER�
Even at the dealership, the Dak hardly ever makes into the showrooms. Many time it’s lost in the lots and only once and while gets to move one or two out front for a week. In a way, I’m amazed that they sell as well as they have. What I see on this forum and others are 4X4 Daks with a good engine and great frame that sit like a Buick trying to go off road with body lifts and getting the sheet metal beat to death. The Ram is very nice but the gas millage is terrible in spite of what some say your lucky you can get 15 mpg on a real good day. Besides, the Dak to me is the perfect size truck. Dodge is just terrible at doing it justice.