I would like to buy a quad cab Dakota. I went to the dealer and I guess they don't make them in the 5.7L yet. I saw they make the 4.7L High Output.

I looking for the 5.7L. Anyone out there heared anything about when Dodge is going to put it out in the Dakota?
I would like to get an R/T tho.

 

There is only 3 motor options for the 3rd Gen Dakota - 3.9L V6, 4.7L, and 4.7L H.O. You can purchase the cam and do a swap on the 4.7L to have the H.O. motor for less....heh. There is no 5.9L option Dakota like the previous gen R/T.

The R/T package is crap for the new model Dakota. It consists of a really ****ty decal package, a non functional hood w/ scoop, R/T badging inside and outside, and the 4.7L H.O. motor. In my honest opinion, your better off buying a fully loaded NightRunner packaged Dakota....as its all black with black wheels and can have all the options the R/T has.

As for the Hemi ever making it into a Dakota, forget it. Dodge is too stupid to realize the gold mine they could have here....not to mention they "claim" the Hemi motor wont fit in the current Dakota....yet the Durango can fit it. Personally, a 5.7L MDS R/T Dakota would sell like hotcakes...I'd even consider going back into a truck at that point. They'd get GREAT gas mileage....

 

I guess I'm not the only one who gets a little sore when people ask about the new "R/T". I really like my 4.7L Dakota. I get about 20 - 23mpg on the highway, and if I could get ahold of the H.O. cams I'd have a 4.7L H.O. with a manual tranny. :-) Woohoo! Talk about R/T.. :-P

 

Nope, your not the only one....the absolute main reason I got into Dakotas was because of the 2nd Gen R/T. That thing looked sweet, and sounded great when you got on the gas. Had the pleasure of driving several. My 4.7L CC Dakota was almost as ballsy, but the look was never there. Its a complete injustice to the R/T lineup for the Dakota with what they're doing right now. It's like taking V-10 out of the Viper and still trying to call it a Viper....its just stupid and I hate it. Sorry for getting on a rant...

 

The Durango's a few inches wider than the Dakota now. They are not the same basic vehicle anymore. Dodge's apparent lack of interest in a Hemi Dakota given the widespread interest on enthusiast sites suggests to me that the fitment problem is genuine and serious.

 

That's exactly my point, they redesign both vehicles and yet make it so only the SUV gets the Hemi? Makes ZERO sense....

While I do believe there is some truth to the fitment issue, I believe that its probably 50/50 smoke and mirrors too....because I cannot see why they'd not go the extra mile and move one or two items to get the Hemi to fit. Especially since I've seen so many motor conversions into vehicles that were never intended for them....and if I can put a 350 in a Fiero....I'm sure the Hemi will fit just fine in the Dakota....

 

It makes sense if they decided that the Dakota didn't need to grow the way the Durango did.

There's a big difference between aftermarket engine fitment and factory. The aftermarket doesn't have to worry about things like crashworthiness, serviceability or manufacturability. I could put a Ford 460 big block in my car if I were okay with pulling the engine every time it needed spark plugs, for example.

 

That's a good point about crashing and servicability. I will however stand by my statement about the Hemi fitting now. I think a larger part of this is just Dodge viewing the Dakota as cutting into sales on the Ram....

 

Same here....I had a '01 R/T CC & then a '02 4.7 CC and I thought that they were very similar in speed in comparison when driving. I actually thought that my 4.7 felt faster when I drove it though. But it was 2 different trannies and 2 completely different motors. The 4.7 would rev higher compared to the 5.9 that didn't & had lots of torque.

BUT the 5.9 got horrible gas mileage though it did have a sweet sounding (for stock) exhaust