My exspectations are it should run smooth for one. Two I don't expect that it could be kicked off the road by my old 318 Dak. It just runs bad. I will never have another Mopar in face no more American wheels at all. I have learned my lesson the hard way. Believe me I am far from the only one having problems with Gen3 Daks. I can't imagine pulling something or having a heavy load in it.

 

hmmm seems i have seen this post about a dozen times now......time to change the record

 

You're right about that, LIL. I seems certain members with problems with their truck whether minor or major use this forum to rant and moan and groan and have no interest in any kind of advice or suggestions. Chad05 was mature enough to finally realize that this forum is not for that purpose. The author of this thread should wake up to that fact also. I am fed up with this negative garbage.

 

I don't know why everyone is jumping on this guy, the motor in these things is a dog! If you think this truck is powerful then you haven't ridden in many new trucks! Heck you would expect a V8 to be able to go up a small hill(Unloaded)without having to kick it down a gear but this thing will just slowly loose speed going up a small hill and your foot is too the floor, and I'm not talking about mountains either just I-26 from Greenville to Columbia going up and down it is a dog, you have to constantly floor it to get it to kick out of overdrive because it can't go up a hill without loosing 10 mph and everyone you just passed, passing you! Heck the older model Dakota's with the 4.7 would fly but this new model is just too heavy to get it moving. I also see a lot of people bragging about spinning tires, maybe with 3.92's and some water on the road, there is no way some of these people are leaving tracks unless they are manuals maybe. You can't even spin these tires on my quad cab, it just goes, eventually making it to 60. My Titan was a ferrari compared to this thing, 0-60 under 7 seconds compared with 0-60 of probably over 9 in this thing. I thought it was just a tight motor and that it would get faster but it hasn't, I couldn't imagine towing a heavy trailer with it, I might be able to make it up some of the hills on I-26 at maybe 50 mph tops! If only they would drop a decent motor into this thing it would be great, the truck rides very good and handles like a car, my titan would roll around corners and squeek constantly. If I could put the Titan motor into the Dakota I would have the best of both worlds! Heck the pre-05 model Dakota's were runners, I use to love screaming around in them but these new ones are more cruiser than screamer. Now if only I could keep the truck from stalling!

 

Let's face it people, I think he can be right.
Just because mother Mopar puts out a V-8, and the competition only have up to V-6's does not automatically make the V-8 more powerful than the V-6 because it has 2 more cylinders.

Dodges 3.7L V-6 (which most put down as being gutless) isn't as bad as people on this forum make it out to be. It's got 210HP/235TQ. Thats' better than any of Ford Rangers engines (143/154 for the 2.3L I4, 148/180 for the 3.0L V6, and 207/238 for their 4.0L V6) Chevy makes a more power 3.7L I5 (242/242, and 185/190 for their 2.9L I4) Toyota puts out a 2.7L I4 good for 159/180 and a 4.0L good for 236/266.

The non-HO 4.7L is pretty stupid, in my thinking. Add 10HP and 55TQ for another liter of displacement.
The HO is better. 260HP and 310TQ. But, lookie there, Toyota's 4.0L (and Chevy's I5 3.7L, you know, 1 liter less!) have close to the same HP (sure, it's a little off, but whatever). Sure, in the torque department they are off.

I think a motor, a V-8 with 1 more liter displacement than most of the V-6s, can offer some more power. (On the same subject, the 3.7L could use a powerboost as well, as it only beats out the Fords, but that doesn't count )

I've read in a few reviews that the 4.7L leaves "something to be desired" and "doesn't seem like you were driving a V-8." Granted, when I test drove a Dakota (which, I believe had the V-8), it did pretty good, I was not able to actually test it out (salesman in the car [:'(])

Bottom-line: yes, its the only V-8 in its class, but, V-8 does not mean that its automatically more powerful than a V-6 or below. Dodge can use some work, because a motor with 2 more cylinders and 1 more liter displacement (than its 3.7L brother) should have more power (especially in "HO" form).

*edit* Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to go out and buy a Toyota, or a Chevy ([:'(]) for that matter. I'm a Mopar guy, but, they can/have/will put out things that can use more power.

 

I feel your pain. I have the HO and it lags to where you see the tach holding back instead of a steady smooth climb. The passing gears do kick in way too soon. That must be to compensate for the weight to HP ratio. I'm tired of spending money for premium gas for no good reason. I think part of it may be the so called smart transmission. I already had one failure. I bet the manual is stronger feeling. To stick with a Dak I wish I bought a used 03/04. The gen2s where all around a better truck. four wheel discs, a bit lighter, faster and the interior was far more refined. Real door panel trim and full gauge set on great looking dash. The 4X4s even sat a bit higher. Oh well

 

I guess people don't knows about low end TQ and power bands.

Yes some of the competitors V6's make more HP but not TQ and thats what you want in a truck also to get those HP #'s out of the V6's you have to use 91 octain and tune the engines for HP and sacrifice low end. The biggest thig with the V6's is the lack of low end TQ used for towing I bet with a load the Dakota will take the competitors. These truck were made to be trucks not lifted cars like alot of competitor trucks seem like.

 

*cough* Chevy's Colorado that looks like a child's play toy *cough*

 

I tried the Gmc canyon with the 5 cylinder it sucked.I wasn't impressed with the fit and finish,some people gripe about the interior of the Dakotas its miles ahead of the Canyon/Colorado.Ive had 3 fullsize with 4.3 and that 5 banger in the Canyon sound like a sewing machine.I know it suppose to have around the same HP as the 4.7 but it didn't pull like it.We 3g Dakota owners have something in common with Canyon/Colorado owners,check out the Colorado forums the S10 guys slamm the Colorado for not being half the truck as the good ol reliable S10,Yea it all sounds very familiar.

 

I know all about low end torque and power bands, the Titan had it, my Z28 had it, hell my SRT-4 has it, the Dakota has neither low end torque nor much of a powerband. The only time it really makes any grunt is around 4000rpm's. And the loaded bed tests for the Dakota and the other trucks was pretty much the same as it was unloaded, you can find plenty of test that prove this over and over. The older generation Dakota's would have destroyed those same trucks but the new one's are too heavy and the exhaust is too restricted. I always get a good laugh when I read these forums with people bragging about the "power" of these trucks, they probably put down 180hp to the rear wheels on a good day, I would hate to see what they use to drive before this. And in regards to the premium fuel argument, look no further than the 4.7 HO that Dodge requires premium to run. The new frontier has more hp with a V6 than we do with a V8, they run away from the Dakota's like they are barely moving.