revealing a flat floor so your suitcase or toolbox will stay upright.
Under those rear seat cushions are two storage compartments; one houses
the jack and tools and provides a little storage space, the other is a
fairly generous storage bin. In addition to the front cupholders, there
are cupholders in the quarter panels for the rear-seat passengers. Order
the automatic transmission and the place where the manual transmission
lever would poke through the floor becomes yet another little tray for
loose odds and ends.
But there were some little things we thought our Dakota lacked. For
example, no visor vanity mirror--maybe somebody at Dodge figured truck
passengers don't do makeup on the way to the Tex-Mex restaurant. The headrests
are non-adjustable, a real comfort issue.
The passenger seat doesn't fully recline. Fold the front seats forward
to allow access to the rear, and there is no memory feature to allow the
front seats to be easily returned to their former position. No grab handle
above the passenger door to ease climbing in.
Something else that's missing is the option of a third door, to make
access to the rear easier. The Chevy S-10 and GMC Sonoma are the only trucks
in this general class that offer this option, but we expect to see it on
the next Ranger, due later this year.
Back on the positive side, there's a must-have feature for trailer-towers:
the optional 6x9-inch mirrors are the biggest we've ever seen outside a
truck stop, provide a big boost in rearward vision, and cost only $160.
You can't reasonably expect an extended cab pickup to offer stretch-out
room for rear-seat passengers. But the Dakota Club Cab is wide enough for
three adults, and with cooperation from those in front, the three in back
should find the trip livable at least to the football stadium parking lot. Next Page