Tiny Review of my 08

[ic3man05]

First off the negatives:

-Speakers are horrible, They have the same rattling as the avenger (Recall or TSB on those, not sure if the dak has it yet).
-If there is a disc read error, you either have to power off on the radio, or switch to fm and back to get it to play again.
-Placement of the 4wd switch sucks, its barely visible and you can't tell where the switch is at without bending over to see it.
-Cleaning the truck is horrible, there are just so many small spots and weird curves to overcome.
-Cup holder area is nice but takes up way to much space, why did they get rid of the fold away cup design that goes under the seat.
-The center console has a horrible design, its really small at the top and extremely deep. The top also isn't big enough for two people to put their arms on.
-Electrical really fluctuates when the rpms are coming down to an idle (probably due to the slower belt speed)
-Dimmer switch the gauge cluster is too dim compared to the rest of the lights that dim.
-Torque management/Shifting is absolutely ridiculous. Off the line is slow until it hits around 3800rpm. Down-shifting into 2nd prime from 5th you can feel the shift jerk. Throttle response is extremely slow unless you are in Tow/Haul mode.
-Leather isn't very comfortable (guess I like cloth or real leather better).
-No oil pressure or voltage gauges.
-Instant MPG is gone :(
-Outside temperature reading is extremely slow to update.
-Fan control needs another setting between off and lowest setting.
-Adjustable vents don't have good enough adjustment range.
-Interior just feels cheap

Positives:
-Power
-Radio has support for mp3/wma and dvd data discs.
-Cup holders have never spilled anything on me.
-Floor mat on the driver side is held in by a clip to keep it in place.
-Gas mileage (sometimes)
-Filling up the fuel tank (its actually done when the lever stops, my 00 dak would always stop about a gal or two away from full).
-Ability to turn off the selt belt beep and the horn lock beep.
-Automatic lights w/ability to still turn them off.
-Gas gauge Empty is actually around 1-2 gallons left (Compared to my 00 dak which still had like 5 left when it hit E).
(I'm sure there are more, I just can't think of them right now.)


Remember I own a 2000 dakota also, so I compared a lot of stuff between the two. I've put 15K miles this truck and have had it for about a year now.

[spshultz]

My truck has/does most of that. Although I have the 40/20/40 front seats with the big fold down arm rest. You could put three arms on that thing.

The one thing I wish Dodge would have fixed was the spilling of fuel when filling the tank. I had a 2004 Durango and traded it for the '08 Dakota. They both do the same thing. When the pump clicks off when the tank is full the fuel will either spill or spray out. Not all the time but it happens enough to be hugely annoying. When I had it in to the dealer I asked them about it and they said it was the fault of the pump and not the truck. None of my other 20 cars and trucks I've owned have done that.

And if you live above 5000 feet, go for the 3.92's. The 3.55's just don't cut the mustard.

[Kbabiasz06]

For your speakers, you must have the base stock speakers, cuz i know if you have the alpines, you wouldn't have that problem, at least i don't, and im sure my truck gets bounced around more then yours.

The 4wd switch, is in a handy location, i dont even have to look to switch mine over, maybe thats because i have had the same set up for about 4 years, but still, its no diff then hitting the radio controls.


and there is a lot more that is diff from my truck compared to yours, i love my truck however there are 3 things i wish were diff on it

1. It came with a 5.7, since the 5.7 is in ever other chrysler vehicle known to man, i think that would take care of some of the get up and go issues

2. It had slightly larger interior space in the back, even for a 4 door, 4 people really pack it

3. It had greater ground clearance.

Other then those 3 things, i dont see any problems with it, but these are just my opinion

[Kbabiasz06]

Ohh and a little trick if you really want the instant MPG's, leave the overhead on the setting that shows your avg mpg, and every now and then reach up and hit reset, it will reset and then adjust for a while as you drive, but only for a while

[spshultz]

I've been playing around with Tow/Haul and find that if I use it in the city where speeds are between 25 mph and 50 mph I actually get a smidge better gas mileage. And it feels better all around.

- Ground clearance. Oh heck yes. 1 - 2 inches higher, stock, would have been perfect. The other day I parked next to what I believe was a '97 Dakota 4x4 and it sure looked like the '97 was sitting higher.

[ic3man05]

The one thing I wish Dodge would have fixed was the spilling of fuel when filling the tank. I had a 2004 Durango and traded it for the '08 Dakota. They both do the same thing. When the pump clicks off when the tank is full the fuel will either spill or spray out. Not all the time but it happens enough to be hugely annoying. When I had it in to the dealer I asked them about it and they said it was the fault of the pump and not the truck. None of my other 20 cars and trucks I've owned have done that..

Mine doesn't do that, it actually tops it off perfect compared to my other dakota. I'm going to have to go with the pumps too. (I usually stay away from off-brand and BP if that helps).

[98DakotaSport]

I agree that the torque management sucks. It made me really miss my Hemi when I moved from my Ram into my Dakota.

Be careful with the clip holding the driver side floor mat in place. Mine tore off a few weeks back. I'm trying to think of a way to stitch it back together then reinforce it.