Exactly what I wanted and more

This is my first review, so be kind. I read the other review and felt another opinion was needed--isn't that the point of this site?

I bought my '06 Dakota on March 31, 2005. I live on 5 acres of prairie/oak woods in a river valley of SW Wisconsin and have not owned a truck previously. I was the general contractor for my house when I built in 2003, and used my 2 door Cavalier for hauling/carrying nearly everything: lumber, 100ft sections of drain tile, various rental tools. As the house was finished and my wife and I began to do more landscaping it became obvious that hauling mulch or trees in the Cavalier simply was not going to work. So I began to look for a truck. I'm the type of guy who is always "shopping" for a vehicle, or ATV, or boat, because I never know when my wife will "let" me go get one, so I don't want to waste any time.

So that being said, I have been looking at trucks for years. I had a good idea of what I wanted as well. I knew the Dakota was proven truck having been in the Dodge line up since the late 1980's. I had a friend who had an '05 and had nothing but praise for it.

I wanted a truck I could comfortably haul 3 guys and a boat to Canada for a fishing trip in, or haul those same 3 guys to our favorite deer hunting spot and be able to haul out the deer we shot. I needed a truck to be able to haul gravel, landscape bricks, mulch, trees, fertilizer, doors windows, and anything I need to finish my basement.

So knowing that I looked at the Colorado/Canyon quad cab truck, but didn't like the limited engine options. I looked at the Ford Ranger but it was too small. So I looked at the Dakota and was pleased to find the '06 had undergone a complete make over, and it wasn't just body skin. The frame on up was changed to an octagon shape. The body was lengthened by a few inches and sound proofing was added to the cab to reduce road noise.

I went into the dealership and within minutes found the truck I wanted. As I told the salesman what I wanted he went through the inventory and crossed off trucks, by the end they had one that had everything I wanted, and more.

I requested a club cab SLT trim package, 4x4, the V8 engine, automatic, towing package, upgraded rims and tires, sport appearance group, and a limited slip rear end. The truck also came with the overhead console and power driver seat. The club cab fit my requirement for comfortable seating for 4 adults.

The SLT trim package is the mid level package and includes power windows, locks, CD player, the light package. The 230 hp engine (there is now a high output 4.7L V8 that produces more HP and torque, but requires 92 octane gas) coupled with a 5 speed automatic and towing package allow me to tow 7500 lbs (9000 lbs with a 2 wheel drive). I regularly tow a Lund Pro-V 1775 boat which is barely half that. Unloaded on the highway I can get over 20 mpg at nearly 70mph turning just over 2000 rpm. Fully loaded with 4 adult males, the boat and a bed full of gear I can still manage 15mpg on the highway. Combined city/highway driving with the 22 gallon tank will put the range around 360 miles or about 17 mpg. I'm sure without the towing package with it's more aggressive gear ratio my mileage would go up, when not towing. When towing or hauling heavy items it is recommended to disengage the overdrive (5th gear) this cause a jump in rpm and subsequent lessening of mpg, but keeps the engine speed more constant on changing terrain. If I'm towing on a flat stretch of interstate I will re-engage the overdrive with no noticed ill effect.

The interior is comfortable, the power seat and manual lumbar support are nice on those 10 and 12 hour days behind the wheel. The back seat is also comfortable as two of my friend both nearly 6' and over 170lbs rode for 12 hours with only gas and food stops to a fishing resort in Canada last year without cramping up. The dash is functional and most controls are right where I would want them to be. The exception is the knob for the four wheel drive control is set low under the stereo and climate control.

The electronic four wheel drive system easily engages and disengages as needed. Driving in the Wisconsin winter I often will change from 4 High Lock to 2 High depending on the condition of the road, or when going up a hill to improve traction. The limited slip rear end helps as well as instead of just having one tire with power, both rear tires get power to help improve traction. The only time I've used 4 Low was when pulling stumps out of the ground and when pulling the boat out of a lake on a soft gravel landing.

The towing package added a different rear end gear to improve towing, larger 6in x 9in heated power mirrors, and a Class IV channel hitch with a 4 and 7 pin plug for trailer lights. It also includes a transmission cooler and a few other items that escape my memory at this time. I find backing trailers to be quite easy with the larger mirrors--always back a trailer using your mirrors.

The larger rims and bigger tires allow for a ground clearance of nearly 10 inches to easily navigate down rutted logging roads or to traverse fields

Hauling. I do have the 5.5 ft bed and I find it big enough to haul everything I've wanted--including my lawn tractor with plow, mind you with the tail gate down. I wish there were more than the four tie downs. A nice feature is a couple of notches in the wheel well that fit a 2x6 flat across the bed to accommodate those larger items--like sheets of plywood and sheet rock. A section of 2x6 set on end at the front and back of the bed are more than enough to support the load when properly secured. It does require a flag on the end of the load as it does extend a foot over the end of the open tailgate (in Wisconsin at least)

I did not request the information console mounted to the roof, but is nice to see mpg, distance to empty, and for logging drive times. I also did not request the power seat with lumbar, but I am so happy to have it, maybe not on the trips to the store and back, but after 2-3 hours on the road I can find that perfect position to comfortably watch the miles go by.

The one thing I don't like about the truck is that since it was redesigned with a longer front end, and just the dynamics of the front suspension it is not able to have a front mounted snow plow. I have a 1/4 mile driveway and would have like to have used the truck instead of my lawn tractor on those cold mornings.

The original sticker was just over $34,000 for the truck, but I paid $24,000 with incentives that simply weren't offered on full sized Ram's and made it more attractive than other, smaller, so called mid sized trucks.