2016 Dodge Dakota
There have been rumors about a new Dakota ever since the truck has been discontinued back in 2011. For a long time after that, Ram stated that they will not build another truck to replace it but this has been dismissed a year ago when Ram’s CEO announced that the 2016 Dodge Dakota is on its way. However, unlike the previous model which was a body on frame truck and which used V6 and V8 engines, the upcoming model is going to be something a bit more special.
Why? Well, it will share its chassis and probably its engines too with the upcoming Fiat Toro which in its turn it is based on the Mitsubishi L200 pickup truck.
These are both good and bad news. It is great for Ram because it allows them to not spend that much money on developing a new chassis but it is also not as good as we hoped because the truck will most likely be similar to the other two. However, considering that the other two trucks will never hit the US shores, it means that the upcoming Dakota will have to face less competitors.
Design – Interior & Exterior
Just as we said, the chassis and most of the running gear of the 2016 Dodge Dakota will be borrowed from the Toro. However, the design of this particular model will be something a bit more special. The front end is expected to share some similarities with the Ram 1500 and it should get the beefier look for the cabin as well. Two and four doors versions will likely be offered as well but the bed will most likely only be offered in a single length choice.
Inside the cabin we should see an all new design which will not be unique to it. Instead, the truck will share its design with an even smaller truck which should be released some time in the near future as well. The dashboard will be basic on the entry level model and the materials will likely be on par with those on the Colorado. However, the top end models will borrow from Fiat the materials as well as the more premium seats and even the equipment level which will offer commodities such as climate control and satellite navigation for under $30,000.
The Engine range
Under the hood of the 2016 Dodge Dakota there are a few possibilities, all of which being already available on a few other cars from their roster. The base truck is most likely going to make use of a 2.4 liter naturally aspirated petrol engine which will provide around 185 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque, enough to make it a contender in its class. Further up the range we could see either a 2 liter turbocharged petrol engine or even a bigger 2.4 liter turbo unit. The power for any of these could reach 270 horsepower with ease and up to 300 lb-ft of torque for the top end models.
For this particular models, all wheel drive will be standard but the most basic truck will likely come with rear wheel drive in order to save money and weight. The base truck will likely get a 6 speed automatic transmission while the more powerful versions could get an 8 speed unit from the larger Ram 1500 truck. However, this has not been confirmed just yet and it seems that a 9 speed unit could also be added for the base model as well.
2016 Dodge Dakota Price
The release date for the concept truck will likely be at the end of 2016 and the production model will be available starting with the mid of 2017. Pricing wise, the base model could cost as low as $20,000, price which would put it in line with the Colorado or the upcoming Ford Ranger.
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