2005 Dodge dakota

mid-size - truck

​     From the company that changed the face of trucks forever comes another change in the truck market, the new Dakota.  Like its Durango counterpart, this new mid-sized pickup is nothing like the previous model, its everything it never was or wanted to become.  

      ​Dodge has taken the Dakota into the bigger is better world where the new Dakota is the original just bigger in every way.  With its bigger body comes a bigger front face and this new Dakota is every bit bigger upfront.  The new larger grille is a big change with its big chrome hairline grille and stuck out position from the hood and the lights.  But this new grille may be larger than its predecessor’s was but it is certainly not better, since it does not blend with the truck, rather it sticks out from it, as if it was pulled of another truck and slapped onto the front of the new Dakota.  The new front headlamps come with Dodge’s new circular headlamp look but is done in a bad way, since the circular area pushes up from the lights shape and sticks out on top of it, unlike that of what is on the front of the new Ram.  With its new grille and headlamps came a new front bumper and lets face it everyone can tell this truck has a front bumper, since the chrome on the bumper really stands out, Dodge should have done away with the cheap looking plastic chrome and gone for a painted bumper look instead.  The new front of the Dakota really is nothing special to look at, since it makes all its key design areas very noticeable to each other rather then blending them in as one solid front end.  

      From the front headlamps comes new wheel flares, which in this trucks case look like they want to stand out on there own from the rest of the truck with the way they stick out from the body of truck and then come to an abrupt stop when they meet with the trucks cabin.  Dodge should have spent some more time making the new bigger wheel flares blend in more with the body of the truck rather then making look like they’re on there own.  The main cabin area of the new Dakota has been improved to accommodate for the bigger interior and just a bigger body then its predecessor.  Flowing onto the rear are new rear wheel flares, which have been added to flow with the rest of the new bold design for the 2005 Dakota.  The new rear wheel flares are a nice touch to the new design but they are not a better feature then what the previous Dakota featured, because when these wheel flares end at the rear of the truck they come off looking like the rear tail fins of the 1950’s Dodge cars.  

​       At the end of the Dakota’s rear fins are the new rear tail lamps, which are somewhat a welcomed change, but not welcomed in a good way.  The new rear lights feature a uniquely styled double lens design which fits the new Dakota but is still is a bit odd looking and did look a lot better on the Durango.  Most of the rest of the rear is the simple look from Dodge except for the newly installed symbol on the rear tailgate.  A symbol on the rear tailgate is a new fad that seems to look strange but I guess the consumers will have to get use to it because every other truck manufacture is doing it.  Well with all its new changes, the new Dakota is a welcome change from the ailing body style left over from the ninety’s.  It’s time for a change and I believe Dodge has answered the call yet again with another odd looking truck which shows that is Big and Bad when it comes to trucks.