Anyone Considering The '24 Ram Dakota?

[DEG]

Eons ago I traded a Dakota for my first hemi ram. I had the 4.7 V8 and liked the Dakota OK but when I went to trade there was nothing at all better about the Dakota. The Ram got the same fuel economy with much more power and room. A similarly equipped Dakota was the same price as a Ram. Unless you had a garage that wouldn't fit a Ram there was no benefit to buying a Dakota and you lost capability.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Eons ago I traded a Dakota for my first hemi ram. I had the 4.7 V8 and liked the Dakota OK but when I went to trade there was nothing at all better about the Dakota. The Ram got the same fuel economy with much more power and room. A similarly equipped Dakota was the same price as a Ram. Unless you had a garage that wouldn't fit a Ram there was no benefit to buying a Dakota and you lost capability.

View attachment 175383

Yeah Dodge definitely priced the Dakota out of existence. Plus it wasn't much smaller than a regular cab Hemi Ram, and cost more.

 

[SD Rebel]

Probably reason for the RAM 1500 Classic, keep the old platform as a "mid-sized" competitor based on price until you get a true mid-sizer to market.

I will say, I was in the Philippines recently and I love their mid-sized truck market. They are serious value for the money. A fully loaded 24' Ranger with a small diesel turbo packed with all the modern electronics for barely over 30K USD. Same with the Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi Strada/Triton, Isuzu D-Max, Etc.

To get a similar truck here in the US would be at least $10K more. When I see mid-sizer pricing these days, it's just so close to full size (real prices after discounts), unless you really want a smaller truck regardless of price, I really don't have any interest in them.

 

[WXman]

Eons ago I traded a Dakota for my first hemi ram. I had the 4.7 V8 and liked the Dakota OK but when I went to trade there was nothing at all better about the Dakota. The Ram got the same fuel economy with much more power and room. A similarly equipped Dakota was the same price as a Ram. Unless you had a garage that wouldn't fit a Ram there was no benefit to buying a Dakota and you lost capability.

View attachment 175383

Yep and that is precisely why the Dakota went away and so did the Ranger. The midsize market dried up for these very reasons.

I think the reason the midsize market came back to life recently is because full size trucks got SO expensive that automakers realized there was now another opportunity to sell smaller trucks at lower cost. But here we are in 2024 and they are doing the exact same thing that killed midsizers the first time around. I guess they don't learn from history. 2024 Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado in decent trim are running over $50k now. So we are right back to full size trucks being a better value.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Yep and that is precisely why the Dakota went away and so did the Ranger. The midsize market dried up for these very reasons.

I think the reason the midsize market came back to life recently is because full size trucks got SO expensive that automakers realized there was now another opportunity to sell smaller trucks at lower cost. But here we are in 2024 and they are doing the exact same thing that killed midsizers the first time around. I guess they don't learn from history. 2024 Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado in decent trim are running over $50k now. So we are right back to full size trucks being a better value.

Considering the modern "mid-size" is about the same size as what full size trucks used to be, is probably more of a reason why people want midsize trucks again. All trucks have gotten bigger and it was explained in a video posted in another thread, about CAFE ratings and how they are applied as to why vehicles are getting bigger.

 

[boogielander]

Yep and that is precisely why the Dakota went away and so did the Ranger. The midsize market dried up for these very reasons.

I think the reason the midsize market came back to life recently is because full size trucks got SO expensive that automakers realized there was now another opportunity to sell smaller trucks at lower cost. But here we are in 2024 and they are doing the exact same thing that killed midsizers the first time around. I guess they don't learn from history. 2024 Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado in decent trim are running over $50k now. So we are right back to full size trucks being a better value.

someone's gonna come up with the compact size trucks of modern days and those will be the size of mid sizes of the past lol

the wheels just keep turning!

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

When this phantom truck is released, will it be a framed or unibody design? I believe the Ford Maverick is unibody.

 

[Darksteel165]

someone's gonna come up with the compact size trucks of modern days and those will be the size of mid sizes of the past lol

the wheels just keep turning!

Not going to happen. EPA regulations are harder the smaller the vehicle. The bigger they are made the more lax the government is.
Whta about the Maverick?

 

[HSKR R/T]

I want them to make a Dakota R/T with the HO Hurricane, AWD, wide body, street truck.

 

[Dewey]

When this phantom truck is released, will it be a framed or unibody design? I believe the Ford Maverick is unibody.

That's not a Maverick.

This is a Maverick.

 

[Idahoktm]

That's not a Maverick.

This is a Maverick.

View attachment 175574

...and this is not a Mustang.

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

That's not a Maverick.

This is a Maverick.

View attachment 175574

I came across this article.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2026-ram-dakota-pickup-truck-future-cars/

Comparing to this Maverick.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a36619035/2022-ford-maverick-vs-competition/

But I kind of like the Maverick you show, don't see them everyday.

 

[Darksteel165]

That's not a Maverick.

This is a Maverick.

View attachment 175574

I would much prefer to drive your picture.

One of my salesmen just bought a Ford Maverick and it's crazy small, but it is a pickup. He said he was getting around 38 mpg (he got the hybrid one).
I'm 99.99% sure he does not do truck stuff EVER though.

 

[boogielander]

Not going to happen. EPA regulations are harder the smaller the vehicle. The bigger they are made the more lax the government is.
Whta about the Maverick?

i forgot about that... EPA gotta go.

 

[WXman]

Considering the modern "mid-size" is about the same size as what full size trucks used to be, is probably more of a reason why people want midsize trucks again. All trucks have gotten bigger and it was explained in a video posted in another thread, about CAFE ratings and how they are applied as to why vehicles are getting bigger.

I've heard that many times before. I don't buy it, but I keep hearing that.

So I looked up the specs on a 1995 Dodge Dakota compared to a 2005 Dodge Dakota compared to a 2023 Ford Ranger (or any new midsize truck). What I discovered is that the midsize class has gotten smaller, not larger. Overall length is down a few inches. Height is up a couple of inches because of larger tires used these days. Headroom and leg room are identical over the last 30 years, while shoulder room has slightly decreased.

 

[DEG]

someone's gonna come up with the compact size trucks of modern days and those will be the size of mid sizes of the past lol

the wheels just keep turning!

Perhaps, but it would need to get a lower fuel economy to reduce the amount the manufacture is paying in fines for failing CAFE standards. I say my Dakota got the same MPG as the Ram, but in reality it might have gotten 1 or 2 mpg better. It just wasn't enough of a difference to sway me to keep going with a vehicle with not nearly the capability.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter how big the pickup is. It will still fit into the exact same "Light Duty Truck" CAFE category as the 1500. The important thing will be sales volume and mpg.

In 2025 manufactures of light duty trucks are supposed to average 39.3 MPG for light duty trucks and 55.3 MPG for passenger cars. I don't believe manufactures have met the average standard for many years as a result must pay fines for every vehicle that fails the standard. If they meet the average fleet standards I don't believe they pay any fines even if a few vehicles fail to meet the standard. From what I read the fine is $14 for every 0.1 mpg below the standard. So, if Ram does does not meet the average light truck standard in 2025, which they won't, and they sell you a truck that averages 20MPG they will have paid a $2700 CAFE fine on that single truck and passed that cost along to you.

Ram sales around 500,000 trucks annually so if they can get just 1 mpg better in 2025 that will reduce their CAFE fines by around 70 million dollars. That's a huge savings for them. Perhaps one of the reasons they are abandoning the hemi for the hurricane. If they can convince you to not buy a Ram in favor of a smaller pickup that might get 2 or 3 mpg better that's and even bigger savings especially if they sell it at the same profit margin. I think the average CAFE standards are so far out of reach for the manufactures at this time that they are resigned to just reducing the fines they pay.

 

[boogielander]

Perhaps, but it would need to get a lower fuel economy to reduce the amount the manufacture is paying in fines for failing CAFE standards. I say my Dakota got the same MPG as the Ram, but in reality it might have gotten 1 or 2 mpg better. It just wasn't enough of a difference to sway me to keep going with a vehicle with not nearly the capability.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter how big the pickup is. It will still fit into the exact same "Light Duty Truck" CAFE category as the 1500. The important thing will be sales volume and mpg.

In 2025 manufactures of light duty trucks are supposed to average 39.3 MPG for light duty trucks and 55.3 MPG for passenger cars. I don't believe manufactures have met the average standard for many years as a result must pay fines for every vehicle that fails the standard. If they meet the average fleet standards I don't believe they pay any fines even if a few vehicles fail to meet the standard. From what I read the fine is $14 for every 0.1 mpg below the standard. So, if Ram does does not meet the average light truck standard in 2025, which they won't, and they sell you a truck that averages 20MPG they will have paid a $2700 CAFE fine on that single truck and passed that cost along to you.

Ram sales around 500,000 trucks annually so if they can get just 1 mpg better in 2025 that will reduce their CAFE fines by around 70 million dollars. That's a huge savings for them. Perhaps one of the reasons they are abandoning the hemi for the hurricane. If they can convince you to not buy a Ram in favor of a smaller pickup that might get 2 or 3 mpg better that's and even bigger savings especially if they sell it at the same profit margin. I think the average CAFE standards are so far out of reach for the manufactures at this time that they are resigned to just reducing the fines they pay.

the whole takeaway is the government is the one to blame lol
coming up with impossible figures as standards and then make people pay for it, which does nothing productive but make things way more expensive.

 

[DEG]

the whole takeaway is the government is the one to blame lol
coming up with impossible figures as standards and then make people pay for it, which does nothing productive but make things way more expensive.

I believe most government programs marketed to help people are nothing but revenue collecting schemes in disguise to dupe the weak minded.

 

[boogielander]

I believe most government programs marketed to help people are nothing but revenue collecting schemes in disguise to dupe the weak minded.

exactly. weak minded don't realize someone has to pay for it and that someone will be themselves someday.

 

[yankeefan31569]

id
consider one if it had something similar
to the
eco-boost ford
motor. my
05
had the magnum v8 id love for them to come back with it for the dakota again but thats dreaming...