2011 Dodge Dakota

Until recently, Dodge was known for building outrageous high-performance muscle cars, including the Challenger and Charger, with brashly named trims—Hellcat, anyone? Dodge is still finding its footing during the transition to electrification and stricter emissions laws, with plans for electrified and turbocharged muscle yet to materialize in dealerships. The Hornet compact SUV is based on the Alfa Romeo Tonale, and is available as a plug-in hybrid. The Durango SUV soldiers on, largely unchanged from 2011 and still based on the same design as the 2011-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Most alarmingly, it lags behind more modern vehicles in crash tests. Dodge sits near Chrysler at the bottom of our used car reliability rankings.

The Dakota was a mid-sized pickup, larger than compacts like the Ford Ranger, but smaller than a full-sized truck. Four-, six-, and eight-cylinder engines were available in the first two generations, but only the thirsty V8s could be considered strong. The ride is jittery and unsettled. It handled relatively well for its era, and available full-time 4WD was a plus. Model year 2000 brought a four-door Quad Cab model and a more modern V8. The 2005 redesign offered only extended-cab versions. A 3.7L V6 was standard, but even the 4.7L V8 felt sluggish and drank fuel. Further, the buoyant ride and unresponsive handling remained and ESC was not available.